From now until mid-November Blizzard will be auctioning off a piece of gaming history on Ebay. Due to recent upgrades, the company now has a large set of old server blades - for both North American and European servers - that housed the gaming world (of Warcraft) in its infancy. Proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, dedicated to fighting and developing treatments for childhood cancer.
The server blades are non-functional, but each comes with a commemorative plaque showing the server's name, signed by the Blizzard team. There are multiple available blades per realm, so be sure to check the realm release schedule (linked on each date below) if there's a particular one you are searching for. The auction dates are as follows:
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Blades bids start at $100, and there is no limit on how many blades you may purchase. There are a number of questions answered in their FAQ, but here are some highlights:
Q: How much of my money goes to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital?
A: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will receive 100% of the winning bid on this auction less $50 for the actual costs for creation of packaging, handling, and insurance, any fee associated with the use of PayPal, and approximately 1% for the eBay listing fee.
Q: How long does the auction last?
A: There will be a total of four weeks of auctions. Each week will contain a new set of World of Warcraft server blades for the community to bid on.
Q: When will I receive my World of Warcraft server blade if I win one in the auction?
A: Barring unanticipated circumstances, the expected delivery time for items is 3-4 weeks after final payment is received and acknowledged.