Going, Going, Gone

Originally Aired: May 10, 1955 Suspense #597, "Going, Going, Gone," finds newlyweds Wally and Jan Pindale making an impulsive purchase at an estate auction. Despite Wally's protests, Jan insists on buying a mysterious old trunk covered in peculiar stains for just three dollars. When a nervous little man named Mr. Minchy suddenly offers one hundred dollars for it, then two hundred, the Pindales grow suspicious. The auction house even tries to substitute a different trunk, but Jan stands her ground. Back home, the couple opens their bargain purchase and discovers it's filled with what appears to be a fortune in jewelry—diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls that Jan insists are real. When Wally scratches a ring across their window and it cuts the glass like a genuine diamond, their excitement turns to fear. Mr. Minchy appears at their door, desperately offering first fifty thousand, then one hundred thousand dollars for the trunk, warning them ominously that "the consequences will be upon your own head." As the Pindales try frantically to reach the police, they find themselves trapped by a chatty neighbor monopolizing their party line, while danger may be lurking just outside their door.