Is YOUR old Lego worth a fortune? Old models could be more valuable than GOLD LEGO is now a better investment than gold after its value shot up. GETTYThe popular children’s toy has soared in worth by 12 per cent each year since 2000.Now homeowners are being urged to hunt through their lofts and cash in on the bonanza.Some sets are so in-demand that they are now selling for almost £3,000 on sites like eBay.The Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon set, which contains more than 5,000 bricks, was sold for £342.49 when it was released in 2007.Now the Star Wars toy sells for nearly eight times as much, with winning bids of up to £2,712 on auction sites.Another popular Lego set, Cafe Corner, has seen its price soar by a whopping 2,230 per cent from £89.99 in 2007 to £2,096 now.And the 2008 Taj Mahal - which has almost 6,000 pieces - has gone from £199.99 to £1,848.Prices also rocket for second-hand Lego as soon as it goes out of production, with modern sets released in the last year already selling for 36 per cent more than its original value.
With the soar in popularity of Lego with both adults and children, the effect on the values of both rare, hard to find sets and new releases has been incredible The huge hikes mean Lego provides a better return than traditional investments like the stock market with the value of the FTSE 100 no higher than it was in 2000.People who have invested in gold have also only received a 9.6 per cent gain over the past 15 years.Parents have now been urged to search through their children’s forgotten toys to see if a fortune could be hidden away in their loft.Bev Channell, event director for Lego show BRICK 2015, said: “With the soar in popularity of Lego with both adults and children, the effect on the values of both rare, hard to find sets and new releases has been incredible.“It’s well worth searching through your old sets to see what treasures are hiding there.”Last week Lego warned it may run out of bricks before Christmas due to the soaring demand.GETTYThe Danish company admitted some children may not get their presents as factories are unable to make enough plastic bricks to keep up with requests from toy stores.
The rising price of Lego means keen collectors have even managed to turn their hobbies into a profitable business.David Kirkham, who runs the world’s smallest Lego shop, Minifigs & Bricks, in York, said: “We look for sets and mini figures that are a little bit different such as a battery-operated light up Star Wars Darth Vadar.“It was part of a set of three, with a standard figure and a small vehicle, that retailed when new for £15.“Now we sell the light-up Darth Vadar on its own for £70.“Lego has produced between 7,000 and 8,000 licenced and rare minifigures to date and I own around 3,000 of them so my own collection continues to grow as well.”BRICK 2015, a celebration of all things Lego, is running at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) from today until Sunday.MOST EXPENSIVE LEGO SETS:Set - release date - pieces - retail price - current value1 - Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon - 2007 - 5,195 - £342.49 - £2,7122 - Cafe Corner - 2007 - 2,056 - £89.99 - £2,0963 - Taj Mahal - 2008 - 5,922 - £199.99 - £1,8484 - Death Star II - 2005 - 3,441 - £249.99 - £1,5245 - Imperial Star Destroyer - 2002 - 3,096 - £249.99 - £1,467LEGO SETS WITH BIGGEST INCREASES IN VALUE
:Set - release date - pieces - retail price - current value - growth1 - Cafe Corner - 2007 - 2,056 - £89.99 - £2,096 - 2,230 per cent2 - Market Street - 2007 - 1,248 - £59.99 - £698 - 1,064 per cent3 - Holiday Train - 2006 - 965 - £49.99 - £574 - 1,048 per cent4 - Rescue from the Merpeople - 2005 - 175 - £14.99 - £168 - 1,018 per cent5 - The Batboat: Hunt for Killer Croc - 2006 - 188 - £14.99 - £167 - 1,011 per centCurriculum material, software and teaching support now freely available Discover an engaging way to stimulate your pupils’ learning with LEGO® at primary and secondary and we’ll provide the support you need. With all LEGO Education software, curriculum material and teaching support now available to download for free, there is a wealth of inspiring content and support across a range of subjects, including computing and STEM, at your fingertips.RARE Lego sets are selling for as much as £3,800 – over TEN times their original price. Star Wars-themed set are among the most popular with a replica of the Taj Mahal and a cafe from ten years ago also much sought after.
Some rare Lego sets are now going for TEN times their original asking price To attract the huge sums the sets must be boxed and in mint condition – so it’s well worth having a look in the loft and rifling round the garage just in case one might be lurking there. The current highest-priced set on Amazon is the Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon which is selling for £3,800. It would have cost you just £342.49 to buy in 2007. A Cafe Corner set from the same year which was originally £89.99 is the next highest-priced at £2,128. While a 2005 Death Star II that was originally £249.99 is going for £1,917. JAMIE EAST AT THE MOVIES THEME PARK POT ARRESTS I WON'T LEGO OF DREAM According to Jeff Maciorowski, founder of Lego investing guide large sets and ones that have film tie-ins tend to give the best returns He explained: “Sets with 1,000 pieces or more, seem to exhibit strong returns on investment. “Licensed sets like Star Wars, Harry Potter and the DC Comics and Marvel Superheroes can appreciate very well after retirement and many contain valuable and highly collectible minifigures.
“Minifigures are often called the currency of the LEGO world and are highly collectible and popular. Some individual minifigures can sell for tens, if not hundreds of pounds.” But for those on a more limited budget profits can still be made. Jeff added: “Small sets and polybags can also show strong returns. Rare minifigures or small seasonal or holiday sets are solid choices.” The boom in Lego re-sale value comes as the toymaker hiked its prices at the beginning of the year because of the Brexit vote. From January 1 the firm upped prices by five percent. A letter from a top boss at the firm stated that the hike is “a direct result of the continued devaluing of the UK pound” and went on to say that the company may be forced to put up prices again in the “event of a further negative trend”. It means that a Star Wars Lego Death star set that previously went for £399 has gone up by £20. While a Doctor Who set went up by £2.49 from £49.99 to £52.48.