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Lego collectors dish out a fortune for rare 'Hobbit' minifig

Hysteria over a Comic-Con exclusive Azog Lego minifigure sends an eBay auction soaring. You won't believe what people are paying.

Christopher MacManus
Crave contributor Christopher MacManus regularly spends his time exploring the latest in science, gaming, and geek culture -- aiming to provide a fun and informative look at some of the most marvelous subjects from around the world.
Christopher MacManus
If you happen to have one of these and don't really care for it, we recommend you get your rear end to eBay as quickly as possible. stewartm78/eBay

Right now, things seem a little crazy in the world of Lego. Why? A certain "Hobbit" minifigure continues to reach unparalleled heights in price -- or better yet, insanity -- on eBay.

Currently resting at the whopping price of $1,525, an eBay auction offering the Azog minifigure indicates the toy is reaching epic levels of obsession among Lego devotees. The minifigure's value appears inflated by the fact that Lego employees randomly handed out only 100 figures to attendees of last week's San Diego Comic Con, making the grotesque toy rather rare indeed.

At the time of this writing, other active eBay auctions featuring the Azog figure currently average $800-plus, and most of those listings have half a dozen bids and several days left to go. A quick browse of completed auctions indicates that Azog has routinely attracted successful sales of $900 or more.

Of course, Azog isn't the only Lego figure attracting big bucks these days. A certain Mr. Gold, which is randomly inserted into Series 10 packs of Lego minifigures and limited to a run of 5,000, has also sold for more than $1,000 on eBay. And to think I used to chew on these things as a toddler.

(Via Brickset)