Rare 14-karat Gold LEGO Piece Found at Goodwill Warehouse Now Up for Auction
LEGO enthusiasts know that the classic childhood toy can keep a creative mind occupied for hours. But for collectors, some LEGO pieces can mean big bucks. And now, a rare find at a Goodwill Warehouse in Pennsylvania has surprised both employees and LEGO fans.
The piece in question is called the Bionicle Golden Kanohi Hau Mask, made entirely of 14-karat gold. It was discovered by workers at the warehouse in DuBois and is believed to be one of only 30 in existence. In 2001, some of these special LEGO pieces were gifted to LEGO employees, and the rest were awarded through a contest.
According to Goodwill Vice President of E-commerce and Technology, Chad Smith, there are also silver and platinum versions of the mask. However, it was the discovery of the gold version that truly stunned the employees. The tiny treasure was initially mistaken for random jewelry and had already been processed through the donations at the State College store before its true value was realized.
As soon as the discovery was made, plans were set in motion to auction off the rare LEGO piece online in the hopes of maximizing the donation for Goodwill. The potential for profit is significant, as it was mentioned that if the auction reached the $5,000 mark, it would set a new record for the highest amount paid for a LEGO piece on the shopgoodwill.com website.
At present, the auction has reached over $4,000, and there are expectations that the bids will continue to rise. Goodwill had previously received a bid for $33,000, but unfortunately, the winner failed to make payment, and the item had to be relisted.
Jessica Illuzzi, Goodwill Industries of North Central Pennsylvania’s Social Media & PR Coordinator, expressed her excitement about the discovery, saying, “I think it’s really cool that there’s so few of them, but it’s also kind of cool to find out the research behind it. And then the final step is to find the right collector to take that really once it.”
The auction is ongoing, and the hopes are high for a successful sale. For LEGO enthusiasts and collectors, the opportunity to acquire such a rare piece is truly a unique and thrilling prospect.
Vocabulary List:
- Enthusiasts (noun): People who are very interested in a particular activity or subject.
- Collectors (noun): People who gather and keep valuable or interesting objects as a hobby.
- Warehouse (noun): A large building where goods are stored or manufactured.
- Surprised (adjective): Feeling or showing surprise because something unexpected happened.
- Processed (verb): Dealt with or undergone a series of actions or steps.
- Discovery (noun): The act of finding something for the first time.
