Just saw these 1990s sets in a local shop.
Would any of these be a good investment?
asked Apr 2, 2021 at 12:39
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That depends, as always, on the price. Condition seems to be excellent.– MetalbeardApr 2, 2021 at 14:46
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I assume these aren't new as I see one opened in the last picture? Then I would think they are not terribly interesting. If they are new, prices seem to be very reasonable if I search a couple on bricklink. On the other hand, not that much offers on bricklink. Not so certain if many Lego fans would consider these tubs collectible...– Michael VerschaeveApr 2, 2021 at 15:17
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@Aziraphale, price tags are visible in most pictures...– Michael VerschaeveApr 2, 2021 at 15:18
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@MichaelVerschaeve : I was only in this shop for a few minutes, so I didn't have time to verify the condition of each set unfortunately. The prices I've seen range from 11 Euro to 34.50 Euro, and a quick search on places like Bricklink & Ebay has produced sets at a similar price range for those I could find for sale. So I'm not sure if I should buy any of them. I'm more of a modular builder, not a collector (of LEGO at least). And my budget is currently pretty limited...– John SlegersApr 2, 2021 at 15:52
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1 Answer
Most of these sets will have very little potential value. In regards to the parts, most of these parts are constantly being produced and very easily available. There might be some exceptions for Duplo pieces which I am less familiar with.
The modern day 2021 equivalent of these sets would be the 'Classic' range of sets which tend to include the same parts but with more variety of colours and shape.
Despite supply of these sets on Bricklink being fairly low, they are also low demand and as such the prices are more or less below retail value (usually less for used sets). As an investment it would be important to consider how the costs of packaging, postage, seller fees (Ebay, Paypal etc.) could eat into your profits.
There may also be interest for these sets purely for nostalgic reasons.
I personally remember owning the red LEGO basic buckets and I recall it being nearly indestructible. In contrast to the parts themselves, I could actually see more potential for those containers to be valuable in the future as they provide novelty and storage value.
The condition of the 'bucket' sets also seems to be a lot better than the cardboard boxes and they will most likely last longer. There is some warping on the packaging where the stickers adhere to the boxes and potentially there could be some UV damage from being in a shop window for a long period of time.
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1Thank you for the detailed ans helpful answer. Note that I have no interest whatsoever in selling these sets. If I'd buy any of these sets, it would be just for my personal collection of curiosities. And since my resources are limited right now, I prefer to spend my budget on items that actually are rare and/or have some collector's value. With old books, I can assess collector's value easily, but with old LEGO this still somewhat eludes me, even though I've been into brick building (mostly modular buildings) for years... Apr 2, 2021 at 21:47
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I’m very curious how so many of these sets are still around and still brand new.– Ambo100 ♦Apr 3, 2021 at 0:07