In 2009, THQ pulled off a publicity stunt plating a Nintendo Wii in 24k gold and attempting to deliver it to Queen Elizabeth II
I actually wrote about this last yearwhen the console was about to be put up for sale on eBay in the hands of a collector in the Netherlands:
The Queen probably never received the console –as detailed in this excellent episode of People Make Games— but it eventually found its way into the hands of collector Don, one of the guys behind the site consolevariations.comWhich I wrote about this in 2019.
Attract, who now “gets on with life” and wants to buy a new apartment
is putting parts of his collection up for sale, and the headline, of course, is that infamous 24k gold-plated Wii, which he listed on eBay for $300,000.
This eBay auction took place in October 2021 and amassed over 700 bids before eBay’s auction policies recently changed – tying an item’s value to the user’s sales history, which in this case was “very expensive console” vs “some type.” “was normal eBay account”– saw the auction being removed before it could complete.
Six months later, the console’s current owner, Don (who also created the excellent Console Variations) found a workaround using auction house Goldin is only too happy to list the gold Wii (and the crappy game it was originally meant to advertise) there instead.
Here is Goldin’s listing:
However, due to the Palace Correspondence Team’s understandably strict gift-giving policy, the console never made it into the Palace, let alone the Queen’s hands, for security reasons. It was then sent back to the THQ offices unbeknownst to the rest of the world that it had achieved its final destination and lived the life of royalty. When THQ went bankrupt in 2012, The Royal Wii fell off the radar and nobody really knew what became of it. However, it resurfaced five years later, having been acquired by a collector specializing in developer hardware, who received it from a contact he had at THQ. He eventually sold the console and it has been quietly in the hands of our consignor ever since.
Presenting the ultimate Wii collectible, commissioned especially for Her Majesty The Queen herself for a (somewhat silly and ultimately unsuccessful) marketing ploy, ‘The Golden Wii’. The console and controller are both plated with 24k gold. Both show slight signs of wear, with the controller showing isolated chips on the gold plating. The package includes the console, a controller, a copy of BIG Family Games, a sensor bar and all the necessary cables. The Wii comes with a letter of provenance from our consignor, confirming its history and authenticity. Don’t miss your opportunity to own this truly one-of-a-kind Nintendo collectible! (Crown Jewels not included.)
The bidding process has just started, and if anything, I’m incredibly excited to see where it goes. On the one hand, it’s a Wii with some gold on it, a funny story, and a copy of a very bad video game. It could go for little more than the $1500 currently on offer. On the other hand, we live in now a world where Pokémon cards can be sold for as much as an apartmentso who knows how much someone will end up being ready to pay for this thing. Since the call for entries ends on May 22nd, I guess we’ll find out soon.
