Man relieved when $20,000 bid falls short

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- An Illinois man who bid $20,000 for ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich's Elvis statue said he was relieved to lose and soon found an identical statue for $550.

J.R. Bramlett, 67, of Orland Park, said he bid $20,000 for the statue at the Aug. 19 auction in Arlington Heights, which was held after Blagojevich's campaign organization failed to pay back rent on a storage space, but he was outbid by $500, the Arlington Heights Daily Herald reported Tuesday.

However, Bramlett said he was relieved to lose when he discovered he could purchase an identical statue for $550 from a Texas seller and similar statues with different poses for the same price.

Bramlett said his home is now adorned with two of the statues for a total $18,600 less than his bid for Blagojevich's Elvis.

"God looked over to me," Bramlett said of losing the auction.