William Shatner sold a kidney stone to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. The details in the question appear to be mistaken: contemporaneous reports say he agreed to sell it to GoldenPalace.com for $25,000, not that he sold it on eBay for $5,000.
What item did William Shatner sell?
It was Shatner’s kidney stone. In a CNN interview on January 17, 2006, he joked that he had used it “for awhile” and no longer needed it. He said the sale raised money for Habitat for Humanity. CNN’s interview transcript records his explanation.
Who bought it, and for how much?
Two contemporaneous reports published in January 2006 put the agreed sale price at $25,000 and identify GoldenPalace.com as the buyer: the Associated Press report published by CBS News and the Deseret News report. ABC News Australia described the transaction as a private sale and said Shatner turned down an offer to sell the stone at auction on television. These accounts do not substantiate an eBay sale or a $5,000 price. ABC News Australia’s report also says Shatner rejected an initial $15,000 offer before countering.
Why do some accounts give a different amount?
In an interview published September 9, 2006, Shatner recalled, “I auctioned off a kidney stone for $75,000.” That later recollection differs from the $25,000 figure in the January reports. The available accounts do not explain the discrepancy, so the clearest answer is to attribute each amount to its source and date rather than treat them as interchangeable. The Guardian interview contains the later figure.
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