SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An online auction to sell a "genuine" model of the Sputnik satellite that launched the Space Age went sky high before crashing down to Earth when the bidding was determined to be a hoax, officials say.

After trying unsuccessfully for months to sell what they said was an original backup of the Sputnik blasted into orbit in 1957, retailer Sovietski Collection offered the shiny orb for sale on Ebay.

Bidding started at $25,000 (15,000 pounds) and soon resembled a shower of ever bigger meteorites of money.

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