Records were broken at Warren Buffett's annual charity auction this year after an anonymous bidder pledged an unbelievable amount of money just to have lunch with the famous billionaire. The bidder reportedly paid a record $4,567,888 to win the contest. The bidding was done over a five-day period, with the bid made available to everyone through an auction on eBay.

The winning bid, which was announced over the weekend, was one-third higher than the previous highest bid of $3,456,789 set in 2012 also by an anonymous bidder. Proceeds of the annual charity auction will be given to the Glide Foundation, a charity based in San Francisco which aims at serving the poor, homeless, and those coping with substance abuse.

Majority of the money gained from the auction will be used to buy thousands of free meals for different charitable establishments. This will include homeless shelters, job training facilities, children's daycare centers, HIV and Hepatitis C testing facilities, and after-school programs.

Buffet, who is a dedicated supporter of the foundation, has held similar auctions for almost two decades. The yearly auction started in 2000, with the winning bid given to entrepreneur Pete Budlong. The winner paid $25,000 to win the auction and to have a private lunch with the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.

The amounts of the winning bids had gradually grown over the years, with it breaching the $1 million mark with a $2,110,100 bid from Pure Heart Asset Management founder Zhao Danyang.

The 88-year American billionaire and philanthropist have managed to raise a total of $34.2 million for the Glide Foundation. Buffett was introduced to the foundation by his late wife Susan, who died in 2004. The foundation's president, Karen Hanrahan, mentioned in a statement to the press that Glide was very happy with the outcome and that Buffet was also thrilled at how much the charity was able to raise this year. Buffet also reportedly stated that he was still committed to having more of these auctions for as long as he is able to do so.

The winner of this year's bid will be able to take up to seven of his friends and family to a private lunch with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in Manhattan. Buffett is willing to answer any question during the event apart from his future business investments. Among the most notable winners of the yearly auction include Buffett's current portfolio manager at Berkshire Ted Weschler and Greenlight Capital hedge fund manager David Einhorn.