Meet the world's most expensive Lego

What's the best gift from the boss ever? A solid gold Lego brick would rank pretty high for me.

That's exactly what some lucky Lego employees received from the company nearly 40 years ago. From 1979 to 1981, the brick was awarded to certain workers who had put in at least 25 years at the Lego factory in Hohenwestedt, Germany.

And what a gift. The 14-carat gold Lego weighs 0.8246 troy ounces. And one of those bricks was just sold for $12,500.

The brick was sold by avid Lego collector John Hughbanks. He tried to nab the brick about nine months ago when it was auctioned at a German site, but lost out to another bidder. He found the bidder later and negotiated a price, and then put the brick up for sale on eBay (EBAY) and on his brand new website, Brick Envy. He priced the brick at $14,449.99.

When the Lego piece started getting some attention, Hughbanks received a bid on eBay for $12,500 and decided to sell it.

"It was a tough call for me, to be honest, because I really didn't want to sell it," Hughbanks said in an interview. "It was one of those things, what do you do?" But the customer had purchased some high-end items from Hughbanks in the past, so Hughbanks knew it was a solid deal.

Hughbanks estimated that the meltdown value of the brick is only around $920. What makes it special, he said, is the story behind it.

"Somebody had to work for 25 years to get that little gold brick," he said. "A lot of people, they put themselves in those shoes and the story just goes from there."

He said the brick reminds him of the gold watches that workers sometimes get from their bosses. Some people just store it in a closet for a while and eventually sell it or throw it away. But those gifts are a symbol of someone's career, and many years of their life.

"That's dedication," he added.

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