The 40625 Llama set is not only the 200th figure in the history of the BrickHeadz series, but also the star of one of the most exclusive VIP promotions in LEGO history. In April 2023 the company held an extremely limited lottery in which only 25 copies of this set were up for grabs, and not ordinary ones, but copies signed by Jens Bergensten himself, known as Jeb, the lead designer of Minecraft and creative director of Mojang Studios.
As you may remember, I already reported on this lottery in April 2023, while the promotion was running. Even then I predicted that winning such a set would be next to impossible and that its prices on the secondary market would be dizzying. Today, more than two years after the lottery, it’s worth looking at how things turned out for these exceptional copies.
The VIP lottery of April 2023
The lottery was open to members of the VIP programme from 1 to 21 April 2023. Taking part cost 50 VIP points per entry, with a maximum of 50 entries per person. This meant that the most determined collectors could spend as many as 2500 VIP points to improve their chances of winning.
As I wrote in my previous article, the promotion covered “most European and North American countries”, although in Poland the option to join the lottery was not available at first. In the end, however, Polish collectors were also able to take part in this historic draw.
The prize was special not only because of the limited number of copies. Each of the 25 sets came with a certificate of authenticity signed by Jens Bergensten and in a stylish box, which made it a true collector’s rarity.
Who is Jens Bergensten?
Jens Peder Bergensten, commonly known as Jeb, is a Swedish programmer and video game designer, best known as the lead designer of Minecraft and creative director of Mojang Studios. It is under his leadership that Minecraft has developed over recent years, and his signature on a BrickHeadz set has enormous value for fans of this cult game.
In 2013, together with Minecraft creator Markus Persson, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. His connection with Minecraft makes the BrickHeadz llama signed by him a true holy grail for collectors.
Promoting the 200th figure
It’s worth remembering that the 40625 Llama set was heavily promoted by LEGO even before the lottery. As I mentioned in my previous article, the set was advertised on the official Twitter profiles of both LEGO and Minecraft, which showed what an important milestone it was for the whole series.
The 200th BrickHeadz figure is an important moment in the history of the series, which was introduced in 2016. Just as with the 100th figure (40380 Easter Sheep), LEGO marked the anniversary with a golden “200” accent on the set’s packaging. It was this special numbering that made the set even more sought after by collectors.
Secondary market prices
The regular version of the 40625 Llama set can be bought for under PLN 100 (it is no longer officially available from LEGO or on lego.com), but the signed version is in a completely different price league. My predictions from 2023 about “dizzying prices” turned out to be accurate. Today one copy appeared on eBay (with the lucky number 13) and the asking price is GBP 2,499.99, which is roughly PLN 12,500.
The signed version of 40625 Llama is probably one of the rarest official BrickHeadz sets ever made. With just 25 copies in the whole world, it is a more exclusive set than any other, including Nonnie (although for many Nonnie will still be more valuable).
The photos in this article come from the eBay auction.