A 22-carat gold egg created for Cadbury’s 1983 Conundrum treasure hunt has sold for £123,500 at auction, around six times its estimated value. The result set a new auction record for a Cadbury’s Conundrum egg, according to Batemans Auctioneers & Valuers in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
The egg, known as Cuckoo Cuckoo, was one of the prizes hidden around Britain during a nationwide advertising campaign run by Cadbury. Participants followed clues published in a magazine to locate boxes containing gold eggs made by Royal Goldsmiths Garrard & Co.
The latest sale took place on August 1 and also set a house record for Batemans.
Treasure Hunt Egg Was Found in Somerset
Cuckoo Cuckoo was originally discovered in 1983 by Clive Pinder of Dorset at Cricket St Thomas in Somerset. The egg was sold alongside the box in which it was found and the magazine containing the clues that led to its location.
Pinder later sold the egg at auction for £6,500 in 2017. It subsequently changed hands again before being consigned to Batemans for the latest sale.
Greg Bateman of Batemans Auctioneers & Valuers described the result as one of the highlights of his career and said the price reflected continued demand for collectables tied to distinctive cultural stories.
Cadbury’s Conundrum Eggs Continue to Rise in Value
The 1983 campaign became one of Cadbury’s best-known promotional events, combining advertising with a nationwide treasure hunt. The surviving eggs are now sought after by collectors because of their gold content, limited numbers, and association with the campaign.
Batemans has previously sold another Conundrum egg on two occasions. The secret thirteenth 22-carat gold egg achieved a hammer price of £17,200 in July 2017 before selling again for £31,000 in February 2021.
The £123,500 paid for Cuckoo Cuckoo is substantially higher than those earlier results and represents the highest reported auction price for one of the Cadbury’s Conundrum eggs.
Bateman said the campaign remains an identifiable part of British advertising history decades after it ended. The latest result also shows how items originally created as promotional prizes can become valuable collectables when their provenance and cultural significance remain intact.
Featured image credits: Batemans Auctioneers & Valuers
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