a cautionary tale about investing all your money in a toy

[Darth_Raichu]

I lost a boat load when I invested my whole wad in a new doll line:

 

 

The doll's features, reading from the bottom up: it can go round and round, up and down, flash .....  what????????    

 

Definately for 18+

[seapotato]

wow that's crazy. Legos is the first "toy" I've invested in, but I really enjoy building them too, so all is not lost if they all of a sudden become worthless lol.

[peculiar23]

I worked in a comic shop from 1993-1996, I have boxes and boxes of comics that are worth about 25 cents a piece..... If I could only go back and buy that one issue of incredible hulk... #181 the one that used to hang on the wall and seemed so expensive back then.

[brickolodon]

I worked in a comic shop from 1993-1996, I have boxes and boxes of comics that are worth about 25 cents a piece..... If I could only go back and buy that one issue of incredible hulk... #181 the one that used to hang on the wall and seemed so expensive back then.

why #181?

[BrickGuru2013]

http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/bankrupt-by-beanie-babies-family-invested-100k-toys/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl22%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D349423

 

 

While I know everyone will jump on me that lego is different etc. it should function as a word of caution in diversifying and not getting too much of your money in one thing.Almost everything in life is cyclical and while lego is very up now it doesn't mean it will always stay that way.  While many people here enjoy lego there will always be HUNDREDS of new lego sets on the market.Our whole business money  depends on people wanting a specific set and paying a large premium for it. SO while boys building things will probably never go out of style having a HUGE collectors market where thousands of people pay large amounts of money for a specific item when they can get a substantially similar item for much cheaper can change at some point in time and don't throw all your eggs in one basket.

 

First of all beanie babies is *** ... Legos have been around for 30+ years and only seems to get more popular as time passes .. And if the lego market crashes whatever ill have a lifetime of legos to play with and build with my kids so win win hehe

[peculiar23]

why #181?

#181 is the First appearance of Wolverine. I could have bought it for $30 selling for $750-$1200 now. I probably spent $1200 on all of the other books i still have. (I did however enjoy reading all of them and will hand them over to my kids when they are ready.) But at the time I was convinced I was making a wise investment. I was also 17 years old.

[peculiar23]

First of all beanie babies is *** ... Legos have been around for 30+ years and only seems to get more popular as time passes .. And if the lego market crashes whatever ill have a lifetime of legos to play with and build with my kids so win win hehe

Lego is 97 years old, and I agree Beanie babies were crap at the time and still are.

[brickolodon]

#181 is the First appearance of Wolverine. I could have bought it for $30 selling for $750-$1200 now. I probably spent $1200 on all of the other books i still have. (I did however enjoy reading all of them and will hand them over to my kids when they are ready.) But at the time I was convinced I was making a wise investment. I was also 17 years old.

interesting....what is most expensive LEGO set but not MF or latest sets (I mean before 2000s).....Classic LEGO I would say....not so expensive like sets from lost decade...

We all now collect LEGOs which become CLASSIC in next 25-30 years....Hah.

[BrickGuru2013]

interesting....what is most expensive LEGO set but not MF or latest sets (I mean before 2000s).....Classic LEGO I would say....not so expensive like sets from lost decade...

We all now collect LEGOs which become CLASSIC in next 25-30 years....Hah.

 

lol I dont really see monster fighters or lone ranger being classic legos in 20-25 years ... When I think of classic I think of old school legos like this ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-LEGO-145-1970s-Toy-Building-Set-/141021279633?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item20d585f591)

[maxgc53]

lol I dont really see monster fighters or lone ranger being classic legos in 20-25 years ... When I think of classic I think of old school legos like this ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-LEGO-145-1970s-Toy-Building-Set-/141021279633?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item20d585f591)

That's only because you see them for what they are now..Still on the shelves.. What about when kids who aren't even alive yet see these sets in 30 years? They will think they are classics. 

[brickolodon]

lol I dont really see monster fighters or lone ranger being classic legos in 20-25 years ... When I think of classic I think of old school legos like this ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-LEGO-145-1970s-Toy-Building-Set-/141021279633?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item20d585f591)

I mean Millennium Falcon...))).....not Monster Fighters. I can't believe Falcon will cost less than 100.00...)))

[brickolodon]

I am trying to say that all sets from today will become CLASSIC in next 30 years and we all got great chance...do not missed it...like comic Hulk #181...)))

In my collection 350 sets from 2006-2013 small, medium and large (one of each)....

[sadowsk1]

All joking aside, I'm told that some sports cards are making a comeback.  I think they learned that they need more chase cards, but a friend of mine seems to do just fine collecting them these days.  Believe it or not!  The mid 90's are still mostly worthless though.  His words, not mine.

[Anakinisvader]

All joking aside, I'm told that some sports cards are making a comeback.  I think they learned that they need more chase cards, but a friend of mine seems to do just fine collecting them these days.  Believe it or not!  The mid 90's are still mostly worthless though.  His words, not mine.

So true, the mid 90's for Sports Cards, Star Wars Figures, and pretty much most collectibles (not all) from that era are pretty much worthless.  Just because they are OLD doesn't mean they are worth any money.  Too many people got on the "band wagon" back then and started buying this stuff up like mad thinking in 20 years they would be "Classics".  Not to poo poo on anyones parade but does this sound familiar?  Be very, very careful in your decisions.

[Gondorian]

I had a lot of money in Gold because I thought it was safe.  I lost

[Anakinisvader]

  You can't do much with Gold.

 You can melt it into gold LEGO's.

[peculiar23]

So true, the mid 90's for Sports Cards, Star Wars Figures, and pretty much most collectibles (not all) from that era are pretty much worthless.  Just because they are OLD doesn't mean they are worth any money.  Too many people got on the "band wagon" back then and started buying this stuff up like mad thinking in 20 years they would be "Classics".  Not to poo poo on anyones parade but does this sound familiar?  Be very, very careful in your decisions.

I was thinking the same thing about collectibles from the 90's action figs, comics sports & non sport cards are all fairly worthless at this point. What I like about Lego is the different approaches you can take when looking to resell. with most collectibles you buy it save it try to keep it as mint as possible, never play with it. With Lego if you see a set that looks like it may not do well selling as a MISB set, you can look at what it might sell for if you break it up and sell the figs and set separate or break it down and sell individual pieces. or use it to build some custom project and sell that. and last ditch you dump it in the bin and sell it bulk. or just go ahead and play with it.

[wholovesboo]

Well it's good to hear that many investors feel that even if Legos lose their monetary value, at least they'll always have creative value

 

Here's proof that there's an afterlife for Beanie Babies after all!

[JoshTX]

Well it's good to hear that many investors feel that even if Legos lose their monetary value, at least they'll always have creative value

 

Here's proof that there's an afterlife for Beanie Babies after all!

 

Interesting, but strange that watching Hoarders would inspire something like that. The woman they speak of that inspired the play sounds as if she needed serious help with obsessive-complusiveness. I'm not sure that kind of "hoard" is anywhere near the same psychological suffering as the hoarders who just have a huge mess - those hoarders who obsessively collect and organize everything are a totally different breed.

[comicblast]

I just want to bring some attention to an article that Ed Mack wrote on the Investment Bubble. He brought up some great points and compared the LEGO market to baseball/sports cards. Sure, they aren't exactly the same, but there are some prime similarities between the two. Hopefully, if there is a bubble, and a pop, there will also be a comeback, like the baseball card market has recently taken.

[wholovesboo]

Interesting, but strange that watching Hoarders would inspire something like that. The woman they speak of that inspired the play sounds as if she needed serious help with obsessive-complusiveness. I'm not sure that kind of "hoard" is anywhere near the same psychological suffering as the hoarders who just have a huge mess - those hoarders who obsessively collect and organize everything are a totally different breed.

 

I haven't seen the play nor watched "Hoarders" before, but it does sound like there is a difference between hoarders who are messy and hoarders who are obsessively organized. It's an interesting psychology that I wish I knew more about. Your comment also made me think of another story I read about an artist who turned his mother's hoarding compulsion into art. In this case it was the son who was able to help his mother catalog her obsessive collection, and in the process, providing some sort of catharsis for them both.

[Diabolos80]

Star Wars toys back in the 80s would sell out everywhere. Most of them were opened by kids, but there are still pockets of sealed items being found today.

I wonder what a 10212 Shuttle will be worth in 30 years... Or a 4842 Hogwarts... Even if the market bottoms out tomorrow, I think these sets will regain and surpass current values, eventually.