$1.6 Million Ham Weighing 16 Pounds

By: Bill Waters
08/26/2010 08:13 PM ET

$1.6 million ham weighing 16 pounds. A couple of local business leaders paid $1.6 million for a prized ham for a Kentucky breakfast. It was paid for at the 47th Annual Kentucky Ham Breakfast in Louisville for $1.6 million.

Ham breakfast, 16 pounds of pork, sold at $100,000 per pound. It was produced by Broadbent B&B Foods of Kuttawa, Kentucky and sold at as a grand prize at the Kentucky State Fair. The auction took place during the 47th Annual Kentucky Ham Breakfast in Louisville.

Bringing home the bacon are two regional business leaders: Bernard Trager, Chairman of Republic Bank and Trust, and Dr. Mark Lynn, owner of Dr. Bizer’s Vision World. Each pledged $800,000 for the prized cut of meat. The full $1.6 million will be split among the University of Louisville, Visually Impaired Preschool Services and Eastern Area Community Ministries.

The previous ham record was priced at $1.3 million from last year’s Ham Breakfast. This is far from the modest $124 that someone paid as the same grand prize in 1964. Over the past 10 years, the auction has raised more than $4.5 million for local charities.

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