Buffett charity lunch auction hits record $2.63m

An anonymous bidder stumped up a record $2.63m to have lunch with investment guru Warren Buffett.

The annual charity lunch auction on Ebay ended in a frenzy on 11 June 11, with 77 offers tabled to have lunch with the Sage of Omaha at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse on New York's Third Avenue.

Proceeds go to the San Francisco-based Glide Foundation, a favourite charity of Buffett's first wife Susan, who died in 2004.

The previous record was set in 2008, when hedge fund manager Zhao Danyang of Hong Kong won it for $2.11m.

A group led by Courtenay Wolfe of Salida Capital paid $1.68m last year.

The increased bidding shows the ever-enhancing reputation of Buffett, with Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn winning in 2003 with a $250,100 offer. Including this year, Buffett has raised more than $8m with the auctions to help Glide.