A gold Wii that was intended to be a gift for the queen of England has gone up for auction.
The Wii, which is plated in 24K gold alongside a matching controller, was created by now-defunct game publisher THQ in 2009. It’s currently listed on auction website Goldin with a current bid of $2,000. It was originally put up for auction for $300,000 in early 2021 on eBay, but the listing was removed by the site due to “concerns over the account” that listed it for sale, according to Eurogamer.
The Wii, its controller, and a copy of Big Family Games, a THQ minigame collection, were sent to the queen in 2009 as part of a marketing stunt. While the queen never accepted the gift and the package was sent back to THQ by Buckingham Palace for “security reasons,” the console remained a part of weird gaming history for many years. The Wii changed hands a few times after THQ went out of business in 2012, ultimately landing in a console collector’s arsenal, according to the Goldin listing.
The winner of the auction will receive the golden Wii, its one controller, the copy of Big Family Games, and the Wii’s sensor bar and A/V cables, both of which look no different than a normal Wii’s. Six people have made bids on the Wii since it was listed on May 5, driving the price up from $1,500 to $2,000. Interested auctiongoers have until May 21 at 9pm CT to bid on the unique Wii.
