September 29th, 2007 by Skip McGrath

At the end of the first episode of the new CSI season, Gil Grissom announced that the model of his office used in the Season 7 miniture killer plot-line will be auctioned on eBay for charity.

I’m a CSI fan, so I had eagerly anticipated the first episode of the new season. Yes, it was a really good episode, but what was interesting to me was what happened at the end. If you’ve been following CSI, you know about the Miniature Killer plot-line and that in the “Living Doll” episode of Season 7 Gil Grissom received a miniature replica of his office.

CBS Cares is auctioning off this miniature on eBay (www.ebay.com/csi). I think this is the first time I have seen a TV advertisement for a charity auction. The proceeds will go to the National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Association who helps child victims of abuse and neglect find loving families. So far almost 58,000 CASA volunteers have helped over 220,000 foster kids find new homes, or reunite with their family.

Advertising this at the end of the first episode was very smart. As of right now (less than three days into the auction) the number of people who have viewed the auction stands at 130,597. So far bidding is up to $13,600 with 68 bids (must be preapproved bidders). I wonder if this will pave the way for more TV plugs for eBay auctions in the future.

For more information about the National CASA Association, go to www.nationalcasa.org.