As part of a charity effort to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee, Blizzard Entertainment is auctioning off the server hardware originally used during the early days of World of Warcraft.

The auction will run from Monday, October 17 to Monday, November 14, and will include four separate rounds during which the hardware for different realms will be on sale.

Both the North American and European server blades will be sold during the auction.

"We’ve since upgraded the game's infrastructure with the latest technology to offer an even better player experience, but these 'honorably discharged' server blades are now unique collectors' pieces," says Blizzard on the official auction page.

Previously, Blizzard has raised money for charity foundations by selling in-game pets for World of Warcraft. Just this year, the company raised over $800,000 for the Make-A-Wish foundation via sales of a virtual Moonkin pet, and later sold a Cenarion Hatchling pet to raise money for the American Red Cross's Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief efforts.

Source: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/37880/Blizzard_Sells_Pieces_Of_World_Of_Warcraft_Development_History_For_Charity.php