Becoming Jaded About LEGO Investments

In the past few months, I have been feeling more and more as though the investment value of LEGO is peaking. It seems that the moment a new theme or set is announced, there are discussions about it’s potential aftermarket value years down the road.

I remember hearing some story about a famous banker who pulled out of the stock market before the Great Depression in the 1920s because the person who was shining his shoes tried to give him a good stock tip. The moral was: if the investment value of something is so “hot,” that everyone knows about it, then there is clearly some mania in the market.

I come from a collector & investor mindset with lots of things, I grew up in a family where we collected things and where we had some businesses based on that. For instance, we had a baseball card business in the 1980s, and I watched that hobby grow and then crash in the 1990s. Then I saw it again and again, with things such as Beanie Babies.

Now, to be clear, there is NO PEAK in the LEGO world for the playbility of LEGO as a toy. Others have said this in the forum: that LEGO has an inherent value because you can always build with them, that they are a timeless toy, and because all pieces are interchangeable with one another. I agree with that, and I am not jaded with LEGO as a toy.

But I will be selling off some of my sets. Not all, just some.

I think the final straw for me was LEGO renewing the Star Wars license for 10 years, and beginning to reissue older sets such as the Republic Gunship and the UCS X-Wing. I have some of these, and paid a premium for them. So I’m going to get rid of those and overall, lower my financial investment in LEGO as a collectible.

I have also been feeling as though LEGO is producing WAY TOO MANY AMAZING SETS! I know, this is absurd to even consider complaining about, but WOW, there is so much great LEGO out there. All the modulars, the VW Bus, Haunted House, that cool plane, etc – all those adult-oriented sets. But even the regular themed sets look so cool. For example: the Lone Ranger stuff. There is simply too much to buy!

Anyhow, I will absolutely continue this blog and continue collecting LEGO. But I will likely stop “investing” in LEGO, and pair down my collection a bit. I am not recommending you do the same, you should do whatever feels right for you.