First 'lost' Lego shark lands hundreds for charity

Richard West is dividing the amount raised from the toy between Cancer Research UK and the Fishermen's Mission

A Lego shark caught by a fisherman off the South West coast after nearly 30 years on the seabed has been bought for £430 at auction.

Richard West landed what is thought to be the first dark grey shark from the 51,800 Lego sharks in one of 62 containers holding 4.75 million pieces, swept off the Tokio Express cargo ship near Land's End in 1997.

The plastic toy, which Mr West caught in his fishing nets 20 miles (32km) south of Penzance in August 2024, was sold by Plymouth-based auctioneer Anthony Eldred on Thursday.

Mr West said it was "fantastic news" and he would share the total between Cancer Research UK and the Fishermen's Mission.

The guide price for the Lego shark had been between £50 and £100

Mr Eldred had given the Lego shark a guide price of between £50 and £100 and had acknowledged the difficulty of valuing such a "unique item".

Before the sale, the auctioneer had said: "A keen collector may well be interested, and if more than one person becomes excited, the shark may well go for more than that."

After the sale, Mr Eldred said he was "delighted that the Lego shark had attracted so much interest".

He said there had been bids from buyers in the UK and overseas, together with interest from the National Maritime Museum, but it had been a Dutch buyer who bought the shark.

Mr West said: "I hope that Sharky goes to a loving home, and I'm glad he has raised a bit of money for charity."

"I'd better get down to Penzance and find a few more," he added.