Each year at Chamber Eve, we have a number of "blind bid" items where you can submit a bid but you don't know what others who are bidding against you have submitted. This year we've got a very unique opportunity for you to acquire something rare: An authentic beer & ale bottle, plucked 1700 feet deep, and which had been lying on the bottom of the Atlantic for almost 140 years. The bottle comes from the SS Republic®.

This SS Republic® was a Civil War-era sidewheel steamship that sank in 1865 while carrying a large cargo of silver and gold coins and a stunning variety of everyday wares essential to life in mid-19th century America. It was discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2003.

En route from New York to New Orleans with passengers and commercial cargo, the SS Republic was lost in a violent hurricane on October 25, 1865. The passengers and crew escaped from the sinking ship, yet a fortune in coins and much-needed cargo to help rebuild New Orleans' post-Civil War economy sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. It wasn't until 2003 that Odyssey Marine Exploration discovered the shipwreck of the Republic approximately 100 miles off the Georgia coast. Artifacts recovered provide a fascinating look at 19th century goods in use during the Civil War years.

The beer & ale bottle comes with a display stand, a certificate of authenticity, two books ("Bottles from the Deep" and "Lost Gold of the Republic"), and a DVD about the wreck and the recovery. It all goes to the highest bidder.

Remember that for our Blind Bid items, you won't know what others have bid, so give it your best shot. All items will be on display at our prize table in front of the Blue Cavern exhibit. Bids can be made up until 9PM. Since you're doing this blind and don't know what others have bid, you only need to make one trip to the table and submit one bid. But make it your best off.

Good luck and good bidding!!!

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