Launched by the Lego Group in the summer of 2001, Bionicle was a line of articulated plastic action figures that deviated from the Danish toy company's core business of interlocking building blocks.

Lego pulled the plug on Bionicles nearly 14 years ago, but the legend lives on — thanks to a 14-karat, super-rare, special-edition Bionicle Hau mask that surfaced at a Goodwill store in western Pennsylvania and recently sold at auction for $18,000.

During the era of Bionicles, the now-$10-billion-a-year toy company ran competitions with the top prize being a "playable" golden Hau mask. It is estimated that only 30 of the special collectibles were ever created, with approximately 25 presented to competition winners and the rest handed out to Lego employees.

Each piece measured one inch tall and weighed 26.14 grams (0.922 ounces). At today's gold price of $2,126 per ounce, the value of the precious metal content alone is approximately $1,146.

When the golden Bionicle Hau was found in a box of donated jewelry at the Goodwill store in DuBois, PA, employees didn't think much of it. But when the item was listed on Goodwill's online store, offers began flooding in and supervisors began to take notice.

“We didn’t know it was worth anything until people started asking if they could buy it for $1,000,” Chad Smith, the vice president of e-commerce and technology at the Dubois store, told USA Today.

Offers for the 14-karat Bionicle Hau topped out at $33,000 during an early February Goodwill auction, but that buyer couldn't come up with the funds. Goodwill re-listed the item with the bidding starting at $3,000. After 48 bids, the piece sold it to an anonymous collector for $18,101.

Goodwill spokesperson Jessica Illuzzi told USA Today that all of the money earned from the sale of the Lego collectible will support Goodwill's mission of helping people with life challenges and providing training opportunities.

Credit: Image courtesy of ShopGoodwill.com.