Why are old LG air conditioner logos suddenly in the limelight? Viral video turns 20-year-old ACs into gold mines

Gold prices have skyrocketed since the beginning of the year, reaching as high as over a lakh. And it would be sheer luck to discover gold under such circumstances while digging through your grandma's dusty attic, and too on an air conditioner.

Why are old LG air conditioners under talks

Old LG air conditioners from around 20 years ago are suddenly the talk of South Korea, as people hunt for models with pure 24-carat gold logos worth thousands today. The buzz kicked off with a viral YouTube video by Seoul jeweller Ringring Unni, titled “Is there gold in air conditioners?”now over a million views strong.

Households are scouring storage rooms and grandparents' homes for LG Whisen units released in 2005 to celebrate five straight years as Korea's top AC seller.

Where did it all begin from

It all started when a customer popularised crumpled metal letters peeled from an old Whisen's front panel. “What is this?” Ringring Unni asked in the video, per a South China Morning Post.

The customer replied, “It was removed from an LG Whisen air conditioner. It was the logo attached to the front of the air conditioner... The delivery person said it was gold, and the advertisement also mentioned it was gold. At the time, they said: ‘If you take this off, we’ll give you 10,000 won’.” She melted the six letters on camera and called the buyer: “It wasn’t 18-karat, it was pure gold. The weight is slightly less than one don, so I’ll give you 713,000 won (₹43,000).” A "don" equals 3.75 grams of gold.

Excitement exploded with a follow-up video

Another viewer brought a pristine Whisen logo. “I once removed this logo and took it to a local gold exchange, but they said, ‘There’s no certificate, and it doesn’t seem like gold.’ I was about to throw it away when I saw the video,” the customer shared. Better conditions meant more cash: 748,000 won (₹45,000). Comments flooded in, with viewers eyeing their own old ACs for hidden gold.

Is the haul about LG AC logos true

Back in 2005, LG made 10,000 special Whisen units, each with a gold logo as a flashy perk. Gold then cost 50,000–70,000 won per don, per The Korea Times, peanuts compared to today's tenfold surge. In India, 24-carat gold (10 grams) was about ₹7,000 then; now it's ₹1.34 lakh. That tiny logo, once a gimmick worth a snack, now fetches life-changing sums amid global price booms.

While the search for these limited-edition gold logos is purely dependent on luck, encounter tales actually happened—folks peeling logos for quick cash back then, unaware of future jackpots.