A US man has tried to auction off a rock formation in his backyard after becoming convinced it bore the "hand of God".
Paul Grayhek, 52, placed the rock on eBay after it appeared following a "rare" rockfall at his home in northern Idaho last month, CNN reports.
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But the "Hand Of God Rock Wall", as he dubbed it, was this morning removed from the auction site despite attracting a recent high bid of US$2175 ($2949).
There was no explanation for why the item was removed.
Mr Grayhek said he believed the 2.7m-tall, 1.2m-wide rock was a "sign" from God after he lost his job and hit hard times.
"I prayed between licking my wounds and looking for a job," he said.
"We rarely get rockfalls and this formation is 20 feet from my house. It's definitely a symbol of the hand of God in my life.”
But Mr Grayhek said he wasn't prepared to part with the rock — instead the auction was to sell the "exclusive rights" to its reproduction.
This included the official rights to take pictures, scans, "literary and/or movie rights" and "other things I have forgotten to mention; just ask I'm easy", he wrote on eBay.
Mr Grayhek rejected suggestions his only goal was to profit from the sale.
"People think I'm some holier-than-thou person trying to get rich … I'm not," he said.
"The purpose is to spread the story of God and eBay is just a vehicle."
Bidding for the rock was scheduled to close on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, a NASA image of what appeared to be a giant glowing hand in distant space was also speculated to be the "hand of God".
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