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Personally I am taking major offense to this. Ed and I do not have access to anyone's info. We have never asked for it here on Brickpicker and this is why we went with a professional third party service. RallyUp is asking for billing information just like any online retailer out there. Perhaps they need it to show the IRS at the end of the year who contributed or just like someone else stated, they have to ask that for billing fraud. We don't have access to anyone's info other than sometimes a name (sometimes blank), email, date and contribution. That is all. I sure hope that those of you that are complaining about entering in billing info have never bought anything online. I guess it's ok if you bought something on eBay and now that person has your mailing address, or I sure hope you don't buy anything on Amazon, Walmart, etc,etc,etc. Your information is all already all over if you have. This fundraiser has been going on for over a month. You had plenty of time to research it, make a phone call, send us a PM and we would have gotten an answer for you.' I am going to create a special award called the Fundraiser Party Pooper Award.

p

Roy van den Munckhof has put us over $50,000!!!

I just have to say that I really do appreciate all the support. The kids appreciate all the support. The teachers appreciate all the support. I have been humbled by all of the support. As for the "charitable" write off, the school is a legit 501c(3). I don't know if it is tax deductible nor do I really give a crap. I don't roll that way. If I donate or enter a raffle, I could care less if it is a write off. I doubt many of you care as well. It's a great raffle, with kick butt prizes, write off or not. To a those of you who are questioning Jeff and I...don't ruin a good thing. As for me "having all this info" and it being "scary,"...Give me a break and think about it before you post something inflammatory. It's run by an independent organization. I don't even have the breakdown of who bought what. I figured that out by buying tickets. If you don't want to donate, don't. You don't have to come up with some paranoid BS as an excuse not to donate. Sorry for my tone, I am tired of being politically correct.

Back alive after 24 years. I build this when i was a child.

Haven't built any thing in ages! Well the drought is finally over, I built these beauty's over Friday and today. Love the QA!

It seems that the horde knows no bounds. Whether it be gobbling up the last Tumblers, or getting into a raffle, there's nothing like waiting until the last minute. I think this thing has gained more support in the last 12 hours than the first 2 weeks. I almost felt bad for Ed/Jeff in the beginning because this thing really wasn't taking off and showing real lack of support, but the last week or so has been truly inspirational and a true testament to this group. Hopefully the rest of the parents/faculty at the school are doing 10% of what this group and its creators have done. If so, the school should be in good shape. Hopefully enough is gained that they don't have to go through this year after year.

Annddd done! Pretty much used Jang's as my reference, but there was a lot of trial and error as there were some pieces i could not find in black. Mainly the cockpick hinge pieces, so i had to sort of redo the roof section to make it come off as 1 pieces instead of hinge open. I can get the shuttle into a landing pose, but it's not entirely stable. However it will be displayed in flight mode anyways. Really love the teardrop red cockpit windows. This went from a bad looking model (in terms of screen accuracy) to one of my favourites. Aside from the stud shooters; there is practically no grey to be seen. Pictures below:

On a happier note, congratulations on raising $50,000 (no less than one quarter of the total goal!) Oh hmm... well... get ONE more then The school community must be baffled by these results and at the same time very motivated to raise the remainder. If two people can get 1/4, the rest is bound to follow! Still 19 hours to go. In case you're unsure whether to get (a few more) tickets and if so, which are probably wise choices I refer to my hereunder post.

This may have been posted already but what I'm most disappointed with is the computer chip discs that the minifigs stand on aren't lego compatible on the bottom side. A couple of base plates would keep everything organized and people would buy more lego to do so. I think they dropped the ball here.

@Mos_Eisley "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". i would like to totally rip-off Mos' great idea of likes. This is a good cause so I don't think Mos will mind plus he's far more original than me when it comes to ideas like this. In addition to already donating 2 SW TFA sets along with a small donation, my wife and i will like to give even more by engaging other Brickpicker members. *** For each LIKE this post gets, we will donate $1 per by purchasing fundraiser tickets. No limit of likes. *** The cutoff time for my likes is Sunday @ 12:00 PM EST. note: I think we can get 500 likes with this post alone! Lets work together make it happen. Mos' post can be found below. More info = https://rallyup.com/stpaul-2016/ ----- @Ed Mack @Jeff Mack

This is not really a MOC, so I thought I would place in this forum.... For the past few years we have had a school bring their 3rd grade classes to my workplace to do a tour. Each department gets a topic and explains that topic to the children. Our department explains about recycling efforts and energy use. So, I put together this layout to give a visual example as we explained things to the kids. I purchased the instructions to a Brick City Depot building (https://www.brickcitydepot.com/CB026/smokestacks_coffee_house) and modified it a bit to include a standby generator on the main floor. The generator lights up using Lifelites (http://www.lifelites.com/). I used a Brick Builders Pro sticker (http://www.brickbuilderspro.com/) for the "City Power" billboard. I also incorporated LED lights into the street lights and on top of the hydro dam. I have the LED lights on, but maybe difficult to see due to natural lighting /camera. In the layout we have a hydro dam, wind turbine, stationary solar panels on awning and building, rotating solar panels, standby generation, transmission lines and a recycling center (with Hulk getting “angry”). The only thing really missing is a generation plant (too big and expensive to build) and a nuclear facility – which, I’m waiting for a Simpson’s version! The entire grade seems to enjoy it, as do the teachers. This layout makes it sooo much easier to explain to third graders.

Probably because you are a reseller?

Many Lego-related blogs are written about modern sets. This especially applies to investment-related blogs. In a series of articles I try to generate enthusiasm for some of the more interesting vintage Lego sets. We enjoyed building them as kids, whereas probably more often we jealously admired them in our best friend's collection or in the Lego catalogue we devotedly picked up in the toy store. This is primarily a blog of nostalgia. However, investing in vintage Lego can be an interesting and fun pastime. The quest to find rarer sets, to restore incomplete sets and to assess your recently purchased lot of bricks can be exciting, relaxing and rewarding. In this series of blogs I will describe sets, show pictures, provide general and set-specific information for collectors and investors, and finalize each blog with some fun stuff. After reading a couple of these blogs you'll hopefully get a certain confidence in this matter. Let's start with set 1592, the Town Square. Those who are not interested in this set's history and contents are invited to fast forward to the "tips for collectors and investors" below. ABOUT SET 1592 There's a festival in town! It's the end of summer and everyone is out on the streets to celebrate the last days of sunshine. Behind the medieval castle walls there is a party. Here on the town square a procession comes by... a classic car, a flower float, minifigures in historical costumes... come and join the fun! Of course, this set being a promotional item, there's a commercial detail. In this case, the minifigures are invited to have a soup with some smoked sausage. HISTORY This set was first issued in 1980 in the United Kingdom as a promotion for the British cereal producer Weetabix. Although the link between this set and cereals escapes me (the sign crowning the snack bar says "fish & chips" rather than "breakfast cereals") that doesn't make the set any less desirable. The UK set, produced between 1980 and 1982, features stickers "books", "ice cream", "Legoland carnival" and the UK flag. After its initial sale in the UK, from 1981 the set was sold in Australia, Canada, Sweden, Germany1 as well as Japan2. Clicking this link will show you a German advert from around 1981. The advertiser, Fachgeschäft Spielzeugring (German toy retailer group), tells us this is a 'large city centre-themed gift set with a lot of content and endless playability'. Then in 1983 a new set 1592 was issued, being a promotional item for the Dutch company Unilever. Already then one of the largest Netherlands-based companies, Unilever has produced a wide array of foods, cleaning articles and personal care products. One of the many brands held by Unilever is Unox, best known for its soup and its (delicious) typically Dutch smoked sausages. To this day movable carts just like the one seen in set 1592 are used to sell these sausages and sometimes soup. In winter soup with smoked sausage is just as commonly seen here as fish and chips are (or should I say, were) in the UK. So The Lego Group and Unilever both did the math, resulting into the advertisement seen here3 (scroll down a bit). Translation left side: "Send me Lego box no. 1592 "Village with procession" for the special Unox-price4 of €18,13 inclusive of shipment. I enclose payment plus 3 promo wrappers. N.b. of course you can order more than one Procession set. For every specimen, use a new order form plus 3 extra promo wrappers (maximum: 3 per family). U can also get the box without promo wrappers, in which case we will need to charge €2,97 shipment- and administrative costs. This promotion runs until December 1983." Translation right side: "Unique Lego box costing you only €18,13 plus 3 Unox promo wrappers (shop advice price €31,54). "Village with procession" true measurements 39x29cm. Enjoy that tasteful Unox soup while saving for that unique Lego procession box" We are fortunate to know that the shop advice price was €31,54 even though this set was never available in any shop. The Dutch version of the 1592 set was only produced for the year 1983 and it was only sold in the Netherlands. Even in 1983, some UK set production leftovers were delivered in the Netherlands. This is what Gary Istok says5: "A Dutch acquaintance was a LEGO fan as a child... along with his 2 brothers... And their parents sent in 3 sets of UNOX Soup labels and money to get 3 of the Dutch 1592 sets. Well guess what arrived?? 2 Dutch and 1 British version of the 1592 sets!!" All of this makes Dutch 1592 the rarer of the two variants and also the most sought-after. SET SPECIFICS AND CONTENTS The set comprises of 471 or 4916 parts, 10 minifigures 1 statue and 1 steroids-fed horse. Let's first look at the minifigures, horse and vehicles. Back row, left to right: a statue, costumed man (with cup for soup!), book seller, convertible car driver, 4 knights, soup and sausage seller (previous job: fish & chips seller), flower float driver, flower queen. Front row: convertible classic car, horse, flower float. There are stickers for the knight shields, knight torsos and horse eyes. I'm not sure the eyes are all that realistic and if aligned carefully they will make your horse resemble cookie monster quite realistically. One year later, in 1984, The Lego Group would issue a horse part (Bricklink: #4493c01pb02) with slightly less disturbing eyes. The convertible car is a very neat little build, cleverly using a pile of 2x2 wheel plate + 2x8 plate + wheel fender + 2x3 plate + 2x2 plate to make a black grille. On with the castle walls. Even the first time I built this set, probably as a six-year-old, I thought this was supposed to depict a relic rather than an 'abstract' full castle. This was one of the reasons I liked the set so much: it stimulated the fantasy (history of the castle, what's behind those walls now?) A child could choose to pose the knights on and around the castle, or to let them walk in the parade. Probably, behind the castle walls other festival activities were going on. According to the poster, the festival took place from the 28th of August until the 4th of September. The Dutch flag consists of a white part + two stickers. The flag in the UK set had UK stickers, as mentioned. The second building is the book shop. The UK set has a sticker "books" for the kiosk one. The building is just lovely! The half-timbered structure is represented convincingly and the use of then-new windows and -door are very charming. The roof structure is rather complex and is fun to build. The building's only flaw is the use of the striped stickers on the canopy. I'll come back to that later. On the above picture you can also see the cypress tree which is considered a rather rare piece. Not as rare as finding one actual cypress tree within the boundaries of a Dutch city though. As can be seen in the above picture, the book shop even has a modest interior. The rest of the set consists of two lampposts, a statue of a guy, a STOP traffic sign, a blue bench, fruit tree, an avalanche of flowers (some in pots) and of course the soup with smoked sausage stand. The sticker sheet contains alternate stickers "vers schepijs" ('fresh ice cream'). A main picture of the box can be seen in the beginning of this blog. Here are pictures of the sides of the box (third image is shown on both shorter outsides of the inner box): The bottom side of the box: Lastly, the inner box, sticker sheet and instructions. Note that there are spares for most stickers: 5 knight torsos, 3 knight shields, 3 kiosks, 2 statue stickers, 3 snack bar stickers, 3 pairs of terrified horse eyes and 1 festival poster. Most unfortunately, the two weakest and rarest stickers (shop canopy) are not offered as spares. On the picture you can also see the great build of the car. Check out the way the designer designed that grille! TIPS FOR COLLECTORS AND INVESTORS Those who are interested in purchasing / investing in this set should note the following: While the UK set (1592-1) and the Dutch set (1592-2) are both quite rare, 1592-2 is the less common of the two. The 2008 Lego Collector Guide rates the rarity of 1592-1 as 5/6 stars and 1592-2 as 6/6 stars. According to the amazing Unofficial Lego Sets / Parts Collectors Guide7 the value of an excellent condition set (minor wear, box and contents are in well cared for condition) is 200 to 250 euros. In case you're planning to gather this set from several sources, try to start with a boxed version with incomplete stickers. Check the state of both inner- and outer box. If ordering online, ask for several pictures. After you've found a box(ed incomplete set), make the canopy stickers your next project. These are almost always gone, because they span multiple sloped tiles without much grip and there are no spares on the sticker sheet. To make matters worse, these stickers have a slight overhang. I reckon most canopy stickers were thrown away after building and disassembling the set once. Having found a box and all stickered parts makes life easy. None of the parts are exclusive to this set. Nonetheless, some are difficult to find such as the four black lantern cap parts, only present in two other rare sets; the above-mentioned cypress tree, currently for sale on Bricklink for at least €11,50; the unstickered knight shield, only to be found in two other sets; the two red doors and the black statue head which was only used in 4 other sets. You'll probably have to Bricklink these parts if not present. A full inventory of Lego set 1592 can be found here. Make sure the white flag part, the STOP sign and the two base plates are intact and unglued, the large black statue head hasn't been replaced by the more common cilinder part, the stickered knight torsos have not been replaced by similar looking torsos and the knight legs have not been replaced by other color combo legs. Check that the bricks (especially white, blue and grey) have not been discolored. If you want to try to restore the original color, read this blog carefully. Ideally the stickers have not applied at all; if so, they should have been applied as neatly as possible. Make sure the festival stickers have not been torn (like the canopy stickers, they span multiple bricks). If a sticker sheet is present, check for authenticity. The backside of an original sticker sheet reads "FasCal REMOVABLE", the sheet number is 195145. Beware that sticker sheets are being reproduced nowadays. Usually the best place to find rare Lego sets are Brick Classifieds (good deals), Bricklink (varied offer) or Ebay (quick purchases). As 1592-2 was only sold in the Netherlands, it's not easy to find it elsewhere. So you'll have to think out of the box. Introducing... the Dutch virtual market place Marktplaats. There you'll probably find one or more 1592s offered for sale. You'll find Marktplaats to be a bit different from the three above-mentioned platforms. First, bidding is possible but it doesn't bind you. So it really has no validity whatsoever. It's always a good idea to directly contact the seller, telling you that you're a foreign collector (or investor, if you think that's wise) of Lego and that you're interested in their set. Ask the seller if he will ship to where you're living. Then the awkward part: if you don't have a Dutch friend who can pick it up for you, you'll have to trust the seller and pay him or her trusting that they'll send you what you bought. It's a bit tricky but I never had a bad experience in the 10+ years I bought and sold through Marktplaats. Wise thing to do before paying any money: check how many years the seller has been a Marktplaats member, then Google the seller's name co-using the words "fraude" or "vals". Have Google translate the search results and conclude. I always ask for the seller's address, explaining it is for my own protection. Literally everybody gave their address without any objection. In the end you can never be 100% sure but it's better than nothing. Once you've completed the set, clean the parts (good method: by hand, see this thread) and ideally put them away in a dark, air-conditioned closet so the discoloring process of both bricks and box will be minimal. Or display it... after all it's a grand piece! FUN STUFF On with the fun stuff. First, a picture of two sets of Dutch instructions. Can you see what's wrong with the bottom one? Here's the answer. Unilever, holding company of cleaning solution brands, was clearly thought to sell sausages as well was soap during the Legoland festival. This funny error is continued on the two last pages of the instructions. I'm not sure when exactly the instructions were corrected. I have not heard of incorrect stickers or boxes. If anyone has those or knows they exist, please let me know. While the instructions of 1592-2 correctly mention copyright 1983, the box incorrectly says 1980 (clearly copying the 1592-1 box). This set is considered by some as one of the best The Lego Group has ever produced (see these and these reviews. It still inspires people... check out this awesome remake! Who's the statued guy? Living 1807-1872 it could be Italian cellist, educator and composer Carlo Curti, or British lawyer, diplomat and writer Henry Charles Sirr. Frankly and unfortunately I haven't been able to find any plausible candidate for this statue to imply an easter egg. If anyone finds out anything interesting on the matter of the statue, do let me know! 2 years before the UK release of the Town Square, another interesting set was released. In 1589 (Main Street) we can spot... a piece of yellow castle wall, just as tall and with the same battlements as seen in 1592. It gives reason to believe both walls belong to the same castle. Nice detail for those kids who really paid attention. The castle bits of these sets also remind of castle set 375. Last, not least! I know all of you have been desperately waiting for the answer to the question "so what's the difference between 1592-1's and 1592-2's boxes?" Well, TLG definitely did its best to make both boxes look as similar as possible, probably in an attempt to get away with delivering some stock 1592-1 boxes to Dutch customers... comparing both boxes very closely, the differences are barely noticeable (except for the stickers, of course). The car and flower float have moved a bit, the knights' heads are positioned slightly differently, the shadowing, the background color... all a bit different. But the trees, lampposts, minifigure gestures and door positions are just the same. Perhaps as an insider joke, there's one difference though... the flowers! Some of the several flowers differ in color. And behold... one bed of flowers was even added to the 1592-2 box picture! In all you really have to look carefully... (top: 1592-1, bottom: 1592-2 box fragments). References 1 See this Bricksetforum post written by Lego historian Gary Istok. 2 See this post on the Eurobricks forum written by Lego historian Gary Istok. 3 See this post on the Eurobricks forum. 4 The price in Dutch guilders was fl.39,95. 5 See this post on the Eurobricks forum. 6 The 2008 Lego Collector Guide p166. 7 Unofficial Lego Sets / Parts Collectors Guide, Gary Istok, price list. To see prices for very good, MIB- and MISB-conditions I strongly advise anyone to buy Mr Istok's magnum opus. It simply is a treasure chest loaded with facts, figures and pictures of every imaginable Lego-subject from the 30s up to and until the 90s. See here for a bunch of teasers and here to purchase it. Set 1592-1 is discussed in chapter 17 page 18, set 1592-2 in chapter 17 page 28. View full blog article

Thanks to those 106 members that liked the post below to continue supporting this wonderful cause. The $110 donation was just posted.

Am I the only one who thinks that the reminder email, announcement tag and this thread title should all be updated with the "retiring soon" tag?

QFíng Tumblers for 20 quid net profit seems like such a face palm move.....

I was told that if we reach $50,000, the school's name would be changed to St. Edward. [emoji56]

Thanks to the help of some fellow BPers, this small project is now complete

Alright, I'm selling likes! I've already bought some raffle tickets, but just for fun, for every "like" this post gets from members who joined before the time of this posting, I'll spend an equal amount on more tickets, up to $250. If it gets beyond that, I'll figure out how much more I'll spend. Let's set a like record!

MOC'd some movie posters for PC, coming to a Lego neighborhood soon!

Bold Arrow has already logged this for the 2016 BF Trivia contest.

And a dark green tablecloth

I really enjoyed this article. I have to say I don't pay attention to the old sets, but when I do I focus on them when reading about them in an article like this, it brings me back to shopping in a store and remember Ed looking at many of these sets. I miss the old boxes that would let you flip the lid and look at the parts inside. Great photos, history and references in here. Great Job!!!

Show it to your other LEGO pieces and tell them, "This is what happens if you don't make me money."

That makes no sense. It is normal billing information. Also how else do you think they get the information to send a winner their prizes. We can't send the sets to nowhere and think you will just get it. Also you can just donate via PayPal if the rest bothers you. Not sure what was so much.

Hello everyone! After several weeks lurking on the site, I can see what a bustling community this is and am eager to join in. My name is Andrew, 29, and I am based in Leamington Spa, UK A fan of Lego all my life, first set I can recall getting was 6959 - Lunar Launch Set (still have it!) After coming into some spare cash at the start of 2016 and thinking I should be a grown up and turn this into more money, whilst simultaneously wanting a new fun hobby to kick start the year, I thought: let's combine the both! Thus, the Lego investment journey begins. I have spent c.£300 so far this year on sets to retain, many of which on the back of experiences and hunches heard about through BrickPicker. The level of detail on this site is fantastic, and so many tips are available that are great for a start up such as myself. So in my first post I'd like to share some knowledge I've found (forgive me if this has already been posted!) - I hope it will inform. When I was 16, I worked at Dixons on the high street (an electronics company to those that don't know) Part of my role was to ensure point of sale pricing was correct at the start of each day (ie updating prices sent through the system from HQ overnight) One of the strategies Dixons employed, and other retailers do to, is to change the final decimal point of the price to indicate its stocking status. For example: £9.99 - ending in 9 = normal price £9.98 - ending in 8 = usually indicated it was price matched and used to undercut £9.97 - ending in 7 = to be discontinued When that stock had run out that ended in 7, the retailer would not order any more in. I've noticed some retailers still doing this with Lego (eg: Asda) and so it may serve as an indicator to future stocking policy. No guarantees of course, but maybe something to consider when debating on whether to get that extra set... I look forward to engaging more with you all - Thanks!

I think this year's LEGO seasonal exclusives are next year's sightings at Toys"R"Us and Walmart.

I think it's ridiculous...

I don't think that any of the holiday sets this year will sell too well this year. The vignettes will be hard series to be at at $10. The main reason I see, is the inclusion of minifigures. The animals are 'cute', but have limited appeal. The minifigures in the 2015 sets were awesome, and made these MUCH more appealing.

Well, I caved and donated a bit more, payday was last Friday, so I've got a little extra extra cash. Here's hoping we make it to at least $55,000...Maybe even $60,000! My bank account isn't too happy, but I like to think of it as an investment into the students, teachers, and staff at Saint Paul's and the community in Burlington . . . And those kinds of investments really are the best kind. Money is just little slips of paper with value attached to it, and while helping individuals, families, and communities thrive may sometimes seem small, it's those little things that help to change the world—As Mother Teresa said: "We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." Ed and Jeff both obviously put a lot work into the things that matter most to them.That's evidenced by both their involvement with Saint Paul's and the amount they invest into BrickPicker. Quite simply, it's inspiring. On a side not: Anyone have website design experience they could offer to update Saint Paul's website? It's a little outdated and having a strong online presence can really help draw attention to an organization. I know because I voluntarily help manage the online components of a small, local Taekwondo place at it's astounding the amount of extra attention, inquiries, and students we've managed to draw in since we've updated our website and stepped up or online activity. Sadly, though, I'm not familiar with the exactitudes of website design.

IMO the Valentines Cupid Dog is a weak set, Valentine's Dinner much better

In response to several posts over last few pages. Slap a 20% restocking fee and buyer pays shipping. My slightly damaged boxes look pretty good all of the sudden. I think with big ticket items this will be more common (demanding partial refund). I have never lost a SNAD case, and 9 out if 10 complaints I never hear of again when I explain return policy (listed for all sales)

It struck me this AM that this thread has really made me a better eBay seller. Reading the snafus that others run into has given me Invaluable insight to what works, and more importantly, what doesn't work when dealing with buyers and shipping Lego. Here's a hearty thank you to all who contribute. This should probably be filed under a "Fruitcakes are running my shipping company" thread - on a recent package, the Post Office neglected to scan one of my packages when it was picked up. For whatever reason, USPS also didn't scan the package anywhere along the route until it reached the buyer's home state over a week later. Meanwhile, my buyer was rightfully concerned I never shipped the package out since no scan was made. For over a week, the tracking read the package hadn't even been received by the Post Office. After a reassuring e-mail and another 5 day wait, the package magically appeared. Crisis averted (hopefully)...

Maybe but it's the way it's supposed to be ^^

just picked up the PR tonight. my first modular. looking forward to the build. i am afraid it will not be my last modular...

Built yesterday with my boy.

2 hrs or so in, done with the first book. Having a blast building this set..

I would be careful about sending back and forth to Shop @ Home for "damage" like this. Could get your account flagged or worse. As a seller, I wouldn't think twice about accepting this and selling it later.

Or Valentine's Dinner was just the more appealing set.

This is where taking good pictures of the item you're selling comes in. I take as many good pictures as I can of what I'm selling, so it's perfectly clear what condition the item is in. I keep my written descriptions brief and to the point, and let the pictures do the talking. Problems can arise when the seller starts writing OOT flowery descriptions and start using words like 'mint' and 'perfect'. You're just asking for an 'item not as described' case being opened against you. I rarely describe the condition of the box in a listing, unless it's to draw attention to a particular flaw. If you're buying from a seller who hasn't provided good photos, then you're just taking an unnecessary risk. I'm always amazed when I see how many sellers use just use one or two crappy images of a set, then try hype up the item in the text. Given how quick and easy it is to take good photos of an item, there's really no excuse for not doing it. I also see people buying from sellers with bad feedback and then they wonder why they run into problems. Crazy stuff.

This week I bought 2 Indominous Rex on sale for 30% off MRSP from Argos and got a new Town Hall off eBay for €400 for my modular town. Hope to get some profit from the 2 IR post retirement to help offset the Town Hall purchase

not trying to be a box drama queen but I just got my shipping notice for my Tumbler that I ordered from Amazon and the e-mail says it shipped out today in the same box along with a 15 lb bag of dog food I ordered separately a few days before. Anybody wanna take bets on how the Tumbler shows up on Monday via UPS?

So this being a Lego investment forum and all, I thought it might be a good idea to write a small post about which raffle tickets to purchase, with only a few hours to go before this set of opportunities becomes a retired product*. There are 11 lots in total. Here's an overview + value** + my thoughts + rating. 1. Death Star (10188). Value: $530. Hoarded from day one, though one of the best opportunities of the first wave. Rating: 6/10. 2. UCS R2-D2 (10225). Value: $350. Hoarded from day one. Rating: 4/10. 3. Case of minifigures, probably including Mr Gold (71001). Value: $615 (or more, if Mr Gold is included). Bit hoarded maybe but many people aren't aware of the value (including me before Ed informed me). So rating: 8/10. 4. Haunted House (10228). Value: $385. Hoarded because of sentimental value I think. Rating: 5/10. 5. Town Hall (10224). Value: $500. Second wave, which is good. Nice value. Rating: 8/10. 6. Grand Emporium (10211) & Parisian Restaurant (10243). $425. Third wave, which is better. Nice sets. Rating: 7/10. 7. Mystery box 5000+ pieces. Value: probably $400-$1,000. Probably not too many raffle tickets sold for this one. You don't know what you're going to get but it certainly isn't going to be bad with that many pieces. Rating: 8/10. 8. Create a bundle 5000+ pieces. Value: probably $500-$1,000. You get to pick them yourself... honestly? This is a must have. One of the latest additions to the raffle, many people who first bought their tickets weeks before probably didn't notice this or didn't get the tickets. Rating: 9/10. 9. Tumbler (76023) & Arkhan Asylum Breakout (10937). Value: $530. This is a very good value for a lot overlooked by most Brickpickers, probably. Rating: 8/10. 10. Brickpicker bundle: 11 desirable sets. Value: $935. Yes you read that right, I added all values and this turns out to be by far the most valuable lot (that we know the value of). It was also one of the last added. So this is, for me, easily the lot that is best worth getting. Get it now... while you still can. Rating: 10/10. 11. Friends bundle: 10 Friends sets plus 1 ideas set. Value: $260. Not unexpectedly, the least value lot. Few raffle tickets sold for this one, probably. Because it's the last added to the raffle and because of the value. So still not bad for your $10. Chances of winning this are of course relatively good. Rating: 5/10. Conclusions (from worst to best): - Lot 2 is probably not the right choice at this point in time (value 4/10). - Lots 4 and 11 I also wouldn't try, unless you really want that Haunted House or are a friends' friend (value 5/10). - Lots 1 looks okay (value 6/10). - Lot 6 is a very understandable choice (value 7/10). - Lots 3, 5, 7 and 9 are probably rather overlooked and have high values. Much recommended (value 8/10). - Lot 8 is a must-have. Get a few of those tickets or you'll regret it later. - Lot 10 is, in my view, the best of the bunch. Get as many tickets as you can while you can. This is a winner! Guess I'm going to get myself another ticket for lot 10. *The tone of this post is not to be taken too seriously, was however written with respect for the good cause and its contents are in principle true and useful. The use of terms as 'retired' and 'hoarded' is intended as playful and should not be interpreted as businesslike or disrespectful. ** For the value I took a look at Brickpicker's price guide + current listings.

It is pretty amazing what the Macks and all the BrickPickers are doing. I don't think anyone in the community here in Burlington would have expected this response. It is and has been the big topic of conversation. Every time the parents meet about fundraising or even run into each other in the community, we express our gratitude for this endeavor. Even people who don't attend St. Paul's in the community are noticing. My family and I cannot thank your community enough. I know it means a lot Ed, but he is just one part of the picture. There are so many families that are going to be positively affected by the outcome of this raffle (not including the Lego winners). I am very grateful that Ed and Jeff began this initiative. It may sound silly but all of you will have contributed to my piece of mind for next school year, one less worry. So thank you all and good luck!

Found this at a BN today. It's like a time warp, still stocked with Galaxy Quest and some Hobbit sets. Anyone know if BN has a regularly scheduled Lego sale period in Feb/March?

Wall-e, so cute!!!! I loved it