Continental Airlines' merger with United lifts collectors' hopes

The next time you're flying Continental Airlines, remember someone may cough up serious money for that barf bag in the seat pocket in front of you -- especially after the company merges with United Airlines later this year.

Demand for dinnerware, timetables, postcards, model airplanes and other Continental memorabilia more than doubled on eBay since the carriers announced the $3 billion marriage earlier this month. One post trumpeted "collect Continental livery before they become United," as collectors hawked everything from a $1 bar of soap, to a $4.95 swizzle stick set, to a $16.99 redheaded doll and a $75 solid mahogany jet.

If the merger is approved by federal regulators, officials plan to keep Continental's colors and spherical logo and use United's name. The deal lifted collectors' hopes that Continental items would fetch hefty prices online. And the sky's the limit on what might someday be considered a collectors' item.