From Worst to First...The 7591 Construct-A-Zurg

Last February I did a blog on the Bottom 50 LEGO sets with regards to CAGR values. Among the Bottom 50 LEGO sets, there were 5 Toy Story sets:

• 7591 Construct-A-Zurg
• 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue
• 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck
• 7596 Trash Compactor Escape
• 7593 Buzz's Command Spaceship

Not only did the Toy Story theme make up 10% of the Bottom 50 LEGO sets, the worst performing set was a Toy Story set...the 7591 Construct-A-Zurg. Well, I took a look at the most recent BrickIndex, which shows the top appreciating sets over the past 6 months, and to my surprise, there were three Toy Story sets on the Top 20...7591 Construct-A-Zurg, 7590 Woody and Buzz to the Rescue, and the 7789 Lotso's Dump Truck.

What is even more amazing is that the worst performing set back in February of 2013, the 7591 Construct-A-Zurg, is now the BEST performing set over the last 6 months, increasing over 55% in value. The 7596 Lotso's Dump Truck went up 25% as well. If you check the other Toy Story sets that were in the Bottom 50, the 7598 Pizza Planet Truck Rescue went up 24%, the 7596 Trash Compactor Escape went up 24.5% and the 7593 Buzz's Command Spaceship went up 15% over the past 6 months.

From a personal standpoint, I am glad to see this theme attract the attention of collectors and investors. I have always thought that these Toy Story sets were true to the wonderful movies. Their minifigures were top notch and the sets had quite a few unique pieces and designs. What it also confirms for me is that once again, there is true value in many older sets that are retired and under the radar. While many investors are out there looking for new sets to invest in, there are savvy LEGO investors taking a chance on sets that were overlooked for various reasons.

For those of you who like to think outside the LEGO investment box a bit and like older sets, check out the Top Retired Sets page or the BrickIndex page to scan for retired sets that might be showing some late life and growth. They are out there...every month. Some sets are just late bloomers. Good luck...