True story: Guy sells Brooklyn Bridge

Here’s the story of how Paul Hartunian became the first person to “sell” the Brooklyn Bridge — for real.

For years, scammers and hoodlums “sold” the bridge to gullible dupes.

But Hartunian’s offer was the real deal.

It was 1983. Hartunian was living in New Jersey, across the Hudson from New York City. He was working as a paramedic. Scraping by.

One morning, while watching the morning news, he saw a reporter interview a construction worker under the Brooklyn Bridge.

The worker said the bridge was 100 years old this year, and they were renovating it for the occasion.

They were removing the bridge’s original wooden walkway and rebuilding it with new wood.

Behind the construction worker and reporter: A pile of wood from the old walkway and the construction worker’s truck.

Painted on the side of the truck: The construction company’s phone number.

Hartunian called that number. He offered $500 for the pile of “scrap” wood.

He arranged to have the wood cut into one-inch square slices.

He printed certificates with a brief history of the bridge and this: “Attached to the certificate is a genuine piece of the world famous Brooklyn Bridge.”

Then he mailed press releases to media outlets around the country, telling them he was “selling the Brooklyn Bridge.”

CNN showed up at his door without even calling.

The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today covered the story.

Johnny Carson talked about it for five minutes on his show one night.

And countless smaller media outlets reported that Paul Hartunian was selling the Brooklyn Bridge for $14.95, plus $2 shipping and handling.

Every time he did an interview, Hartunian insisted that media outlet share details about how to buy a piece of the bridge.

Mail orders rolled in by the bag-full.

Hartunian needed help from his work buddies to process the orders.

And then, one night paramedic Paul Hartunian drove in his ambulance to the scene of a shooting in a rough neighborhood in New Jersey.

He was leaning over the shooting victim to put an IV in his arm when a guy in a suit (a reporter covering the crime, perhaps) tapped Hartunian on the shoulder and said, “Are you the guy selling the Brooklyn Bridge?” Can I do an interview?”

It may have been the one and only time Paul Hartunian turned down free publicity.

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I usually follow stories like this one with some lessons. But not today.

I want this story to sink in. I want you to think about it. Let it simmer. Consider whether any of this is applicable to you and your business (hint: yes it is).

I’ll chime in with more tomorrow.