The weathered landmark, replaced earlier this year and auctioned to raise funds for Milton’s new Elsie Stewart Community Library and Pool complex, was collected for $2500 by Milton lawyer Kerry Dowling.
Sign sale organisers had anticipated a hectic bidding war, but staunch Milton loyalty owned the auction from the outset.
"You came in pretty strong," sign-sale committee spokeswoman Kim Schiller said to the new owner.
"There was an early bid at about $1020, then you just went boom — straight to two grand."
Mr Dowling said he was a Trade Me novice with no idea his aggressive tactics would limit the sale to about a dozen bids over 10 days.
"It sat at $2000 for a few days," he said.
"But about five minutes out from closing I got worried somebody would grab it for $2,001, so I thought I’d better drop another five hundred bucks on it to make sure."
Mr Dowling first moved to Milton about 20 years ago when the "Opportunities" sign was new.
"I bought my first house here at auction, I was the only bidder there and somebody actually said ‘Are you sure you want to live in Milton?’ … Well, whatever.
"This is the nicest town I’ve ever moved into, it’s fantastic."
He explained how he found the sign’s slogan had stuck when he told people he was from Milton.
"They’d go ‘Milton? Oh right, the Town of Opportunities’.
"And if they sounded a bit derisive I got to explain to them how wrong they were, and why."
Mr Dowling said he had not finalised plans for his welcome sign but said he was considering erecting it outside his Eden St law offices.
Mrs Schiller said the committee were delighted to close the case.
Milton’s new town-welcome signs feature landscape graphics rather than a slogan, which Mrs Schiller said was not needed any more.
