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This Canadian man traded a red paperclip for a HOUSE

The incredible story of turning a paperclip into a house
Trade one: a red paperclip
Trade two: fish-shaped pen
Trade three: hand-sculpted doorknob
Trade four: a Coleman camp stove
Trade five: Honda generator
A trading delay...
Trade six: an ‘instant party’
Trade seven: snowmobile
Hitting the news
Trade eight: a trip to Yahk, British Columbia
Trade nine: cube van
Trade 10: recording contract
Trade 11: one year’s rent in Phoenix
Trade 12: a day with Alice Cooper
Rockstar credentials
Trade 13: KISS snow globe
Controversial swap
Trade 14: a film role
Trade 15: a house
A housewarming to remember
503 Main Street in Kipling, Saskatchewan
Celebrities in their new home
The last listing
One final trade
1 of 25
Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo ; Gunter Marx/RA/Alamy Stock Photo

The incredible story of turning a paperclip into a house

Twenty years ago, Kyle MacDonald set out on an ambitious mission to acquire a house – not with money, but with a red paperclip. Starting with that small piece of stationery, the 25-year-old traded up, always getting a bigger or better item in return, before he eventually landed himself a property in Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada – just 14 trades later.

Click or scroll through to read Kyle’s extraordinary journey…

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Hannah Ward-Glenton

03 June 2025

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