One way of getting hold of Saddam memorabilia

More than a thousand items pertaining to Saddam Hussein are for sale on the auction website, eBay, including banknotes and even a fork supposedly from one of his many palaces.

At one point, even chunks of the president's statue torn down in Baghdad's Fardus Square were up for sale. But eBay labelled it as hoax and removed the item.

The number of items on offer reflect how people are trying to cash in on the war in Iraq, with the web offering a low-cost shop front.

Ebay has more than 62m users and 15m items listed for sale at any one time, so it provides an ideal channel for sellers of memorabilia.

Money for nothing

The souvenirs on sale range from the mundane to the bizarre. Many of them are coins and currency with the image of Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi currency may be worth next to nothing in the real world, but a 100 dinar note could set you back $100 on Ebay.

Among the other items is what is described as an original fork from one of the presidential palaces, with the bidding at $112.50.

On the site, the seller says the fork "slipped in my pocket on my last visit in Baghdad".

"It now becomes an historical fork. Here you get perhaps the last opportunity to get a personal item out of Saddam's dining room."

There are also many items bearing the image of Saddam Hussein such as a photograph reportedly signed by the Iraqi leader himself.

Less reverential are the toilet rolls with his picture, a snip at just $6 a roll.

Bargain hunters can also pick up domain names related to Iraq. The net address IsSaddamDeadYet.com is up for just $100.

But another, www.damnsaddam.com, will set you back $1,500, although there are no takers for it yet.