Oldest message in a bottle auctioned on eBay

An old bottle could deliver a significant amount of money to a German fisherman. While net-fishing in the Baltic sea, he found a bottle that was tossed into the ocean more than ca century ago.

The bottle was not an ordinary one because it had a message in it and a postcard. The fisherman was fishing off the coast in the Baltic sea just north of Kiel City. When he opened the bottle he was stunned. It was signed by a man named Richard Platz and it contained a postcard dated May 17, 1913.

The postcard also had two German stamps and an address where any finder could send the postcard back. However, this is believed to be the oldest item of such kind in the world and now the fisherman is auctioning it off.

He said his 78 year old boat need complete restoration so he decided to sell the item on eBay. The item is currently displayed in the International Maritime Museum in Hamburg until January 2015. Only then the buyer will receive the bottle. The biggest bid so far is just shy under 3,500 euros.