Alberta donair costume auction enters final hours

The auction for the full-size donair costume that sparked a fierce bidding war in Alberta and beyond is in its final hours.

The donair suit, described as “excellent” yet “dusty,” is part of the Alberta government surplus auction.

BACKGROUND: Alberta government auctioning off a ‘dusty’ donair costume

The monthlong auction began July 14, with bidding soaring into the thousands of dollars within just a few days.

As of Sunday evening, the highest bid was $16,020. The auction ends Monday at 8 p.m.

Much of the bidding war involved donair restaurants – some Alberta-based, others Halifax-based – perhaps hoping in part to bank off the publicity from the quirky auction. Blowers & Grafton, Primetime Donair, King of Donair and Swiss Donair have all been in the running at some point over the last few weeks.

The tinfoil-wrapped donair comes complete with replica meat, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and a dribbling of sauce – all of which looks real enough to eat.

The listing says the 1.4-metre-high costume snack is made of latex, vulcanized rubbers and synthetics, and it comes with a silver body suit to complete the “authentic tinfoil look.”

The province says the costume, which was designed and created by Alterian Studios in Irwindale, Calif., was purchased in 2015 for a traffic safety video campaign about the perils of driving high on cannabis. The video was never made.

The government’s surplus auction typically sells unused equipment or items seized by law enforcement.

—With files from The Canadian Press