Beachcombers on England's southwest coast are continuing to dig up buried treasure 27 years after the prized possessions were lost overboard.
In this case, however, the booty is made up of pirate- and aquatic-themed Lego pieces that were in a container swept off the cargo ship Tokio Express by a rogue wave.
The Facebook page Lego Lost at Sea, run by Tracey Williams, has been posting photos submitted of the pieces found on United Kingdom beaches. Those include yellow rafts, blue miniature flippers, tiny scuba tanks and, just in the past few weeks, a plastic black dragon. There were nearly 5 million Lego pieces in the container that washed overboard in 1997, and just 33,941 of them were dragons. They were bound for North American markets. The Lego container was one of more than 60 lost from the Tokio Express, according to the website Marine Insight.
Initial reports of the incident focused on chemicals and items such as disposable lighters that were in some of the other containers. When the Lego container washed up on shore in 2003, the company said anyone finding pieces could keep them, but did ask to be notified so it could track them
While finding plastic pellets and other debris on the beach is generally considered a very bad thing, the Lego pieces have become pieces treasured by children and adults alike who consider them a highlight of a beach trip. A pair of the scuba tanks were even reported to be found right next to a collection spot during a public cleanup day at a beach sponsored by Plastic Free Devon in early June, Lego Lost at Sea notes.
