Shoppers are always finding hidden gems in thrift stores, but sometimes the thrift store finds the gem in itself.
What was seemingly an average jewelry donation at a Goodwill store in DuBois, Pennsylvania last month turned out to contain a scarce piece caught by the curious eye of the store’s manager.
Mixed in among the jewelry was a small, gold Bionicle mask from Lego’s popular — but discontinued — action figure line from the early 2000s.
Manager Vicki Krivak, pictured below in the center, identified what the item was and, after testing and research, she realized they had an amazing find on their hands.
Most of the Bionicle pieces were made of plastic. Lego created just 30 of the 14-karat gold Kanohi Hau masks like the one found at the store, with some given to company employees and the rest divvied up in a 2001 giveaway. Therefore, it’s an extraordinary collector’s item.
Goodwill originally listed the tiny mask on its retail auction website for $14.95. But as the bids poured in, so did the cash.
When the auction closed on Feb. 21, the gold mask sold for a grand total of $18,101.
For perspective, some of Lego’s most expensive pieces such as the Lego Molding Machines and special edition Star Wars sets have been auctioned online for around $10,000. And its priciest retail sets are $850.
It might very well be the most expensive Lego piece sold to date.
Goodwill said the money earned will help it continue its nonprofit mission of supporting the communities it serves with job-readiness training and education.
SEE MORE: Virginia woman buys Goodwill vase for $3.99. It sold for over $100,000
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