Historically, what types of sets have proven to be a great investment?

Question

My brother recently sold some of the lego he had as a child, and they went for a lot more than they cost originally, even taking inflation into account.

So, what types of sets have risen in value most over the years?

Answer 1

the less sets there are available, the better the chances of a rising price. this implies the sets that will get more expensive with time are:

• sets that are out of production
• sets that are expensive when they come out (> less sales)
• very big sets (expensive > less sales)
• licensed sets like harry potter or starwars (short production-time > less sales / collector's value)
• sets wich unique parts or colors like the maersk-ships
• collector's editions

but note that it's never so easy - licensed but small sets for example won't become very expensive as there were a very big number sold, so you should look for a set with a combination of this criteria. for example: a very big licensed set like millenium falcon