If not, he is set back the amount of his bid.
By May 1, the stock shot up to more than $56 a share on news of the bid.
The total value of the bid, he said, in a letter to the company, would be about $2 billion.
Nearly all of today's bids were above the floor price.
The price of such a bid has been estimated at more than $1 billion.
The price seemed to be stuck at $450, the result of a bid four hours before.
The total purchase price of such a bid would be $1.1 billion.
The partnership put the value of the bid at about $19 a share.
The family had reservations about the price of the bid.
The final series of bids then began, with the price rising by $1 million each time again.