A remarkable piece of LEGO history has emerged from the personal collection of a former LEGO Group designer, sending shockwaves through the global fan community. Marcos Bessa, who previously worked as a designer for LEGO, recently revealed a previously unseen Peter Jackson minifigure on Instagram — a figure that was never publicly announced or released, and until now remained virtually unknown outside the company.
Created around 2012 during LEGO’s early work on The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings themes, the minifigure was reportedly one of only about 20 ever made and was used as an internal gift during meetings with the famed New Zealand director Peter Jackson himself. Featuring exclusive head and torso printing along with a custom design not seen in consumer products, the figure sat in Bessa’s collection for more than a decade before he rediscovered it while sorting his inventory.
Earlier this year, Bessa decided to sell the rare find through a private auction on Instagram, attracting intense interest from collectors worldwide. By the time bidding closed, the minifigure had fetched an astonishing $38,028 USD, making it one of the most valuable LEGO minifigures ever publicly sold.
Collectors quickly took to social media to celebrate the sale and praise the minifigure’s unique design and incredible rarity. Many have speculated that the figure’s sudden appearance could fuel renewed interest in other long‑lost LEGO prototypes and internal exclusives long thought to be myths among the hobby’s most dedicated fans.
