This “Cuckoo Cuckoo” egg, created by Garrard & Co for Cadbury, was a prize in the treasure hunt-themed advertising campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs in the 1980s.
Lincolnshire, England—A 22-karat gold Cadbury egg set a new world auction record this month at Batemans Auctioneers in the town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, England.
In the 1980s, British confectionary giant Cadbury partnered with royal goldsmiths Garrard & Co to create a series of golden eggs for an advertising campaign promoting Cadbury Creme Eggs.
For the “Conundrum” treasure hunt, Cadbury buried 12 containers at secret locations across the United Kingdom. Each container held a wooden box and a handwritten parchment letter.
To find these hidden containers, treasure hunters had to decipher riddles and illustrations within the “Conundrum: The Cadbury's Creme Egg Mystery” book.
Once someone found one of the containers, they had to call Cadbury and give the secret passphrase. Then, at a later ceremony, they were presented with a golden egg.
The “Cuckoo Cuckoo” egg was recently up for auction at Batemans’ “Curated & Collectable” sale, held Aug. 1, is “one of Britain's rarest surviving advertising prizes,” said the auction house.
It is one of the 12 individually designed eggs, hallmarked “Garrard & Co, London, 1983.”
The egg features translucent green and blue enamel with a detailed scene depicting a cuckoo nesting in a tree. Among the trees below, seven men and women are staring and pointing upwards at the bird. On the reverse, there are seven engraved wheatsheaves.
The golden egg also came with its original leather box, the secret box, the wooden “Conundrum” casket, the handwritten parchment letter, and a 1983 copy of the “Conundrum: The Cadbury's Creme Egg Mystery” book.
It measures 8 centimeters high and weighs around 254 grams.
The egg is accompanied by its original green leather presentation box, the secret box associated with its discovery, the wooden “Conundrum” casket, and the handwritten parchment letter.
It also came with a copy of “Conundrum: The Cadbury's Creme Egg Mystery,” written by Don Shaw, illustrated by Nick Price, and published by Hamlyn in 1984.
After an “intense bidding battle,” it sold for £123,500 ($166,800), six times its pre-sale estimate, setting a new world auction record for a Cadbury's Conundrum egg, according to the auction house.
Batemans previously sold the secret thirteenth Conundrum egg twice, first in July 2017 for a hammer price of £17,200 ($23,200) and again in February 2021 for £31,000 ($41,800).
This egg was larger and its design was based on the front cover of the Conundrum book, incorporating elements from each of the twelve original riddles.
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"The Conundrum eggs are a fascinating piece of British cultural history. Cadbury's created one of the most memorable advertising campaigns of the 1980s, capturing the imagination of millions with a nationwide treasure hunt that combined storytelling, mystery, and the excitement of discovery,” said Greg Bateman, managing director and senior valuer at Batemans Auctioneers.
“This egg represents so much more than a beautifully crafted piece by the esteemed jewelers Garrard & Co. It is a tangible link to a moment in time when an advertising campaign became part of everyday life, inspiring people across the country to pick up the Conundrum book and try to solve the clues.”
The secret container for this egg was discovered in 1983 by Clive Pinder from Dorset, England, at Cricket St. Thomas in Somerset.
Pinder later sold the egg at auction in 2018 for £6,500 ($8,800). The current owner subsequently acquired it and has decided to pass it on to another collector, said the auction house.
“To see 'Cuckoo Cuckoo' achieve £123,500 and set a new world auction record was an incredible moment. It demonstrates the enduring appeal of nostalgia and the extraordinary demand for collectables with a truly unique story behind them,” said Bateman.
