Would you even consider owning the world’s oldest McDonald’s burger? It seems a bit odd, but two people are competing for the distinction.

Have you ever thought about fast food mummification? Would it be an odd and unusual feat to have one of the oldest pieces of fast food in the world? Would you be proud to own such an item? Two people have come forward with burgers from the world’s most famous hamburger chain with years of history behind them. These burgers are strangely still intact and have been the subject of unusual stories and pride during their existence.

Senior Burger Australia 1995

Multiple people claim to own the world’s oldest McDonald’s burger, and their decades-old fast food has become a weird point of pride. The current frontrunner is “Senior Burger,” a Quarter Pounder purchased in 1995 by Australian friends Eduard Nitz and Casey Dean when they were 14. The story goes that a friend ordered too much food and asked Nitz to hold onto the burger until his next visit to Adelaide. That visit never happened. Nearly 30 years later, the burger still exists, wrapped in its original waxy beige paper. It’s never been refrigerated and has spent most of its life in cupboards, garbage bags, and sheds. Despite the rough treatment, it remains eerily intact with no mold or foul odor. The burger has gone rock hard, and Dean demonstrated by bouncing it off its keepsake box.

David Whipple 1999 hamburger

Another contender for the world’s oldest McDonald’s burger is David Whipple’s burger from Utah, purchased July 7, 1999, for 79 cents. He originally bought it to demonstrate enzyme activity and food deterioration, carried it around for a month doing presentations, then forgot about it in his coat pocket. His wife found it 14 years later during a move. The burger still looked surprisingly fresh, with only the pickle disintegrating. The bun and patty remained intact, though it smelled faintly like cardboard. Whipple kept it in a Big Mac tin inside a glass jar.

Are either the Guinness World Records burger of choice?

Neither burger has received official recognition from Guinness World Records. Nitz and Dean were disqualified because they didn’t have the original receipt, which would have faded anyway. The phenomenon raises questions about fast food dehydration preservation. Nutrition scientist Tim Crowe told ABC the high salt content is likely why McDonald’s burgers resist decay and don’t rot. McDonald’s explains that without sufficient moisture in the food or environment, bacteria and mold won’t grow, so decomposition doesn’t happen. The burgers essentially mummify through dehydration. Both burgers have become minor internet celebrities, appearing on news shows and even catching Joe Rogan’s attention. Dean once got detained at Area 51 for 45 minutes while trying to explain why he had the world’s oldest burger in his possession.

The world’s oldest McDonald’s burger gets owner detained

Casey Dean got detained, but not for owning one of the oldest fast-food items, which you would think people might want photos of, but because he had appeared on Russian TV. The McDonald’s burger, which sparked its preservation debate, also made Dean famous, and he appeared on Russian TV to talk about his burger. This was the same thing he intended to do when he visited Area 51, which happened to be his lifelong dream. After 45 minutes of explaining this, he was released, but not without recounting the strange appearance in Russia, which caused one of the people detaining him to actually smirk about the situation.

The world’s oldest McDonald’s burger isn’t food anymore

In both cases, the burgers in question have hardened and lost all potential of being food. Dean calls his burger more of an art piece now, because the burger has lost all possibility of being edible, especially since it can be bounced on a table without any issue.

You might think Dean’s mother would have asked him to toss the burger away, which she did after it had sat on his desk for a while. As a teenager, Dean had other plans for the sandwich and stashed it away in the back of a cupboard as a joke. The burger made the rounds, being a show-and-tell item for his mother, a teacher, and traveled to his sister’s home for a bit.

The world’s oldest McDonald’s burger might not make it into the Guinness Book of World Records because there’s no way to officially verify the date and age of the burger, but these two ancient sandwiches are certainly interesting. It makes you think about what you’re eating and how long it might survive if you don’t eat it.