Rare gold Lego piece found at Goodwill sells for $18,000

A rare 14-karat gold piece from Lego's Bionicle series, found at a central Pennsylvania Goodwill store, got auctioned off for more than $18,000, USA Today reported.

The golden Kanohi Hau mask was found in a jewellery bag that was sent to the Du Bois Goodwill Store.

Goodwill spokesperson Jessica Illuzzi said that the Goodwill staff had no idea how valuable the item was until it was posted online on their e-commerce platform, and people reached out to them with private offers.

"That's when we did a little research and we found out that it was one of 30 golden masks that Lego released in 2001," Illuzi said, adding that 25 of those were given to Lego employees while the remaining five were given away in a contest by Lego.

The mask is listed as weighing roughly 9 ounces and standing about 1 inch tall on the Goodwill auction ad. The description said, "Truly a unique, rare, collectible piece." 

The item received 48 bids and was sold for $18,101 to a buyer who wished to remain anonymous.

"It's the highest piece I've ever sold," said Vice President Chad Smith, who has been with the company for almost 25 years.

Smith and Illuzi both stated that Goodwill's aim of assisting those facing obstacles in life and offering training opportunities will be supported by the proceeds from the auction.