Just in time for Christmas, Preservation Houston has begun marketing a new type of Astrodome memorabilia: 4-in. beverage-coaster-sized squares of AstroTurf removed from the stripped-down stadium — along with loads of other major league hardware — in October 2013. Each one bears “a unique serial number and a certificate of authenticity,” according to the seller, and they come in packs of 4 that cost $100, plus tax. (That’s more than a 200-percent price hike since the last big Astrodome yard sale 5 years ago offered up 12-in.-by-12-in. squares for $20 each.)
During the lead-up to the defeated 2013 bond proposal that would have paid for extensive renovations to the Astrodome, these particular patches of turf road along with staffers from the National Trust onboard the “Dome Mobile,” a 26-ft. truck that the preservationist organization commandeered as part of a public campaign to save the building from demolition. It wasn’t until afterward that Preservation Houston got its hands on them en masse. Shipments of the items, it now says, should be delivered to buyers no later than December 17.
- Astroturf coasters [Preservation Houston]
- Astrodome coverage [Swamplot]
Photos: Preservation Houston
Oyvey … obviously some people will buy anything!
it’s already sold out
Preservation Houston checking in here — they aren’t sold out as of 3 p.m. We still have a handful of sets left, but they’re going quickly.
Do we get to tear it down now?
This is why I voted against Ed Emmett. His obsession with this rotting building was ridiculous, especially given the flooding challenges with the city. He ensured it’s survival, but didn’t do anything substantial to improve the flooding situation. Thought I was in the minority when I pulled the lever for the other person (I can’t even remember her name), but i was voting against him – not for her. In fact, I voted straight ticket Republican but specifically made sure to vote against him. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one.
Actually, if the price was $20 five years ago for a 12″x12″, that works out to almost *nine* times the original price, since you can get 9 4×4 coasters out of one 12″x12″ square. That’s some incredible markup — capitalism and entrepreneurism at it’s finest. Of course, that doesn’t take into account the certificate of authenticity, which has to cost at least a nickel to print.
Color me jealous. Great idea.
Or to put it in even crazier numbers, if they had bought the whole Astroturf football field, it would be worth close to $10 million if they could sell all the coasters…
That’s some expensive faux grass right there folks…