A rare 22ct gold engraved egg “smashes” new record “shelling” £31,000, beating its record sale price three years ago

Monitoring Desk

A rare 22ct gold egg has “smashed” estimates and sold for £31,000, beating its record sale price three years ago.

The Cadbury’s Conundrum egg had been sold for £17,200 at an auction in Lincolnshire in 2017, but it went under the hammer again after its owner died.

The Creme Egg was made in the 1980s by Garrard, the Queen’s official jeweller, for a nationwide treasure hunt.

Auctioneer Greg Bateman, from Bateman’s of Stamford, said the new sale set a record for the auction house.

The origins of the egg go back to a competition run by Cadbury’s in 1983.

The firm hid 12 gold engraved eggs around the UK which could be found by solving clues hidden in an accompanying book.

A 13th egg, larger than the others, was also offered in a prize draw open only to retailers and not the public.

The sale at auction of this egg in July 2017 had been “a then-house record hammer price”, according to Mr Bateman.

However, Friday’s sale price to an online bidder of £31,000, not including 20% sale fees, was a new high and had “smashed” pre-sale estimates of between £15,000-£20,000, he said.

Greg Bateman and the Conundrum gold egg (2021)
image captionGreg Bateman said the pre-sale estimate had been £15-£20,000, but it sold for £31,000, plus 20% sale fees
Conundrum egg and book
image captionIn 1983, Cadbury’s hid 12 golden eggs around the UK which could be found by solving clues hidden an accompanying book
Golden Cadbury's egg - to be auctioned
image captionA 13th egg, larger than the others, was offered in a prize draw open only to retailers and not the public
Garrard and co of London made the egg
image captionGarrard & Co of London – the Queen’s official jeweller at the time – was commissioned to create the 13 eggs in 1983
Gold egg
image captionThe hidden eggs could be found by solving clues in the Conundrum book of riddles

Courtesy: BBC