Once upon a time, going on eBay to find the cool and unusual was a favorite activity. It was like going to a massive flea market except that you didn't get the sore feet, parched lips or sunburn and you didn't have to sift around a fraction of the time.

Today, you're still unlikely to get sunburn or sore feet, but as for the sifting part, well ….

Don't get me wrong. I still dig eBay, and there's no doubt that it is far more sophisticated, far safer to shop on and far more likely to produce that ever-so-rare thingamajig that you've been seeking since the third grade.

It's just that to find that thing, with relative certainty it is either there or isn't there, now takes two or three times as long as it did back when we were partying like it was 1999 because, well, it was.

The process has become so laborious that there are several books - and I'm not talking pamphlets here, I mean books, as in the couple of hundred of pages variety with diagrams and all - on the specific nuances of navigating the channels of the Information Superhighway dedicated to the super popular online auction site.

The process can be downright daunting.

But on the flip side of the equation is that while it may take longer to find (or not find) specific items that you really, really, really, really, really need - or just want - is the undeniable and certain fact that there are oh so many more goods on eBay now that you don't want, or don't need, or don't even know existed, but that are fun to look over.

That's true for almost everything you can find on the state from South Dakota. There are hundreds of items linked in some way or form to the Mount Rushmore state, but unless its tickets to the SDSU-Minnesota game, I wouldn't consider many of them must haves.

Oh, the rows and rows of listings for old postcards, license plates, poker chips and books are interesting enough, just probably not interesting enough to buy on the spot.

Here's a handful of some of the most interesting South Dakota items up for bid this week on eBay.

Wish you were here?

The item's name is anything but catchy. But the photo accompanying "SPEARFISH SD STATE NORMAL SCHOOL FIRE JAN 13, 1925 RPPC" caught my eye.

I've seen my share of old Black Hills State photos, and sure enough, this one from way back in 1925 when a fire took out a fair share of the school. The real surprising thing here is that this isn't a mere photo of the long-ago fire; it is a photo postcard.

One simply has to wonder what kind of occasion one would send such a postcard.

"Dear Mom and Dad; lost my place to live, send money."

Or …

"Dear Mom and Dad; transferring to Fort Lauderdale, send money."

Or …

Well, you get the idea.

Of course, in the days when few people had personal cameras and when newspapers rarely printed photographs, in particular local ones, I can see where this might have come in handy. It's just that the grim image would seem to limit somewhat the message one could put on the writing side of the postcard.

Perhaps that's why the card went unmailed and unused.

Better than a Nixon Now! bumper sticker

One of the best things about George McGovern today is that he remains an oddly polarizing presence on the South Dakota political scene today, nearly four decades after the peak of his political career.

On those odd days when McGovern is in the news - whether it is for his work against world hunger, writing a biography, or throwing his support to a Democratic candidate on the big state - the Web stats get a jolt bigger than when one of our sitting Congressional delegates has something to say.

So, though this button may look a little dated, it's a surefire winner of a gift for that conservative in your life. Heck, most of the liberals in your life would probably love it too, and odds are, they could probably wear it since anyone under the age of 55 hasn't voted for McGovern for president. Of course, they could have voted for him for the U.S. Senate, but still …

A postcard, or a major Black Hills resort? Decisions, decisions …

Twenty beautiful acres in the heart of the Black Hills, a year-round resort for ATV fans and snowmobilers alike, all for a mere $1.3 million.

Now, I'm sure Rec Springs Resort just south of Lead is well worth the investment. It's just that it seems odd to see such a big number on eBay right next to the 99 cent offering on the South Dakota state refrigerator magnet.

Of course, what's just as hard to wrap one's brain around is that it also features a Buy It Now feature for a mere $50,000 more.

A coke, a centennial and a smile

C'mon, you've got to be just wondering. How bad can a 20-year-old bottle of Coca-Cola taste?

Released for the South Dakota Centennial back in 1989, this less-than-classic coke bottle has an opening bid of only $1.

The real question you should be asking, though, is how is it that soft drink hasn't eaten right through that glass by now?

PJ at the RPCC

Personally, this item is a bit more intriguing.

While I don't know the real value of an Ames Bros original (apparently, it's nearly $400, according to the Buy It Now price) and I haven't made a practice of decorating my room with rock concert posters since I graduated from high school, this nifty little piece of art promoting the 1998 Pear Jam concert in Rapid City caught my eye.

The concert holds a special place in my heart as being the first rock concert I ever attended that I was probably too old to be attending rock concerts, well, at least on the floor.

Oh, the music wasn't too loud and both Frank Black and Pearl Jam weren't considered out of fashion by the then-current generation. But that massive mosh pit that took up a fair piece of real estate on the floor of the Civic Center and sent me scurrying to the seats above was a certain eye opener.

The real question one always thinks about with such items on eBay, though, is: Why didn't I just tear it down at the local coffee house or offer $20 for it back in 1998?