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    Brickpicker blog articles on LEGO investing, news, reviews, evaluations, discounts and more...
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    • Scissorino
      When I left Lego behind, I left it for something way more rock ‘n’ roll: rock ‘n’ roll. The move from primary school (elementary school) into secondary school (high school) marked the graduation from the precious toys of my childhood to the world of the pop charts.

      Here in the UK in the nineties, the battle was on betweenthe two biggest ‘Brit Pop’ bands of the time; Oasis (from Manchester) and Blur(from London). As a cash-strapped teenager you followed one – for me it wasOasis (although my first ever CD was Blur). I loved both bands but looking backthey weren’t even comparable stylistically, and interestingly I listen to Blurmuch more often all these years later. For my dad things were the same – wereyou a Beatles fan, or a Stones follower? My dad has all the Beatles LPs fromhis youth but has recently been getting into the Stones too. Over in the USthere was the Tupac/Biggie beef, and the question of whether you liked Nirvanaor Guns ‘N’ Roses best... or Metallica or Megadeth. In the nineties the musicindustry thrived off that competition.
      Flashback to the late eighties, early nineties. My bedroomwith my brother and sister. What would we play with that day? Lego? Or would itbe... Playmobil? The choice! In what way would we create our own adventuresthat day? I think back then my choice would have been Lego most of the time,but we definitely had time for Playmobil too. Just as Oasis and Blur fought formy attention later on, so both these European super brands vied for theprecious playtime of my childhood.
      But is this really a case of Lego vs. Playmobil? Are the twocomparable? Is it possible to only be a follower of one? Is it fair to pit themagainst each other? Is it a case of loving both but only having the time ormoney for one?

      For me, Lego is about the building and the creation ofsomething which only existed before as a pile of assorted bricks. Once I’dbuilt a whole town, zoo, Jurassic Park model, or whatever the theme was thatweek, I’d let my siblings play with it whilst I tinkered, improved, extended...Playmobil was about creating stories and adventures using pre-made vehicles,buildings, scenery and people. The way I played with both differed. Lego reallyis the more versatile toy although Playmobil has the advantage of not fallingapart whilst being played with. Playmobil had some great themes available (andstill does) whereas with Lego the only limit to themes was the imagination.
      Last week I was wandering around my local toy shop and I wasfascinated by the Playmobil on offer – it seemed that prices were veryreasonable for what you got, some of the sets really grabbed my attention againand after sharing my thoughts with my wife she got straight on ebay and a fewhours later we had won a Playmobil auction (for our daughter, of course). Butdoes this mean I won’t encourage Lego? Does this mean the two toys are incompetition for her time now? No. Different toys. Different ways of playing.

      You see, back when Blur and Oasis were battling it out, thereality was that the bands were so dissimilar to each other that it wasn’treally a case of choosing – you could appreciate each one for their own uniquecharacteristics. Same with Lego and Playmobil. But that doesn’t mean you can’thave your favourites – Lego had my heart back then, and it still does now butthat won’t stop me from enjoying Playmobil every once in a while.
      Do you rate Playmobil? Do you hate Playmobil? Do you know ofany Playmobil collectors or any adult fans of Playmobil? Please comment andshare your thoughts!
    • Ed Mack
      The Art Cleaning LEGOs
      Here's a topic we haven't seen here yet, and one that's near and dear to our heart... the Art of Cleaning LEGOs. After all, the difference between what looks clean, and what IS clean, isn't always black and white... but it is how parents keep their peace of mind.
      So, you found that awesome used LEGO set on eBay for a fraction of the cost. Good for you! But, you don't need to be a germ-a-phoebe to know that you probably have some other, very small visitors attached to them. These visitors are called pathogens and are anything that can cause disease. They come in the form of bacteria, viruses and the such. So then, what you really bought were vectors. Sure, you could just ignore this fact and build it the second it gets in your home; risking a cold, or flu. Or, you could wait a few hours and have a B E A Utiful set that looks much better, due to it being clean, and safer, due to the lack of pathogens.
      So, what are vectors? OK, I admit, actual vectors are normally DNA based molecules, like mosquitoes or flees, which help the pathogen multiply, mutate, etc, in addition to aiding in its spread. But for this specific example, we'll call your 'new to you' LEGOs vectors, since they do this last aspect quite well. Now that the technicalities are out of the way, lets discuss how can you can turn your vectors back into LEGOs?
      Sure you can use hot soapy water, but how hot, and which soap? I'm sure there's tons of you that have more experience than I on this topic, so we don't claim to be the all knowing expert, but over the past year, we've experimented numerous technics to look for the best option. We've tried cleaning them in the washer with a cloth bag, but the ones that let the water in, also let our small pieces out. And we think we've found what works best for us.
      So, in the immortal words of Khan: "Now, shall we begin?"
      Temperature:
      What temperature? Most hot water heaters are set for about 110 to 120 degrees F, but can be set higher. Important! If you have kids, particularly young kids, do not take apart your garage to get to the water heater and change its thermostat. Keep your water heater set about 110 to 115. If you want your cleaning water hotter, add some boiling water to the cooler water to bring up its temp. Besides, maintaining that higher temp in your water heater will cost you dearly and put a needless scalding hazard into your home.
      Cleaner/Disinfectant:
      So, you boiled your water and got your sink's water temp to 120-130 degrees F. This isn't really hot enough to kill all pathogens, but its about the hottest your hands will be able to take. So, you'll need to add some additional cleaners.
      You need a soap to clean and an anti pathogen ingredient, if not already in your soap. If it isn't, you could purchase some lavender oil, or boil some fresh lavender in your water if you have any growing around the house. You can also use a variety of other natural ingredients from citrus, herb, or other oils to achieve the same effect, but we suggest lavender due to its antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal properties.
      Another must have is white distilled vinegar. It also does the same as lavender, but adds in grease cutting abilities. In a single sink, we fill the sink half way with 120-130 degree F water, add one cup of white vinegar, 5 drops of lavender oil, and 1 tablespoon generic dish washing liquid.
      Time to clean.
      Cleaning:
      Important! Remember that LEGO is adding more and more electronic parts to their sets. Be sure that any electric brick or part is separated before cleaning. We recommend cleaning these with an antibacterial wipe, then removing the cleaner with a moist towel before drying.
      For cleaning, don't just throw your LEGOs in the sink. Keep them confined (except the really small tiles that always seem to find their way out) by using a plastic colander, or even better, an interior liner for a salad spinner. Make sure all pieces are submerged. If you have some dirty parts or large plates that like to collect dust, use a really soft brush, scrubbing in two perpendicular directions. Gently swish the pieces around the colander both in and out of the water. Then, using hot water, completely rinse all pieces, being sure to get both sides of the pieces.
      Drying:
      So they're clean... and wet. If you've ever cleaned LEGOs before, then you know how hard it is to get them completely dry. The little divots and crevasses underneath may increase its clutch power, but they also act like little sponge pores, trapping water for what seems like eternity.
      Remember when I said it was actually better to use a salad spinner liner than a colander? Reason is because now you can take your liner and spin those pieces of plastic plastic gold. We've discovered that its better to start slow and speed up gradually. This decreases your scratch potential as we'll as decreasing damage to your salad spinner. Remember, these weren't designed for spinning something as heavy duty as LEGOs, so you need to give the pieces time to find a good position. Just like your clothes washer, you want to make sure your pieces' weight is distributed equally, or you'll have a hard time spinning the pieces fast enough to get all the water off. Once you give a good starter spin, move the pieces around to get out water trapped from the previous spin. Just repeat until you're not getting out any more water.
      No salad spinner, no problem. You can also try some of these other methods:
      - Cup a few smaller pieces in your hands and shake like you would before you roll the dice.
      - Tap the larger pieces on their edge; hard enough to dislodge the water, but soft enough not to damage the LEGO or the surface you're tapping on.
      - for larger plate pieces, tap first as above, but rub the stud face in perpendicular directions on a thick towel
      Its important to get the water off your LEGOs as quickly as possible. First, residue from the water will dry in place, leaving spots on your clean LEGOs. Second, moisture is one of the biggest requirements for bacteria to reform on your bricks.
      If you remember anything from this article, just remember these three things:
      - If you have 'new to you' LEGOs, and kids to play with them, we implore you to clean any used LEGOs you buy.
      - Using natural ingredients can be a safe alternative to harsh chemicals that can leave your LEGOs almost as toxic as when you got them.
      - Lastly get the water off your LEGOs as quickly as you can to maintain cleaning's aesthetic and sanitarial benefits.
      Also, if you're selling a set of LEGOs, putting in your listing the fact that you cleaned them prior to packaging couldn't hurt your bottom line either, right? We've seen some nasty stuff come our way, and we know that this time wont be spent in vain. Let's make sure we keep LEGO the safest, best toy in history.
      Additional:
      Some great sites for other natural cleaning recipes:
      - http://www.macheesmo.com/2011/01/four-homemade-cleaners/
      - http://gogreenamericatv.com/the-blender-girls-top-natural-cleaning-uses-for-essential-oils/
      - http://www.herbsociety.org/resources/t4k/documents/LectureHerbalHousekeepingHandout.pdf
      - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art50467.asp
      Note: We do not endorse, nor do we support any essential oil product. Whichever you choose will minimize the use of chemicals on the LEGOs.
    • cvail8
      We're coming up on the holiday selling season (it's the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) and with a lot of new investors around here who will be going through their first Christmas, I wanted to help out with a little advice on the shipping side of selling.
      First, a little background on me so you know where I'm coming from. I worked for FedEx Ground/Home Delivery in the terminal unloading trailers and loading delivery trucks for 2 years and was a delivery driver and contractor for 5 years, so I've seen how your packages get handled. I want to help make sure that your 41999 gets where it's supposed to without being beat to hell.
      Packaging:
      First off, start stashing away packaging materials. Save the boxes you get from shipments (assuming they aren't beat up). Keep the bubble wrap and air bubbles from them too. Ask your friends, Romans, and countrymen to save them for you. Every piece you can save is a little bit more profit you're making.
      Supplement your stash by getting on USPS.com and ordering a nice variety of Priority Mail shipping boxes. Most everything is free, so don't feel bad about ordering more than you think you need. The most useful boxes are the 1092, 1095, and 1097 boxes which will fit your smaller sets up to the size of Orc Forge. The square 4 box and shoe box are great for Minecraft. You also want to grab a few Express Mail boxes for those last-minute gifts. Don't forget to order a few rolls of stickers to slap on your box seals, since the ones on the boxes don't always stay stuck. If you've ever gotten an order that was delivered in one of these boxes, you'll know that they aren't very crush-resistant. It's OK if you're flipping a City set to some parent who doesn't care about condition. But don't send expensive sets in USPS-provided boxes or you'll be sorry.
      Next up, you'll probably want to visit uline.com. The 16"x24"x4" boxes will hold the larger sets (like Jabba's Palace), and you have to buy them in 25 piece lots. They run me about $55 shipped, though your price will vary with the shipping cost.
      You'll also want to stock up on thick bubble wrap and tape. Don't be cheap with your tape. It's a very inexpensive item and it isn't worth trying to save a buck if your tape breaks and you have a box come open.
      For your more expensive sets: Double box it. Insure it. Require a signature. It's a few bucks that can save you a lot of headaches. Where you draw the line for "expensive" is up to you.
      How Your Package Gets Treated
      Take a look at this video just to get an idea of what your box is going to go through: http://youtu.be/iYzQ7JSBIGU?t=40s
      Now that you've seen that, remember that's the video that FedEx is LETTING you see. You know all those boxes piling up? I've seen times when the overhead chute gets clogged and boxes pile up and start falling from 15 feet up. I've seen corners catch in the sorting aisle and get ripped apart. And just think what a 50 pound box sliding down one of those chutes will do to the box in front of it.
      You also should remember that while it's a mint in sealed box Cloud City to you, to the people at the terminal it's just one of thousands of packages they deal with every day. They aren't going to handle it with care.
      The Last Mile
      The better relationship you have with your delivery drivers, the better they'll treat your stuff. Don't forget that your driver is a human being and not a cyborg. They spend 8+ hours a day driving a truck by themselves. Learn their names. Don't throw a fit because they didn't leave your package. Believe me, they want it off the truck too. For Ground/HD, it's usually money out of the driver's pocket if something gets stolen. Let them know where you'd like boxes left if you aren't home. Offer the guy a Coke sometime.
      And please, take care of your guys at the holidays, especially if you see them all the time. The end of the year is a rough time of year. At FedEx, we worked 6 days a week from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Even just a plate of cookies will be appreciated more than you know.
      Hopefully this has provided a little window into what your package is going to deal while your carrier has it. Use it and you shouldn't have any problems this holiday season.
      And If you take nothing else away, remember this: Don't ever, ever, ever, under any circumstances write FRAGILE on your package. Ever. FRAGILE is a French word meaning, "I'm going to throw this box even harder than I throw every other box". Believe me, I know from experience. Write GLASS.
      Remember: GLASS is breakable, FRAGILE is French. OK? OK.
    • comicblast
      As LEGO.com experiments with their new computer system, many of us have noticed slightly longer waiting times on their customer service phone lines. We needed to call a few times in the past week, and joined the waiting line. We had time, so out of curiosity, we did an average of our waiting times to calculate sets that you could probably complete while you're waiting.
      While some of us might build a little faster or slower, we're assuming times for slower builders to make sure everyone could complete in time. Here's our top 10:
      10. 3450: The Statue of Liberty:
      9. 10030: UCS Imperial Star Destroyer
      8. 10221: UCS Super Star Destroyer (Executor)
      7. 10196: The Grand Carousel
      6. 10181: The Eiffel Tower
      5. 10143: UCS Death Star II (original trilogy edition)
      4. 10188: UCS Death Star
      3. 10214: The Tower Bridge
      2. 10179: UCS Millennium Falcon
      1. 10189: The Taj Mahal
      We know no one likes to wait on the phone, especially when there's a problem to fix. However, if you pull out one of these sets and start building, it should take up most of your waiting time. Just keep that LEGO spirit and maybe it won't seem so bad.
    • Scissorino
      There’s no way that I’d be an AFOL if I hadn’t first been a CFOL (child fan of Lego – is that a term?). So many of us grown-ups would cite “getting the Lego I always wanted” as a top reason for still being into Lego way into our 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond. For me, as a child, new Lego was only to be had at birthdays and at Christmas. Kids these days seem to be showered with expensive toys with no sense of occasion – that wasn’t me.
      January to August would be spent playing with new Christmas Lego and pouring over the new year’s catalogue in order to make important decisions about birthday presents; the same process for August to December ready for Christmas. Between me and my brother we did pretty well, and since his birthday was in June there was another income of bricks during the year too. I was pretty influential in his choices but then everything was shared – for us Lego was not something to be played with alone.
      So, in a roundabout way that brings me to my top 5 childhood Lego sets:

      #6380 – Emergency Treatment Centre – 1987 – 308 pieces – 5 minifigures
      In 1987 I would have turned 3 so I guess I would have been 4 or 5 when I received this set. This was my first ‘BIG’ set – more than just a vehicle or a ‘Basic’ set and with a detailed and sustained set of instructions. I can remember building this for the very first time and it felt wonderful to be making something so substantial. This one was rebuilt many a time during my childhood – whenever a town layout was built on our purpose built Lego play table (thanks Dad!).
      As a build this one was very simple – a case of just building up the layers. I can almost visualise the instructions for this and perhaps know some of it by heart. The pieces included came in very useful for MOCing (I didn’t know it was called that back then, I just that’s what you did with Lego – old habits die hard). These pieces were also the basis for another model in the Lego Ideas Book from 1990 although I’m sure I made it, I can’t remember doing so.

      #6274 – Caribbean Clipper – 1989 – 378 pieces – 4 minifigures
      My first ‘BIG’ Pirate set (definitely my favourite theme as a child) courtesy of my Grandma (who always came through with the ‘BIG’ Lego sets). I probably also wanted the larger ‘Black Seas Barracuda’ from the same year but I was more than happy with this one. I can remember building this one too and I loved it even more because I loved the Pirates theme so much.
      This was another simple build with the two hull pieces making up the bulk of the ship. The cannon were a fun play feature as were the small flaps for them to hide behind. The rigging and sails were a nice touch as was the wind-in anchor. I definitely remember trying to make this float too – not sure I succeeded.

      #6278 – Enchanted Island – 1994 – 428 pieces – 7 minifigures
      Notice how as the years go by, there are more pieces in the sets? I wonder if that’s a general trend or just a coincidence. Enchanted Island; so good Lego released this set twice – the second time much later on in 2001 (with fewer pieces?!). Man, I loved this sub-theme – I actually think I had ALL the Indigo Islanders sets (I need to check that, though). This was a very playable set and for me and my siblings it provided hours of entertainment, especially alongside the Caribbean Clipper (which may have been commandeered by the pirates by this point). I also remember that it took me a decent amount of time to build which is always a good thing in my books.
      One thing that strikes me particularly about this set (and others at the time) is the base plates – many sets at a similar price point (£50) these days don’t come with a base plate, let alone two, and therefore seem a lot smaller to me. I like baseplates – these ones let our imagination run wild when creating our own builds.

      #6195 – Neptune Discovery Lab – 1995 – 508 pieces – 4 minfigures
      Yet again, a higher piece count at the same price (£50). This was not strictly mine – my brother got this for his birthday (he would have been 6 or 7). This was another theme which we were totally sold on – between us I think we had most of the Aquazone sets from when it was Aquanauts and Aquasharks. Without the other sets I think this theme was a bit limited for creative play as there is only so much you can do with underwater (if you play realistically) but we did enjoy this.
      Again, plenty of playability in this set, great baseplates, lots of unique elements and to me still, really attractive aesthetics. The addition of the submarine craft was an excellent selling point too.

      #5541 – Blue Fury – 1995 – 421 pieces
      Sadly this was one of the last, if not the last, Lego sets I had before descending into teenage-induced darkness. 1995 was the year I started secondary school (I was 11) and whilst I definitely still played with Lego at that time and for a couple more years, I definitely stopped asking for new Lego at birthdays and Christmas. Looking back now, it seems too early to have given up. This model was still displayed in my room until I went away to university at the age of 18 so maybe my Lego love was just hibernating!
      Anyway, as you can see, I’m in the throes of remaking this although missing parts are a pain. One particular difficult one is the curved section of chrome tailpipe – if anyone can find me one I’d be forever grateful! Rebuilding this is a ton of fun although having recently built the Creator Highway Speeder it is incredible to see how many changes there are in build technique – the Lego designers really have made progress in how they utilise both new and old pieces.
      My childhood with these sets was a happy one – many of my hours were spent playing with Lego (it is almost the only toy I played with inside the house). For a boy growing up in the 90s there was nothing more one could want – it felt like we had it all (although I always wished for a Vikings theme). I know for some the 90s sets paled compared to the sets they grew up with in the 80s but I suppose we get very attached to things which were formative to us – there is much sentiment and attachment to the toys of our childhood.
      I would love to hear from you – did you have any of these sets? How did you like them? What are your top 5 childhood Lego sets? What memories do you have of them?
    • Ed Mack
      People are always looking for the next hot investment.  With today's volatile stock market and falling real estate prices, people are looking for someplace safe to invest their money.  I'm here today to make a case for LEGOS.  That's right, you read it correctly...LEGOS.  Hard to believe?  Maybe, but let me show you some interesting tidbits and data that help me substantiate my claim.
      In 2000, LEGO was named "Toy of the Century” by Fortune magazine as well as by the British Toy Retailers Association, beating out such other classics as the teddy bear and Mattel's Barbie.  These simple, colorful and durable blocks have been around since 1958 in their current form and are more popular than ever.   The LEGO Group works with other top entertainment franchises, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter, to keep their ideas fresh and popular.   Fifteen 'billion' components are produced every year by the LEGO Group.  They even have a line of LEGO video games that are available on all current video game consoles.  Impressive, to say the least.
      I know what you are thinking...How does this information make me money?  Well, first of all, it indicates that LEGO is a solid company that keeps up with the times and puts out a quality product.  Secondly, it shows that people, both young and old have a love affair with these little plastic bricks and will pass this interest to the next generation.   Both these ideas are important in building a strong foundation for the LEGO Group's future and gives an investor a little piece of mind when plunking down hundreds of dollars to buy a new LEGO set for investment purposes.
      Before we look at the data that backs up the idea that LEGOs are a solid investment, let us discuss what LEGO investing actually is.  When I 'invest' in LEGOs, I usually buy a new or used set that is MIB(Mint In Box).  MIB means that the LEGO box was never opened or the parts used in any way.  The box is still factory sealed and in good condition and is stored carefully in a smoke-free and clean environment.  Investing in older and rarer sets that have been assembled(box has been opened, obviously) is also an option for investment, but for our discussions here, we are talking about sealed boxes.
      When speaking of LEGOs as investment vehicles, I like to associate LEGO sets with stocks.  There are thousands of different LEGO sets, just like stocks.  Both can be bought and sold rather easily.  As with stocks, there are LEGO sets that are top performers when it comes to investment purposes and then there are your dogs, or poor performers.  But unlike stocks, most of the LEGO sets that have been created over the last 50+years have increased from their original MSRPs(Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) if they were kept in MIB condition.  That's more than a lot of stock investors can say.  How many times has a new company's stock price tanked soon after launch?  Too many to count,  I'm afraid.
      Take a look at the chart below...
      IMAGE LEGO SET RETAIL PRICE CURRENT PRICE % INCREASE 10018-1: Darth MaulPieces: 1868 149.99 393.47 162% 10019-1: Rebel Blockade RunnerPieces: 1747 199.99 713.75 257% 9302-1: Community Builders SetPieces: 1670 179.99 73 -59% 3724-1: LEGO DragonPieces: 1530 98.99 464 369% 8466-1: 4X4 Off-RoaderPieces: 1102 119.99 412.5 244% 10001-1: MetrolinerPieces: 782 148.99 275.28 85% 3804-1: Robotics Invention System V2.0Pieces: 717 199.99 224.22 12% 7317-1: Aero Tube HangerPieces: 706 89.99 94.17 5% 6290-1: Red Beard RunnerPieces: 698 99.99 170 70% 4709-1: Hogwarts CastlePieces: 682 89.99 161.98 80% 8538-1: Muaka & Kane-raPieces: 633 69.99 61.4 -12% 3451-1: Sopwith CamelPieces: 574 49.99 133.37 167% 7316-1: Excavation SearcherPieces: 471 49.99 36.96 -26% 6472-1: Gas N' Wash ExpressPieces: 470 49.99 114.09 128% 8539-1: ManasPieces: 457 89.99 149.32 66% 7186-1: Watto's JunkyardPieces: 443 49.99 194.35 289% 6776-1: Ogel Control CenterPieces: 422 49.99 35.12 -30% 6292-1: Enchanted IslandPieces: 419 69.99 143.75 105% 8549-1: TarakavaPieces: 411 49.99 50.74 2% 4708-1: Hogwarts ExpressPieces: 410 49.99 90.4 81% 8465-1: Extreme Off-RoaderPieces: 365 39.99 79 98% 8008-1: StormtrooperPieces: 361 34.99 41.5 19% 8007-1: C-3POPieces: 341 34.99 67.75 94% 4707-1: Hagrid's HutPieces: 299 29.99 44.35 48% 10002-1: Railroad Club CarPieces: 293 37.99 359 845% 6291-1: Armada FlagshipPieces: 280 49.99 104.81 110% 10000-1: Guarded InnPieces: 253 24.99 75.08 200% 8242-1: Slammer TurboPieces: 253 19.99 28.08 40% 7315-1 :Solar ExplorerPieces: 242 34.99 34.77 -1%   7166-1: Imperial ShuttlePieces: 238 34.99 84.96 143%     2300.7 4911.17 113%  
      This is a chart of the 30 largest LEGO sets from the year 2001.  The year 2001 was chosen to show a ten year time frame when comparing the MSRPs to current values, which is a common investment time period.  Next to the LEGO set name and piece count, the set's MSRP and current market value according to www.BrickPicker.com are displayed.  After that, the percentage increase/decrease over a ten year time frame.  www.BrickPicker.com gets its information directly from eBAY auction results and averages out these results to get current new and used values.   eBAY is the most accurate source for used and older LEGO sets in the market today.  On any given day, there are 200,000+ LEGO listings on eBAY, both domestically and internationally.  LEGOs are one of the five most active categories on eBAY, which also includes collectible baseball cards, stamps, coins and Barbie Dolls as other active categories.  
       
      As you can see from the data, over 80% of the LEGO sets increased in value, some drastically.  Some of the sets even tripled and quadrupled in value over a 10 year time frame, such as set# 10019(Rebel Blockade Runner) and set# 3724(LEGO Dragon).  That's some serious money if you had the foresight to purchase a few of these sets 10 years ago.  To put it in perspective, compare these 30 LEGO sets to the 30 largest US companies that make up the DJIA(Dow Jones Industrial Average), which is the benchmark for stock investing.  Back in October of 2001, the DJIA was at 9075.14 points.  In September of 2011, 10 years later, the DJIA was at 11153.98, for an increase of 22.9%.  During the same time period, the total increase for the 30 largest LEGO sets of 2001 is 123.5%.  That is over FIVE times the gain in value over the DJIA.  Impressive once again.  
       
      To be honest, it is amazing how these 'toys' increase in value.  The world wide economy has been in a major recession for years, yet there are some sets that show 100-300% increases during that time period.  Www.BrickPicker.com has a feature, called the BRICK INDEX, that will show you the Top 25 LEGO sets/items that have increased in value the most over a 6 month time frame.  The BRICK INDEX also has another option that shows which sets have increased the most over their MSRP.  It is quite common to see 100%+ increases in market value in popular categories like STAR WARS and the TOWN(Modular Homes), even after a couple of years.  One reason for such an increase in value could be the fact that LEGO discontinues sets after a couple of years, thus creating a sort of a 'limited' edition for each set.  That, plus the fact that most of the LEGO sets are opened and built, not put away and saved to sell at a later time for profit, also increases their value.
      Investing in LEGOs is not without its drawbacks, though.  As with any sort of collectible, the safe storage of the collectible is very important.  It is no different with storing LEGOs.  Although the actual LEGO brick is pretty much indestructible under normal conditions, the LEGO boxes and instructions need special care.  Due to the fact that maximum value is obtained when a LEGO set has a box and instructions that are in excellent and sealed condition, an organized and safe storage method is required.  A system of shelves in a spare room works well, but it takes up a lot of space and a lot of potential investors might not have the extra space to put aside for thousands of LEGO bricks.  LEGO boxes come in all sizes, but if you have a rather large collection, they start to take up entire rooms, unlike coins or stamps that take up minimal space.  Also, the storage area needs to be dry, smoke-free and out of direct sunlight.  The LEGO boxes also show shelf wear relatively quickly, thus reducing values even more.
      Another issue that confronts the LEGO investor is insuring the entire collection. Insurance companies look at you like you have two heads when you tell them you want to insure LEGOs, but with some collectors and investors, they might have tens of thousands of dollars worth of bricks and boxes in their basement.  After speaking with my insurance agent, he stated it was possible to insure a LEGO collection, but a breakdown of the individual sets and their current market values are required.  A site like www.BrickPicker.com can help with a current market value of a person's LEGO collection by using their BRICKFOLIO tool.  The BRICKFOLIO tool of www.Brickpicker.com enables a collector to input their entire collection of LEGO sets and get up to date values for the entire collection.  It can be printed out and then turned over to the insurance company, so the collection can be insured under the investor's home owner policy.
      Thus, in conclusion, it is this author's opinion that LEGOs are a worthwhile and fun investment.  Although it is not your typical sort of collectible like coins or stamps, LEGOs appreciate quickly if the proper sets are bought and stored correctly.  A site like www.BrickPicker.com can help show what LEGO sets are hot and increasing in value and which ones should be avoided.  Their BRICK INDEX shows the top value gainers in the past 6 months and from MSRP.  Now in days, online auction sites like eBAY are very useful in buying and selling these collectible LEGO sets.  Also, www.LEGO.com and www.Amazon.com are useful in purchasing new LEGO sets.  All three options are listed on the www.BrickPicker.com's SET GUIDE for comparison.  Personally, I have seen my own collection double in value over the last 3-4 years and that coincided with one of the worst economies of the last century.  LEGO investing is something that has gone under the radar for years now, with only a few smart people tapping into the market.  I'm here to say that everybody can get involved, even to a small degree, and make money from LEGOS...and have FUN doing it. 
      Keep those bricks clicking...
      Edward Mack
      AFOL and LEGO Investor...
    • Ed Mack

      Lego Layout

      By Ed Mack, in Community LEGO Blogs,

      Ok, as some of you know I am building (or attempting to) build a HO train layout using Legos. The train set it self is not Lego. So far I have drawn out the Star Wars section, and my mini city. I just thought it would fun to keep anyone that is interested in this updated. I will buy the wood this weekend and the train track should be here soon. I will update this blog with text and pics as progress is made. Any ideas and criticism is more than welcome. I hope some of you find this interesting and want to follow this blog. Thank you to all that will follow my blog.
    • runner.caller2
      I just graduated in spring 2013 with a mechanical engineering degree, and the sole purpose of this blog post is to weigh in on the famous Lego vs. Mega Bloks debate with my "professional" opinion.
      I remember recieving a Mega Bloks monster truck as a child. About half way through the build, a few pieces would pop off when I pressed a piece on. It was very frustrating, and I put it away. When I was a little older, I tried to put it together again. This time i only needed to place one or two more pieces and the thing would have been complete. However, random pieces started popping off again when I would press a different piece into place.
      Therefore, I "maturely" remedied the situation by "zooming" the truck off the top of the stairs and watching it flip over and over, crashing, smashing, and tumbling its way down. It was a glorious sight as the beast dissapeared into a haze of purple bloks that were flung off during its first and last journey. At last the pathetic excuse for a toy came to busted halt at the bottom of the stairs. Barley recognizable. It was missing a wheel or two and shed most of it's body on the way down. Meanwhile, I was standing at the top of the stairs with an evil laugh thinking to myself, "If you're going to radomly lose bloks, then I'm going to give you a reason to lose them!" Watching that set explode was definitely the most fun I had with it.

      That pretty much ended my interest in ever getting another megabloks set. In fact, I even asked my aunt and uncle for the reciept on a mega bloks skate park set they bought me one year for my birthday so that I could buy a lego set. I wound up getting 4950 Loader-Dozer from the Rock Raiders theme so it was a great trade in my opinion.

      Many people (such as parents looking for a cheaper alternative) think that it is just a personal preference. These people believe that since Mega Bloks are "compatible" with Lego, that means they are just as good. I am here to tell them that they are wrong.
      When I was younger, my opinion was the following: "Lego bricks are better than Mega Bloks because they stick together better." Even though I have gained a great deal of technical background and understanding since those days, my opinion has largley remain unchanged. This brings us to our first point.
      Quality
      Even at a really young age, I was able to tell the difference in the plastic quality between Lego and Mega Bloks.
      -Color: Lego bricks are always so rich in color and shine, and Mega Bloks always looked like they have sat out in the sun too long.
      -Density: Lego bricks are more dense than Mega Bloks. Density is the unit of mass per volume. If you take a 1X4 Lego Brick and compare it to a 1X4 Mega Block, they have roughly the same volume, but the Lego brick weighs more, therefore it has more mass per volume and is more dense. At any rate it is made of a stronger plastic. This higher density and stronger plastic ensures less flexing when pieces are pressed together. This results in a tighter fit and the Lego pieces do not randomly pop off like Mega Bloks do.
      -Control: This is just a guess, but I also figure that the quality control for Lego is more strict than for Mega Bloks.
      Tolerances
      My final semester in school, I took a class called Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerances (GD&T). It has everything to do with the actual manufactre of a part. Take a lego brick for example. Lets say that a certain lego brick has to be 1 inch* in length. Well in the real world, that lego brick will likely never be exactly 1 inch. In fact 3 different bricks can be 1.011", 0.996", and 1.009". Very close to 1 inch, but not. I believe that Lego has strict tolerances. For this particular part the dimension may be 1+/-0.01". This means that the lego brick can be between 0.990" and 1.010" and pass quality control. Since the first brick fell out of this tolerance by 0.001", it would be discarded. (Probably thrown back into the oven and re-melted to try again). Mega Blok's tolerances are probably less strict. In this made up example, they'd be closer to 1+/-0.05" with a range of 0.95" to 1.05" so all three Mega Bloks of the same lengths mentioned before would pass quality control making it easier to get a piece that doesn't hold strong. Holding dimensions to a higher tolerance is more expensive on the company's end, Lego puts more money into quality control. because they have a brand name associated with high quality. This allows them to charge more for retail compared to Mega Bloks.
      These tolerances would apply to every dimension on a brick. Take a 1X4 brick for example. There are height, depth, and width dimensions that must fall within tolerances, 8 diamter dimensions of the studs on top, 3 diameter dimensions of the tubes underneath. And probably a whole lot more. Also the studs have to be the right distance away from each other so that they are small enough to fit inside the bottom of another brick, but large enough so they press fit in tightly and do not allow the brick on top to slip off. Incredible design work when you think about it.
      To recap: From my youthful experiences and recently gained technical understanding, my "professional" and largley biased opinion is as follows;
      "Lego bricks are better than Mega Bloks because they are held to a higher tolerance." which...simply put...means...THEY STICK TOGETHER BETTER!
      Keep Laughing! (This one's a cheap shot) From a literature standpoint, Lego is still better. It's name has foreign language roots. All Mega Bloks does is teaches kids how to spell blocks wrong....
      I will leave you with a great quote from Family Guy.
      Peter: You got Legos? Aw, sweet! Lois only buys me Mega Bloks.
      Lois: They're the same thing, Peter.
      Peter: You know what, Lois? They are not the same thing. And the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the sooner we can get this marriage back on track.
      *Even though I'm from the USA, to all my UK or other country readers out there, I love the
      metric system and I really wish America would switch...
    • Grolim
      This blog follows on from my first blog back in June that used data to the end of May-13. This is the next update in what I would like to be a regular series of articles that presents the top 20 sets in terms of secondary market price growth according to the data we have available here on Brickpicker.
      Again, here are some notes on the scope before I begin:
      I have not restricted the qualifying sets by size or age or any other dimension Information is based on US prices only Not all sets across all themes are included as I have zero interest in Bionicle/Hero Factory for example so have only gathered data on a few of those sets. (I just didn’t have the willpower to gather all the data for them really). Most of the rest are covered though. I tried to look at as many sets as possible, but there is a chance a few may have been missed, if you spot some that should/could be included please let me know The Last Rank column indicates changes in ranking from the last Top 20 Blog (May data) One Month Growth (change in Market Price from last month)

      We have a Hero Factory set topping the charts! It’s on the back of a solid 70 units sold in July as well. As expected there are quite a few new entrants on the list as that reflects volatility in prices when only looking at a change from 1 month to the next.
      It will be interesting to see if any of these sets can maintain some of this growth longer term. Which leads us nicely onto our next time period:
      Six Month Growth (change in Market Price from Jan 2013 )

      Another Hero Factory set tops the list! Maybe I should start to look into these sets a little more… or at least gather data on more of them. Lots of new entrants again, some with pretty low volumes but others that really deserve their position. 8083, 21016, 5887, 3936, etc have all been great performers and you be well pleased to have had a few of those in your investment portfolio over recent months.
      One Year Growth (change in Market Price from July 2012)

      Now we start to see some solid performers over a more reliable length of time. 6808 Galaxy Trekkor at the top can be discounted due to extremely low volumes, but there are plenty of others that command respect.
      9574 Loyd ZX and 9465 Zombies enter the 1 year chart now that they have been released more than a year ago. Plenty of other great sets on this list that you’d have done well to buy at market price one year ago.
      Two Year Growth (change in Market Price from May 2011)

      Now into the two year time frame we begin to remove some of the short term fluctuations that can occur with some of the narrower time periods. Level Crossing hold on to top spot on the list with a phenomenal 272.7% increase over 2 years. 5 of the top 10 have actually gone up in ranks from our chart two months ago, proving that they continue to be excellent investment options.
      Retail Growth (change in Market Price from last month)

      Now for the full measure of growth from the retail value of the set. Obviously a set with a $0 listed retail price like all the promo giveaways etc are excluded as we can’t divide by zero, so that has weeded out a few of the small polybags or very very old sets for which we have no retail data. But the list is still dominated by cheap sets that have increased by large multiples.
      The 1626 Angel takes top spot with a crazy 20,477% growth over retail thanks to 1 recent sale of $250 and another 2 years ago of $280 all from a set that cost $1.30 when relesed back in 1989.
      Perhaps the first “real” contender is 10190 Market Street, such an impressive result for a set in just 6 years. Much better than another set from the same year that people often point to as the pinnacle of Lego investing.
      Conclusions
      Completing this exercise again it is still clear that cheap older polybag sets with super low volumes dominate the lists a little, hopefully that’s something I may address in the future with a volume limit or something similar.
      One thing that does explain it a little is the fact that the filter algorithms Jeff has developed for the Ebay listings are constantly being improved and this means that the data you see for one month’s update may get altered next time around as the filters get enhanced.
      The other major discussion point is that these top 20 lists all the absolute best investment decisions you could have made if you had perfect future knowledge. The amount of under the radar sets and “sleeper” hits have been a big wake up call for me. We sometimes become a little circular in discussing the popular sets for investing (Modulars, UCS, etc) and lose sight of the fact that many of the best investments to be had right now are probably some of the least discussed sets. It does mean there are plenty more topics ripe for discussion on the forums and in blogs.
      I’ve only given a cursory analysis of the lists themselves and would like to leave it to you on how best to interpret the results. The numbers should speak for themselves and I’d like to hear your take on them in the comments below.


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