For $500,000, a collectible Charlie Hebdo issue can be yours
People have been profiting off of tragedy forever, making it no real surprise that someone is selling Issue 1178 of Charlie Hebdo on Craigslist for $500,000.
It's the first edition to come out after the Jan. 7 attacks on the magazine's offices in Paris. The seller told The Village Voice that he's received at least one offer for the issue, which has sold 7 million copies worldwide. He's not the only one making a buck off of Charlie Hebdo — The Village Voice also found "Je suis Charlie" pencils, lampshades, and decorative pillowcases for sale online, as well as a $54.95 "Charlie Hebdo-themed" engagement ring on Etsy, with the weird tagline "bling for freedom."
None of this bothers Book Culture owner Chris Doeblin, who sold copies of Charlie Hebdo in his store (at its normal price). "The only sacrilege is telling people what they can't do," he told The Village Voice. "If they want to pray, they should. If they want to be Muslim, they should. If they want to sell this to make money, they should."
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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