It is, perhaps a sign of the times: before the first day of the Olympic torch relay was over, the torches themselves were starting to appear on eBay, with some attracting offers in excess of £150,000. It seems, if nothing else, a terrible long-term investment: torches from past Olympics – Mexico City, Atlanta, even London 1948 – routinely sell on the auction website for a fraction of that.
The 8,000 2012 torches belong to the torchbearers if they choose to buy them for £215 and Olympics organisers are powerless to stop them selling them on. Tempted by a quick profit, upcoming runners have begun offering their torches for sale before they've even got their hands on them. Many eBayers are donating the proceeds to charity, but a few have admitted they had just rather have the money. As torchbearer Andrew Bell says, "It is nearly a metre long and looks weird on the mantelpiece."
So if you decide to keep it, or you end up a winning bidder, are there any other uses for a secondhand Olympic torch?
1 Extra-large cheese grater The design of the London 2012 torch earned it the nickname "the cheese grater", but tests have shown it actually is remarkably ineffective at grating cheese. It does melt the cheese, though.
2 Smoke detector tester At nearly a metre long, you won't need a step ladder to check if your smoke detector is operating efficiently. Just light and point.
3 Hot vase Looks great and keeps delicate flowers warm, with consistently catastrophic results.
4 Late-night reading light Low-intensity blue flame makes it ideal for reading in bed without disturbing loved ones. Just don't fall asleep.
5 Personal outdoor cafe heater With the eternal flame blazing between your knees, you'll be able eat alfresco all year long. Doubles as cigarette lighter that never goes out. (Warning: occasionally goes out.)
6 Reusable ceremonial ice-cream cone Make your every ice-cream an Olympic ice-cream, this summer and every summer. Not edible.
7 Looting aid Finely balanced weight and easy-grip handle make it essential for breaking toughened glass, and the concealed flame is the opportunist criminal's best friend.
8 Decorative ping-pong table leg Give your table tennis table that Olympian look. Requires four matching torches at an approximate cost of £600,000. Table top and net not included.
9 Crowd-parter Wear shorts, hold the torch aloft and jog yourself a clear path through crowded festivals, train stations and passport queues. Flame can be used to singe any slow movers.
10 Portable moth attractant Moth-spotters can find specimens wherever they go, thanks to the patented moth-attracting technology. There's something about the design that moths can't resist.
