Volkswagen Beetleproduct_label_list_price_accessibility 40 Reviews123451FIND MORE PRODUCTS LIKE THISCarsCreatorHead for the beach with the VW Beetle! Volkswagen Beetle Reviews - page 2Jun 14th 2016 at 9:15AM LEGO Volkswagen Beetle with surfboard LEGO Volkswagen Beetle front trunk LEGO Volkswagen Beetle 10252 engine detail LEGO Volkswagen Beetle 10252 interior Yes, we're always geeked when LEGO builds a new car model. This new model is of an old model, of course: the Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle. It has a '60s theme that includes a surfboard for the roof rack and period-correct hubcaps. LEGO Creator Expert set 10252 has 1,167 pieces and measures 11 inches high, 10 inches long, and four inches wide. The roof lifts off to reveal a beige brick interior with movable seats, and the doors, hood, and trunk all open. There's a spare tire in the frunk and you can see a little air-cooled four in back. The set comes with decals that give the builder a choice of four license plates, including a surfer-appropriate California design and one from Wolfsburg, Germany, where the car was born.
The surf stickers on the rear window are a nice touch, too. Nerds like me will recall that is not the first LEGO Beetle model. Set 10187 was a much brickier take on the very rounded German car, both in form and number of pieces. In fact, the LEGO designers made a new curved piece for the bumpers on this car to get the fenders to look right. (More on that in the video above.) The blocky two-tone Sculpture model was released in 2008 and used 1,626 pieces; it was also a goog deal larger than this one. Sealed boxes of that set are rare one and sell for about $500 on the 'net right now, although they may see residual values drop once this new interpretation hits the market. The cute blue Bug goes on sale August 1 and will retail for $99.99.If you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of parents everywhere rejoicing as they learn that all of the money they have spent on LEGO over the years is finally going to pay off. So, here’s the word on the street — or rather, the word from a recent Daily Telegraph report that is sending parents into a tailspin: Your LEGO sets may be worth a lot of money, especially if you’ve kept them in the set.
According to the Telegraph analysis, this popular children’s toy has yielded a better return within the past 15 years than stock market investments, including gold or bank accounts. Since the year 2000, the average LEGO set has increased in value by 12 percent with each passing year, notably higher than the 9.6 percent return for gold within the same time period. As it goes with any type of investment, the LEGO that yield the biggest return are the specialty sets that are in the highest demand — think Star Wars, the Taj Mahal, or the Volkswagen Beetle. The LEGO set that wins the grand prize for appreciation is the hotel model “Café Corner,” which was sold in 2007. The 2,056-piece set was originally priced at $132 (£89.99) and now goes for $3,072 (£2,096) after being discontinued, with an investment return of 2,230 percent. Suddenly, the crippling pain of stepping on a LEGO in the middle of the night doesn’t seem so bad — as long as you’ve kept your LEGO sets intact.
As Maciorowski points out, LEGO investments will only fetch the highest price if they have been kept in their box, in mint condition. And while used LEGO sets may not be worth as much, it’s still possible that they may yield several hundred dollars a box. All sets released after the new millennium are considered the best investment since they contain more complex and specialty parts. Since the LEGO company constantly refreshes its product lines and retires old models, any type of set (large, small, or minifig) taking up space on a shelf at home could be worth some extra cash if it’s in fairly good condition. The official Brick Picker site can tell you exactly what type of LEGO investment you have on your hands, and you can also do your own research by checking competitive seller sites like eBay. For the full LEGO sets that have not been unwrapped, it’s worth doing the extra legwork since these pristine sets are worth the most money. While there’s always that rare, golden LEGO that goes for top dollar — like the 14-karat gold LEGO brick priced at $14,000 — this is the first time that regular moms and dads may be getting in on the action.
In the past decade, high-dollar LEGOs have been reserved for the LEGO elite, like professional LEGO sculptor Eric Harshbarger’s almost “priceless” desk made from 35,000 LEGOs or the LEGO creations made by former lawyer turned world’s leading LEGO artist, Nathan Sawaya, priced upwards of $60,000. But now there’s hope for the rest of us. Start rummaging through your attic, and you may find that you’re sitting on a LEGO goldmine, with sets that have skyrocketed in value in just a few years. And if worse comes to worse and your kids have already lost half the LEGO in the box, you can always try selling what’s left on Etsy. Cute and custom LEGO knickknacks are still turning a profit — as much as $55 for a personalized LEGO wall letter or $85 for a homemade LEGO lamp.It may appear as no more than a popular children's toy, but investors were able to secure a better return buying Lego sets over the past 15 years than from the stock market, gold or bank accounts, a Telegraph analysis found.
The value of the FTSE 100 is no higher than it was in February 2000, meaning the average annual return to savers over the past decade and half is just 4.1 per cent once dividend payouts are included. By contrast, Lego sets kept in pristine condition have increased in value 12 per cent each year since the turn of the Millennium, with second-hand prices rising for specific sets as soon as they go out of production. Modern sets are performing even more strongly, with those released last year already selling on eBay for 36 per cent more than their original price. The analysis found none of the main investments favoured by savers matched returns on the plastic building bricks. Savers who invested in gold received a 9.6 per cent annual gain over the past decade and a half, while those who went with a savings account or Isa generated 2.8 per cent, according to investment company Hargreaves Lansdown. Some Lego sets that once sold for less than £100 now fetch thousands on the secondary market.
Many of the highest prices are for old sets based around films such as Star Wars or landmarks or brands such as the Taj Mahal in India or the Volkswagen Beetle. showed even sets based on everyday scenes such as police stations and town roads are soaring in value. The largest percentage rise in price for any Lego set has been on "Cafe Corner", a model of a hotel which went on sale in 2007. The set, which has 2,056 pieces, originally sold for £89.99 but the price has risen to £2,096 since it went out of production – a return for investors of 2,230 per cent. , said the top price would be fetched only if the Lego had been kept in its box, in perfect condition. Used Lego is less valuable, but can still be worth hundreds of pounds more than its original price. "The neat thing is that all sets are retired at some point, and several hundred are retired each year a movie run ends, a licence expires or the Lego company wants to refresh its range," he said. "That means anyone with a set at home – large or small, it doesn't matter – could have quite an investment on their hands if it's in good condition, as this stuff appreciates very well in value."
Most second-hand Lego is traded and bought on eBay. BrickPicker pays eBay for a breakdown of sales and compiles its own database of values and growth rates. How to invest in shares with a 99.4pc chance of success • Telegraph investor weekly newsletter: best tips and ideas Mr Maciorowski said tens of thousands of investors across the world were pushing up prices of rarer sets. He said the growth rates would continue. "Lego investing is not hitting bubble-like status," he said. "That is partly because the Lego company doesn't promote the secondary market, it wants to sell direct to customers." Price rises can be disrupted if Lego restarts production of sets it had previously retired – but usually the effect is temporary as investors snap up the new stock, Mr Maciorowski said. The most popular type of Lego is Star Wars themed, accounting for 10 of the 20 most expensive sets. The Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon is the most expensive, having gone from a retail price of £342.49 in 2007 to £2,712 today.
Two slightly earlier models, the Death Star II and Imperial Star Destroyer, which were released in 2005 and 2002 respectively, also fetch more than £1,000. Mr Maciorowski said the new Star Wars film, Episode VII – The Force Awakens will give the old sets a "new life" in secondary market. "Demand is going to be off the hook," he said. "Sometimes when the next instalment of a film comes out it boosts interest: the new Fantastic Beasts films, for example, should also see demand pick up for some of the recently retired Harry Potter Lego." Laith Khalaf, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "The returns from Lego look pretty awesome, but investors need to beware that the value of collectables can be vulnerable to fads. "There’s absolutely no harm in buying some pieces as a hobby, and you may well make some money, but as a main building clock for your retirement I would suggest sticking to more traditional shares and bonds." Seven Lego investing tips from a pro
If you are interested in a particular Lego set, buy one to build and one to save for a rainy day. Even used Lego sets can appreciate to values higher than the retail price. Putting away a few large and exclusive sets to resell in years down the road can be very profitable. Limited edition and seasonal sets do very well in the Lego secondary markets. Any sets with short production runs usually appreciate well. The rarer, the better. Invest in Lego sets that were released after 1999. Pre-2000 sets were not really great investments. Many sets were basic and uninspiring. There are a handful of vintage sets that are viable collectables, but most have plateaued in value and many are in poor condition. Keep the Lego boxes, pieces and instructions in excellent condition. Save all the components of a Lego set. Keep them in a dry and dark storage space. No sun ... no moisture. The better the condition, the more the set will sell for in future. Stack Lego boxes vertically like books.
Horizontal stacking causes boxes to crush and seals to break.Both small and large sets can appreciate very well percentage wise. Lego mini figures are very valuable. Most expensive Lego sets Set – release date – pieces (mini figs) – retail price – current value 1 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon – 2007 – 5,195 (5) – £342.49 – £2,712 2 Cafe Corner – 2007 – 2,056 (3) – £89.99 – £2,096 3 Taj Mahal – 2008 – 5,922 (0) – £199.99 – £1,848 4 Death Star II – 2005 – 3,441 (0) – £249.99 – £1,524 5 Imperial Star Destroyer – 2002 – 3,096 (0) – £249.99 – £1,467 Lego sets with biggest rises in value Set – release date – pieces (mini figs) – retail price – current value – growth 1 Cafe Corner – 2007 – 2,056 (3) – £89.99 – £2,096 – 2,230% 2 Market Street – 2007 – 1,248 (3) – £59.99 – £698 – 1,064% 3 Holiday Train – 2006 – 965 (7) – £49.99 – £574 – 1,048%