G4G Auction 2021 Fundraiser Report
• Auction Items: $14,979
• Match Campaign: $11,695
• G4G Board Donations: $12,150
• Shipping Expenses: -$178
TOTAL REVENUE GENERATED: $38,646
The 2021 G4G Auction Fundraiser is now closed!
Many thanks to everyone who participated from Saturday, July 24 through Saturday, July 31, 2021
You can still support the G4G Foundation with a tax deductible donation at any time. Click the button below:
Purpose & Goal
Due to the pandemic, we had to reschedule G4G14 until April 6 – 10, 2022 in Atlanta, GA. Although this was very disappointing, the past 12 months have been very exciting for G4G. Many new initiatives have been undertaken such as the Celebration of Mind virtual lectures on the 21st of each month, the updating and combination of the G4G and Celebration of Mind websites, and the 2021 calendar. The 2021 auction will help to offset unexpected costs due to the pandemic and help to fund our new and ongoing initiatives.
From April 6 – 10, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia, G4G participants will assemble, in honor of Martin Gardner, to celebrate recreational mathematics, magic, puzzles, skepticism, science, art, literature, and the intersections of these subjects. Additionally in 2021, on the 21st of each month, Gathering 4 Gardner is hosting a virtual Celebration of Mind and we are inviting everyone who loves math, puzzles, literature, skepticism, and magic of all types to join us!
G4G is refining the website and adding features to make resources more accessible and searchable. In addition, G4G would like to set up a database of all gift exchange papers so that they are searchable by author, event year, and category. Funds will also be used for G4G14 scholarships
Also, keep an eye out for upcoming news about this year’s unique Celebration of Mind outreach videos!
In the long-term, G4G plans to print G4G14 exchange books, publish G4G14 presentation videos and exchange papers on the website
Fundraising Goal
Given the quality and quantity of items donated for the auction, we hope to raise $21K, with a stretch goal of $42K. Every little bit helps!
Zoom Auction Preview
- Hosted By: Bob Hearn
Date: July 18 at 1 pm ET
What: The Zoom Auction Preview features a few special G4G-style presentations, provides details on how the auction will work, and showcases a selection of auction items. Check out this sneak peek at the wide-ranging list of exciting and exclusive items!
Online Auction Fundraiser
- When: EVENT CLOSED – Saturday, July 24 through Saturday, July 31, 2021
- Timing: Auction items will open for bidding between 10 and 11am PT and each individual auction item will close at the same time one week later. Individual auction items’ opening/closing times will be intentionally staggered to allow participants to easily bid on multiple items.
- Where: eBay for Charity and Partner Sites (see details below)
- What:
- A wide variety of items have been donated that we expect will spark the imaginations of the G4G community and like-minded friends. These items will be posted for auction via eBay for Charity where 100% of proceeds will go to support the G4G Foundation.
- At the same time, a few e-commerce websites have partnered with G4G to donate 15% of gross sales from this week.
- What kinds of items will be in the auction?
- Puzzles & Games, Artwork & Jewelry, Mentoring & Tutoring, Performances, Books & Magazines, Services, and Tours

Puzzles &
Games

Books &
Magazines

Artwork & Sculpture

Magic Shows, Performances, & Tours

Virtual Mentoring & Tutoring
- Can I donate an item/service to be auctioned?
- Not for this auction. But let us know if you want to donate something for a future auction.
- How does shipping work?
- For many eBay auction items, winning bidders will be responsible for covering shipping costs, which will be paid as part of the eBay purchase. Winning bidders may also be invoiced separately via PayPal after the auction closes for additional shipping insurance coverage. There will be some items for which shipping will be FREE.
- For Partner Sites, please contact the site owner for shipping details.
- Is my purchase tax deductible?
- If you donate an item to the G4G auction, the fair market value of your items is tax deductible.
- If you bid on an item on G4G’s eBay for Charity site, only the portion of the bid ABOVE the fair market value is tax deductible.
- If you purchase an item on one of our Partner Sites below, your purchase is NOT tax deductible. However, 15% of your purchase will be donated to the G4G Foundation.
- G4G will provide official tax deduction letters to all eBay auction participants (donors & bidders) after the auction concludes.
- Consult your tax advisor for your specific circumstances.
Who Can Participate
The Online Auction Fundraiser is open to the public. Everyone is welcome to join! This includes G4G past attendees as well as the general public. You don’t need to have a history with G4G to participate. In fact, we’d love new people to discover the G4G Foundation through this auction. So please share with your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors. The more bids the better!
How to Participate
1. eBay for Charity
The G4G Auction is primarily being held on eBay for Charity where 100% of auction proceeds will be donated to the G4G Foundation. The eBay auction features a wide variety of physical items (games, puzzles, art, jewelry, books, and more!) as well as services and virtual experiences (mentoring, magical performances, and tours). Functioning in the same way as the original eBay marketplace, eBay for Charity allows us to efficiently sell a wide range of donated items through their platform.
PLEASE NOTE: G4G does not offer appraisal services, auction item values are estimations provided by the item donor. These values have not been independently verified by G4G. Please request further information from the item donor if you have questions and bid accordingly.
2. Partner Sites
In tandem with the eBay auction, G4G has partnered with a few e-commerce websites who have graciously agreed to offer a donation of 15% of gross sales from Saturday, July 24 through Saturday, July 31 (the same days as our auction) to the G4G Foundation. Read more about our Partners below

Kadon Enterprises, Inc., Gamepuzzles
Kadon Enterprises sells combinatorial puzzles inspired by Martin Gardner’s writings on pentominoes. This online gallery of enchanting playthings in laser-cut acrylic and handcrafted wood has 260 games and puzzles for minds of all ages. As their website says: so beautiful, they’re art.
“I have been designing, researching, developing, and producing these unique tessellations since 1979 (this is my 41st year!), and many of the G4G community know of my work and may even have collected them through the years. I have some exciting new sets to show, and will also include some of our award-winning and most popular best sellers.” – Kate Jones, President

Puzzle Mist
William Waite has been designing and making puzzles since 1998. With over 300 designs to his name, William continues to come up with ever new designs. Originally a chemistry major, William later created beautiful puzzles that his imagination conjured.

Almanaq
Almanaq is Roy Leban and Emily Dietrich. Roy is a lifelong puzzle constructor with thousands of puzzles, dozens of books, and many physical puzzles and games to his credit. He founded puzzle technology company Puzzazz and co-founded Microsoft Puzzlehunt. Emily is a novelist, poet, essayist, and puzzle lover. She’s the author of The Case of the Missing Mask and Other Stories (a book of puzzle mystery stories for kids) and was the story author of The Year of Puzzles. Together they create puzzles, puzzle books, and immersive puzzle experiences.
3. Direct Donations
If you prefer to give a monetary donation directly to G4G, you can always do so on our website.
Featured Auction Items

Puzzles & Games
A Jupiter #7-N-4 wooden puzzle by Stewart Coffin


Books & Magazines
Autographed books by Martin Gardner.
Personalized autographed books by Donald Knuth

Artwork & Sculpture
Many Penrose tiling pieces and other puzzles courtesy of Doris Schattschneider

Magic and Misc.
Unopened original Rubik’s Cubes.
A G4G13 bag of Exchange Gifts.
Out-of-print magic books.

Virtual Mentoring & Tutoring
A talk with Eric Kaplan