Ivar's 12-foot icon goes for $1,626 clams on eBay

Dan McAuliffe digs this clam.

The owner of the Clearview Nursery near Woodinville bought the Ivar's giant clam off e-Bay for $1,626 in bidding that ended yesterday, besting 71 other bidders for the 12-foot bivalve.

"We have all kinds of things out here that are attractions for people and we thought the clam would be a nice attraction," said McAuliffe, who just opened his new nursery on 11 acres of land off Highway 9 between Woodinville and Snohomish. He plans to refurbish the clam and erect it near the nursery entrance, fitting with it with lights and making it into a fountain.

Traci Buxton,who rescued the clam when it was on the way to the dump and put it on e-Bay, said she was thrilled that it will go to a good home.

"We're hoopin' and hollerin'," said Buxton. "It was kind of a wild hair kind of thing and it was so much fun. No matter what we got for it, we got a kick out of it."

She has said she'll donate 20 percent of the proceeds to a Federal Way charity.

Carlee Roberts, office manager at Clearview Nursery, said the giant wood, mesh and foam clam will join a large collection of other memorabilia, including steam engines and an 8-foot spinning globe. "We figured we didn't have a clam, so we wanted one," said Roberts, who sat by the computer as the bidding closed yesterday, outbidding another clam-seeker.

She said her boss was willing to pay as much as $2,000 for the clam.

The nursery, which expects to have the clam on display within two weeks, hopes to throw a clam party and has invited Ivars to the festivities.

McAuliffe, who hopes to pick up the clam this weekend, said it has a special place in his heart. He grew up in Bothell and remembers seeing the clam in Seafair parades.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com