A rare gold LEGO piece recently fetched a price of $18,101 at an auction organized by Goodwill. At this price, it is considered to be the most expensive LEGO piece ever sold.
The item was donated to a Goodwill store in Du Bois, Pennsylvania in February as part of a jewelry collection. Initially, the store listed it for $14.95 on its online shop but quickly realized its mistake when a flurry of offers started coming in.
After further research, the staff discovered the LEGO piece was actually a limited-edition Kanohi Hau mask, made out of 14-karat gold, from the discontinued line of LEGO toys called Bionicle. The piece was released in 2001 as part of a giveaway campaign, and only 30 of them are in existence.
Upon finding out the real value of the item, Goodwill placed it on auction, which attracted a bid of $33,000. However, the highest bidder was unable to complete the purchase, and it went to another bidder, who offered $18,101. The funds collected from the sale will now go to support Goodwill’s mission of providing “job training, employment placement services, and other community-based programs for people who face barriers in their employment.”
Bionicle was a line of construction toys that featured an original story that was told through book series, video games, and animated movies. The toys were produced between 2001 and 2010 before being discontinued despite a large popularity. LEGO later rebooted Bionicle in 2015 and 2023.
In the world of Bionicle, the Kanohi Hau mask is an item that protects wearers from all attacks they “are aware of but not from attacks that come from ambush or mental powers.”
