How do you know which Lego sets are valuable? (2023)

How do you know which Lego sets are valuable?

Lego sets that may have a chance to increase in value over time are those series that Lego retires after a year or so with newer, more popular sets. Some of the best Lego sets that can increase in value over time are specific sets like Harry Potter and Star Wars.

The 42110 Land Rover Defender is the first Lego® Technic set to make it into our Top 5 Investments! This iconic model was released in 2019 and will also leave us in 2022.

Organize LEGO Blocks by Color

Keep bricks separated in clear, individually stacked containers or slide-out drawers for easier access. This makes cleaning up easy for everyone as they'll be able to see through the containers and know which colors belong together.

Once a LEGO box is opened the supply of that particular set falls and eventually the set becomes rarer, collectors hunt for it and the price inevitably rises.

Rare Legos in mint condition become valuable collectors' items and command top dollar. A brand-new, sealed Lego set can be worth up to 10 times as much as one that has been opened. Just remember, values can fluctuate pretty fast in the Lego market. Prices that once were way up might go down.

The team found that the most valuable LEGO set is the “Space Command Center.” Back in 1979, it sold for $24.99. But now it's worth around $10,400. The second runner-up is the 1978 LEGO Castle, which can go for upward of $6,300.

According to the research published in Research in International Business and Finance, retired LEGO sets grew in value by 11% annually between 1987 and 2015, which outpaced stocks, bonds and gold. Simply put, LEGO sets function as a commodity, meaning that they're printed in a limited amount and are therefore finite.

LEGOs are worth more than gold

Researchers examined primary sales data, online auction transactions, and the prices of more than 2,000 unopened LEGO sets from 1987 to 2015. They found that the market prices of retired LEGO sets, when sold on secondary marketplaces, grew by at least 11% annually.

14-Carat Gold Boba Fett

The 14-Carat Boba Fett Figurine takes the crown as the rarest Lego piece. There are only two of these figurines in existence, and they are valued at about $15,000.

Do unopened Lego sets increase in value?

Investing in LEGO sets can be a great idea, as they tend to increase in value over time. It's best to focus on investing in unopened sets, which retain more value than opened sets. To maximize your investment, you can research which sets are rare and sought-after by collectors.

Once you've completed the model, those elements need to be set free to be used in other projects. Keeping them all together will make you never want to create your own Lego models. If you want to rebuild the set again, you can download PDFs of the building instructions online.

Lego understands that all the pieces are important, so it is easier to add additional small pieces to the set than to replace them all later. After all, it is better to have a few extra pieces than to not have the piece you need at all.

Don't worry if there are some extra pieces left even though you closely followed the building instructions. LEGO TECHNIC sets can be built in more than one way, and you'll need the extra pieces to build the alternative model.

Typically, you can sell Lego by the pound for about $5- $12/lb. It may be higher if you have break it out by color or particular themes. As a rule of thumb, in the US you can sell an individual piece for one cent. Sometimes, you can get several cents per Lego bricks.

Selling old LEGO bricks and sets is a great way to turn unwanted plastic bricks into extra cash. Some LEGOs are worth a few dollars, while others are worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. It's easy to sell LEGOs but you do need to do a bit of work to make sure you sell them for as much as they are worth.

If you're deciding what to do with LEGO® bricks when you don't want to play with them anymore, we recommend passing them on to someone else or donating them to a local charity shop. Bricks that don't meet our high standards after being molded aren't just thrown away. We can sometimes grind them down to make new pieces.

From 1949–1962, all LEGO was made from Cellulose Acetate. You can tell old CA bricks because they have a shinier finish, are often warped, and have a different “sound” to them when they hit each other. The red CA bricks (and possibly others) also are a bit translucent when you shine a bright light behind them.

Selling LEGO sets with their original boxes and stickers intact can dramatically increase their value and get the buyer more money, but maybe you already opened the box and don't want it. Some people will regret throwing away their boxes and will try to find a way to buy a new one.

What does LEGO do with unsold sets?

Yes, Lego regularly retires certain sets so they can continue to produce new products. If you want a Lego Ideas set that has already been retired, you may be able to find unsold sets at certain retailers or through the secondary market.

LLEGO sets are bona fide collectors items, with many sets fetching thousands on the re-sale market. Below, you can find the current most valuable used LEGO sets on the market today.

Researchers at Moscow's Higher School of Economics found retired LEGO sets appreciated in value 11 percent annually from 1987 to 2015 — more than gold, stocks or bonds.

Characters in the most sets

Once again Batman tops the list, thanks in part to his appearance in the LEGO movies and the accompanying collectable minifigure series.

While the vast majority of the nearly 10,000 unique minfigures are not valuable, there are more than 60 minifigures which are worth more than 100$, and 20 worth more than 1000$. (Source: Minifigure Price Guide.)

3. The first ever Minifigure! The first ever LEGO Minifigure was the Police Officer Minifigure, introduced in 1978.

Most expensive colors: 151—Sand Green is the most expensive color, at more than double average prices. 323—Aqua (Light Aqua) is about 80% above average prices. 38—Dark Orange is about 55% above average prices.

It's the Lego Brick Separator. As far as I can understand the Separator goes back in lineage to 1987, which is about the time I stopped playing with Lego. The tool is a beautiful thing, often orange or teal, a slope with a few funny bits at the wide end.

Apparently as a result of 'increased raw material and operating costs', the LEGO Group is increasing prices across approximately a quarter of its portfolio worldwide, with some sets going up by as much as 25%.

Is it better to organize legos by color or shape?

Even if you aren't keen to organize your bricks, it's probably a good time to organize your parts into broad groups when your collection grows too large to fit in a single container. Most LEGO builders recommend that you start by sorting your LEGO parts by category rather than by color.

The team expected Lego to be durable, but the “full extent of its durability was even a surprise to us,” Turner says. Based on the differences in mass between the underwater and unweathered Lego bricks, the study authors project that the toys could last anywhere from 100 to 1,300 years in the marine environment.

We do our best to make every set perfect and we take it very seriously when a faulty one sneaks through. Don't worry though, we can send you the parts you need! Please click “Missing Bricks” on the Bricks & Pieces section of our Customer Service site to order the part you need to finish your set.

For storage most set boxes these days are useless so there's no point saving them for that. If you think there's a chance you might sell a set in future then it's worth keeping the box. Used sets, especially larger ones like the Creator Expert series, sell for more if they have box and instructions with them.

Conversation. It would take 375,000 Lego bricks stacked one on top of another to destroy the bottom brick. The tower would be 12,000 feet tall, applying a force of 4,200N (equivalent to 950lbs).

Sets. Brickset is the most established, accurate and up-to-date LEGO database on the Internet today: we've been collating our data since 1997. Our database contains information on 19189 LEGO sets and other items released over the last 73 years.

Plastic Bags are especially well suited as overflow storage for people with very large collections — you can stack a lot of bags in a box or large drawer without wasting space. (Plastic Bags are also useful for storing sets, manuals, or other LEGO accessories.)

Just like our sets, each LEGO piece has a unique element number. For newer sets, element numbers are listed in the back of your set's building instructions: In addition to the element number, many parts have afour or fivedigit design number molded on the inside of the piece.

With a comprehensive LEGO database and super fast searching, BrickSearch is the quickest way to find the exact set you are looking for. Add sets to your collection or wanted list, find building instructions, and view photos, piece counts and minifigures.

What do the numbers on Lego sets mean?

Over our long history, we've made loads of unique sets, many with similar names. We use numbers as a quick and convenient way to instantly identify any LEGO set. Numbers on the first sets we made were three digits long, but as we made more and more sets, we started using longer numbers.

Everything listed on LEGO.com has a status to let you know whether it's currently available. This can be found under the price on the product page for a set.

LEGO bricks are measured and identified by the number of the studs they have on top. The smaller number always comes first, so you say “a 2-by-4 brick,” not “a 4-by-2 brick.” The width of a 1x1 LEGO brick is the Fundamental LEGO Unit, or module (1 module or 1M is about 8 mm).

50 years ago, LEGO builders were limited to just 7 colors: White, Gray, Black, Red, Blue, Yellow, and occasionally Green.

The Brickit app offers a third way. The free app is available on iOS or Android. There's also a Pro premium option.

Design numbers identify the shape of the part. They first appeared on the underside of parts around 1985 but it's believed that they started to be used internally from 1968. The numbering series began at 3001, which is the 2x4 brick.

LEGO has always numbered its sets, but the way it has done so has never been particularly logical or consistent. Numbers didn't start at 1 and work upwards, but instead have been issued somewhat haphazardly.

18+ is a set designation first used in 2020 as a replacement for the Expert line. Sets with the 18+ designation are more advanced than standard LEGO sets and are intended for adult builders.

We're not here to debate what the first ever LEGO set was, so we'll give you the LEGO set that most LEGO fans agree with, and that's set number 234, or, as it's better known: the LEGO System Garage with Automatic Door. They re-released this set with the modern brick design in 1957 and it became a resounding success!

Your LEGO Collection Estimated Value

Once you have entered Sets and/or Parts into your Set/Part Lists, Rebrickable can estimate the value of your entire LEGO Collection. In your My LEGO > My LEGO Collection page you can see the breakdown of your collection along with the estimated value.

What's the rarest LEGO piece?

14-Carat Gold Boba Fett

The 14-Carat Boba Fett Figurine takes the crown as the rarest Lego piece. There are only two of these figurines in existence, and they are valued at about $15,000.