A New York-based financier has paid $250,100 for lunch with the investment legend Mr Warren Buffet, in a an online charity auction.
Mr David Einhorn, a founder of New York-based Greenlight Capital, placed the winning bid in the auction held on eBay last Friday. He won a lunch for eight people in New York next year. Proceeds will go to the Glide Foundation, a charity for the homeless.
Three other unsuccessful bidders also expressed interest in matching the $250,100 price tag for lunch with Mr Buffet but their offers were declined in the interests of fairness. But such has been the interest in the auction another will be held next year.
Despite his vast wealth Mr Buffet is renowned for his frugal lifestyle. He lives in a house he bought for $31,500 in 1958, and his favourite tipple is cherry coke. Putting his money where his tastebuds told him, Mr Buffet has built up a major shareholding in Coca Cola thought to be worth $13 billion at current market prices.
Mr Einhorn's luncheon will be between May 5th and May 14th in New York. An earlier appointment can be arranged in Omaha, Indiana, where Mr Buffet's investment firm Berkshire Hathaway is based.
The auction, which began July 6th with a $10,000 bid, has been the most successful charity auction held online. The bidding raised more than twice as much as the combined total from all three previous lunches Mr Buffett hosted, which were offered through live auctions.