Goodwill listed gold Lego piece from $14.95; rare mask later sold for $18,101

A small gold LEGO mask found among donated jewellery at a Goodwill store in Pennsylvania was sold for $18,101 at an online auction in March 2024. The item, which had initially been listed for $14.95, was identified as a rare 14-karat gold Kanohi Hau mask from LEGO's discontinued Bionicle collection.

Only 30 such masks were produced in 2001, making the discovery particularly valuable to collectors.The mask arrived at the Goodwill store in Du Bois, Pennsylvania, in February 2024, according to CBS news. It was inside an old LEGO box that had been donated along with jewellery. Employees initially listed the item on the organisation's online selling platform without knowing how much collectors might be willing to pay for it.That changed when Goodwill began receiving enquiries from interested buyers. Some were prepared to offer $1,000 for the piece, far above its original listing price. The unexpected response led staff to investigate what they had received and eventually offer the mask through an online auction.The sale attracted attention partly because of the mask's unusual history. Unlike the Bionicle toys that customers could purchase in shops, this particular version had been produced in extremely limited numbers.

According to Smithsonian Magazine, 25 of the gold masks were distributed through a giveaway, while five were reserved for LEGO employees.

A $33,000 offer that never became a sale

Goodwill's first attempt to auction the mask produced an offer considerably higher than the amount it eventually received. A bidder offered $33,000, but the transaction could not be completed because the buyer failed to provide the money. The organisation therefore had to put the mask up for sale again on ShopGoodwill.com.Chad Smith, vice-president of e-commerce and technology for Goodwill in North Central Pennsylvania, told USA Today that he stayed awake through the night during the second auction, monitoring the offers and checking that they were legitimate.The second auction received 48 bids. When bidding ended, the highest offer stood at $18,101. The competition had been close, with the second-highest offer reaching $18,100.CBS Pittsburgh reported on March 6, 2024, that the mask had sold for more than $18,000. The proceeds were to be used to support Goodwill's programmes.

Why collectors were interested

The value of the piece was linked to both its limited production and its connection with Bionicle, a LEGO range launched in 2001.Bionicle figures differed from the company's conventional brick-based toys. They resembled action figures, with movable limbs connected through ball-and-socket joints.

LEGO also developed fictional characters and stories around the collection, including the island of Mata Nui.Masks were an important part of that fictional world. Different masks gave characters different abilities, with the Kanohi Hau associated with protection. The golden version was presented as having particularly strong protective powers.The Bionicle range remained in production for nine years and later returned briefly in 2015 and 2016. Although the collection was not universally popular among LEGO enthusiasts, it developed a loyal following.