Darren Rovell boasted on Twitter that he purchased the greatest pill bottle of all-time, and he might have a point.
Rovell, who covers sports business for Action Network and had previous stops at ESPN and CNBC, paid $7,860 for an authentic pill bottle of Hugh Hefner’s Viagra prescription in an auction; the item came from the collection of Crystal Harris Hefner, the former Playboy mogul’s third wife.
So, why did he buy it?
“Memorabilia collectors search for conversation pieces — pieces that elicit reaction from their friends, family and collectors,” Rovell told The Post.
Julien’s, the Hollywood auction house where Rovell purchased the bottle that once held Hef’s erectile dysfunction medication, initially set an estimate of $1,000 to $2,000 for the item.
However, like the action the pills were intended to elicit, the bidding got hot and heavy.
There is a method to Rovell’s madness, especially when it comes to investment valuations, and while nearly $8,000 sounds like a lot, he could presumably gin up a marketing campaign to generate a tidy profit should the day come he wants to part with the collectible.
Rovell’s vast memorabilia collection includes a lottery ticket signed by John Hancock to rebuild Faneuil Hall in Boston, and numerous checks including Denzel Washington paying for his courtside seats for Lakers games, John F. Kennedy subscribing to the Washington Post, Joe Montana paying for his sophomore year apartment at Notre Dame and Amelia Earhart paying for nose surgery.
He also collects tickets, and is the owner of three tickets from Notre Dame’s Rudy game, three tickets from the actual game Ferris “took off” the day at Wrigley when “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was filmed and a ticket from the game Michael Jordan first wore Air Jordans in 1984.
