Want a Lego?
You probably remember the Goodwill store in Dubois, PA from the famous movie…neither do I. Now they are a memory for thousands of Lego collectors around the world. Earlier this year, a generous donor brought a bag full of old jewelry and dropped it in the collection box at the State College Goodwill branch store. The staff sorted through the rings and earrings and found a curious looking little mask that seemed to be made of gold plastic. “You wouldn’t think anything of it. It came in a little old-looking Lego box,” said Chad Smith, the vice president. One of the employees identified it as a face mask for a Lego character and the plot began to thicken. With a little research they identified the design as a mask from the 2000’s Lego Bionicle line. Initially, the store didn’t think much of it, figuring out it was a misplaced Lego piece. So, they put it up for sale online for a dozen or so bucks. When customers saw the piece, they informed Goodwill that this wasn’t just any Lego block made of golden plastic. First of all, the thing is actual gold, and it’s also exceedingly rare, with only a couple of dozen copies ever made. Realizing they were sitting on, well, a gold mine, Goodwill pulled the Bionicle piece off their web store and put it up for auction.
In an initial auction, Goodwill agreed to sell the piece for $33,000… Unfortunately for the anonymous winner, they weren’t able to cough up the money by the deadline. So, the piece was put up for sale again — and this time, the manager stayed up all night vetting the bids to make sure they were legitimate. By the time the auction closed, Goodwill had received 48 bids, with the highest reaching $18,101. Not quite as impressive as the previous sum, but this time the buyer actually paid for their purchase. With that, the golden Bionicle mask became the most expensive Lego piece ever sold. The previous champion — a similarly 14-karat solid gold brick that was once handed out to people who had worked for 25 years at Lego — sold for merely $15,000 in 2020.
You might think the $18,101 price is outrageous — and it would be if this were a normal plastic piece. But let’s do a bit of math here. At the time of writing, the price of gold stands at $2,181 per ounce. The Bionicle mask (according to photos on the auction site) weighs 26 grams, so about 9 ounces. As 14-karat gold, the piece has a gold content of around 58.3% — so, a bit above 5 ounces. That means the gold in the mask is worth nearly $11,000. So, the buyer really only paid about $7,000. Now that’s much more reasonable… isn’t it?
Shopping at Goodwill
I was solicited by a charity to donate my used clothing to starving people around the world. I said No Way!!
Anyone that could fit into my clothing, is NOT starving!!
I bought a thesaurus from a thrift store. When I got home I opened it and every single page was completely blank.
I have no words to describe my anger.
I bought a second hand time machine next Sunday.
They don’t make them like they’re going to anymore.
I bought a used Japanese car. I turned on the radio…
I don’t understand a word they’re saying.
March 13th Birthdays
1993 – Kaya Scodelario, 1997 – Monique Lynn, 1993 – Lucie Fry, 1972 – Adina Porter
1939 – Neal Sedaka, 1991 – Tristan Thompson, 1989 – Harry Melling, 1950 – Charles Krauthammer