Minifigure Madness
Which are the best themes for collectible LEGO minifigures?
I have to admit, I was never a huge LEGO minifigure fan. Years ago, it was the STAR WARS Ultimate Collector Series 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer that brought me out of my "Dark Ages." Soon after I bought that set, I quickly went on to buy the Ultimate Collector Series 10179 Millennium Falcon, 7191 X-Wing Fighter, 10019 Rebel Blockade Runner and other large sets like the 10189 Taj Mahal, 10181 Eiffel Tower and 3450 Statue of Liberty...to name a few. Now, if you haven't noticed, most of those sets are without LEGO minifigures, or if they do have them, they are minor additions to the sets. Buying large and complex LEGO sets and models was my focus for years. I more or less ignored most sets with minifigures, unless of course the set was oversized and complex in design. Fast forward five years and my views on LEGO minifigures changed drastically.
First off, the constant discussions on the BrickPicker.com forums about minifigures kind of forced me to care about the little plastic people. Since they play such an important role in many sets and their values, a so-called "LEGO expert" better know about them and their importance to various sets. Secondly, my six-year-old son loves them and has exposed me to them to such a high degree that I have learned to appreciate the LEGO minifigure more than years ago. I mean, when they cover every single table and counter in one's house, it's hard not to notice them and ask why is a six year old so passionate about them. And last but not least, my brother Jeff and I have been writing another book, this time instead of collectible LEGO sets, it's about collectible LEGO minifigures. I have been forced to learn about LEGO minifigures...their values, their designs, their qualities that cause them to be admired by LEGO fans across the globe. What I learned was quite interesting. Let's take a look at the chart below that breaks down, by theme, the average value of LEGO minifigures within that theme...
The chart above simply averages the current values of all minifigures within a particular theme. The prices are based on sold values from LEGO secondary marketplaces. There are thousands of different LEGO minifigures, scattered over dozens and dozens of themes. The CITY/Town theme alone has 2000 unique minifigures in its ranks all by itself. The average value of all (themes) LEGO minifigures aggregated together from our database is nearing $4.00 per minifigure and has been steadily increasing over the past five years. This price correlates to the recent price increase of the Collectible Minifigures random bags to $3.99 and seems to be the going rate for many non-licensed minifigures. What stood out to me, when I was researching the book, was that the licensed minifigures were consistently higher in value than their non-licensed counterparts. Even some LEGO themes that performed poorly as MISB sets performed better than average as minifigure collectibles. Minifigures from the Toy Story, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Pirates of the Caribbean have performed well, yet many of the sealed sets underperformed on the LEGO secondary marketplaces.
To be expected, the well-known licensed themes like STAR WARS, Harry Potter, DC Comics and Marvel Super Heroes themes have performed very well. The best performing licensed themes were the original themes based on Batman and Spider-Man. Now, one has to understand, within the current DC Comics and Marvel Super Heroes theme, there are some minifigures from the San Diego Comic Con and other LEGO conventions that sell for hundreds of dollars...even as high as $700.00 to $800.00 for a single minifigure. That being said, the overall value for the Super Heroes theme will be drastically lower if those dozen or so minifigures are removed from the calculations. The current lineup of Super Hero minifigures are being replicated by unscrupulous counterfeiters, and their values are suffering because of it. The older licensed minifigures have appeared to have avoided the counterfeiting curse at the present moment, but I'm sure you will see these being copied at some point in the future as well.
All in all, my increased exposure to the collectible LEGO minifigure over the past year or so has converted me into a huge LEGO minifigure fan. My son's passion for these little plastic people have enabled me to see in person a multitude of elaborate and creative LEGO minifigures and their various accessories. The LEGO designers should be proud of their creations. Their detail and beauty is increasing with each passing year...and so are their values. As shown above, LEGO minifigures are valuable as separate investments. Although the minifigure values from the traditional CITY/Town, Space, Castle and Pirates themes are nothing special, the licensed themes are quite collectible, exhibiting impressive values for a small piece of ABS plastic. All is not positive though, as care must be taken when purchasing these items. Buy for reputable sellers or directly from primary retailers to avoid fakes. With LEGO promoting the collectibility of minifigures with their Collectible Minifigures theme and their proclivity to produce limited edition products, the future for LEGO minifigures is bright, and these tiny plastic people can help LEGO fans make money from their passion...
