Gifts for the LEGO fan who has everything
Posted by HearItWow,
If you have a LEGO lover in your life, the annual holiday dilemma is at hand. You want to give LEGO, but you have no idea what that person has, and if you start asking questions, you give your plan away.
I have compiled this list to help you find great gifts for LEGO lovers that they are unlikely to have, and at a variety of price ranges that fit several holiday budgets.
Under $25: 851400 - LEGO Upscaled Mug
Available in red, blue and trans purple for $12.99, these mugs are 10 times the size of a LEGO minifigure mug and have the same design. They are more than durable enough for kids, and they attract a lot of attention for AFOLs at home or in the office. The only downside is that they hold exactly 8 ounces of liquid, which makes them a challenge to use with Keurig coffee makers. Available through LEGO brand stores and Shop@Home, these mugs are easy to find, and even if the recipient already has one, another is sure to be welcome.
$50 to $75: 4000010 - LEGO House
Unless your recipient lives in Denmark, they probably don't have the LEGO House, an Architecture-style set sold in Billund as a way to thank local store owners for enduring the construction of the new LEGO visitor centre. Thanks to an abundance of these on the secondary market, they can easily be found for $40 or less on BrickLink, though international shipping may push the price over $50. At that price, it compares favorably with Architecture sets with similar piece counts.
This set includes a minifigure and a beautiful, perfect-bound instruction book with considerable information on the LEGO House and what it will offer when it opens. The finished model is more impressive than the box art suggests, and it fits well with any display of Architecture models. As one of the most affordable limited-distribution sets, this is a great choice for collectors and AFOLs who already own what's on LEGO store shelves.
$90 to $150: 40145 - LEGO Store
Available at new store openings starting in 2015, this set is a larger, nicer, more detailed version of the 3300003 giveaway. The fold-open interior includes a Pick-A-Brick wall at the back and shelves stocked with LEGO sets, which are stickers on tiles, while the included minifigure adds some play value for younger LEGO fans. This is a set that looks terrific on a shelf or as part of a LEGO city or modular layout.
Some may argue about these sets finding their way to the aftermarket, but considering that they were only available to the first 300 shoppers at each grand opening with a purchase of $99 or more, paying a markup is reasonable. BrickLink has several available for less than $120, which is a reasonable price if there are no LEGO store openings within 100 miles of your location. This is a set that many LEGO fans will hear about and want, and not get a chance to own, thereby making it a thoughtful gift.
Over $150: Action Comics #1 Superman
Still trending north of $300 USD on eBay, this is the San Diego Comic Con set that collectors covet. It's an outstanding model of an iconic comic and comic character, and one of the rarest LEGO sets of 2015. The real value in this set lies in the box and the green roof for the car, which for the moment remains exclusive to the set. Instructions are easy to find online and it is possible to BrickLink this set with a substitute roof, so that fans can have a version of the set at a more reasonable price. If you are looking to splurge though, this is the set to choose for its rarity and quality.
Another option at a lower price point is 4002014, LEGO HUB Birds, last year's holiday gift for LEGO employees worldwide. Available through BrickLink for less than $200 (plus shipping), this set includes creative models of birds native to the locations of each of the LEGO Group's business hubs. It's an excellent companion to 20131 Birds for collectors who love that set, or who enjoy LEGO animals.
While the prices for rarer LEGO sets may be high, their value as a gift is greater. Many collectors would love to own these sets, but shy away from them because of their prices. Price-per-brick value is an issue with sets other than the LEGO House, but the real value of these sets lies in how much they will be appreciated by serious LEGO fans. Rare sets help to make a collection unique, and these sets will be a source of pride for those lucky enough to receive them.
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How about some NON-Lego Lego gifts? Last year my wife got me the brick-clickable mug from Think Geek. I'd love it if this year, she got me the Bookends set: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/iiul/. Not a licensed product, but I wish Lego would make something like it.
I just bought a snow globe kit from national artcraft and I'm making my girlfriend a Lego snow globe. She's not quite the Lego fan I am, as in she doesn't buy sets, but she enjoys building with them, finds my addiction adorable, and collects snow globes.
Dang, I didn't realize that Lego store set would be so expensive. I could have gone to a store opening last week, but didn't really care enough. Free money is always nice, but I tend to not see dollar signs, only sets I like and dislike.
Sorry, but are there any... less pricey sets for this category? We might find 120 dollar for a mini lego store reasonable, but aren't these a little too hard to get?
Are you crazy or something? What rich idiot would pay this much for this stuff?
Oh god I did not know of the existence of the mug until now and I need it
Was going to get the mug so I could drink coffee at work, but it's way to small. It would make a great child cup.
Nice choices of very nice sets. And yes, LEGO are EXPENSIVE! Sadly.
You forgot the Billund Airport set, which also is very rare.
I have all this stuff..I clearly have a problem.
Selling Lego on eBay is a license to print money these days. There is no proper guidance for prices.
Saying that, I did sell £170 of Pirates of the Caribbean Lego on eBay myself for £370, so I shouldn't complain.
I do think LEGO House is a very fair value for its piece count at the moment, especially for those in Europe who will pay less in shipping. If can get it for less than $40, the price is comparable to Architecture sets. It's the best set bargain of the year in this category.
Billund Airport is a fantastic set as well, but most of what's available is over $100 USD, which isn't as good a value as LEGO House or the new LEGO store, when you consider the cost just to acquire that set.
Limiteds are a very expensive corner of LEGO collecting, but these sets are produced in very low numbers, which means they should hold their value. Action Comics 1, for example, is limited to 1,500 sets, but the demand for that set is exponentially higher. If LEGO never release another version of that set, it will go well above its current average price of $275 USD, and I think it's a steal for less than $300.
Over time, the rarer sets have tended to have much higher resale value than any mass-produced sets, with the exception of a few like the early Modulars, the UCS Falcon and the Taj Mahal. They don't have the same level of market awareness, but the collector base is solid and unlikely to change, even if there is a collapse in mass-market aftermarket prices.
I don't think resale value should be a factor in deciding whether or not to get a set, because that's ultimately a losing game. It's better to build a collection based on set quality or personal tastes and spice it up with the occasional rarity. I happen to be a big fan of rare sets that offer something unique, but that limits what I can own from each year's retail offerings.
I am a pretty extreme Lego collector, yet I do not have any of these. Which means---great list!!
@andresjr89 That is incredible... I give you respect
^^ It's worth noting, too, that there's a big difference between the LEGO House set and the Billund Airport set when it comes to how easy they are to get hold of. The LEGO House set can be bought at any store near the construction site in Billund, it's cheap (150 Danish kroner = $21) and there's no shortage or limitation on how many you can get. The Billund Airport set can only be bought at the airport, and as the store is behind the security check, you can only get it if you're actually travelling in or out of the airport - you can't just drop by and pick it up (which means you could essentially count the airline fare into the cost of the set). It's also considerably more expensive (399 Danish kroner, $57, per set for the first three, then 899 kroner, $128, for any set after that) and they're likely to run out of stock in not too long.
Don't forget the LEGO socks! I wear my 2 pairs all the time - they were an excellent Christmas gift to me last year. Definitely less expensive than all of the above items ($9.99/pair).
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/2097/
@HearItWow BTW: What's the significance of the minifigure woman at the top of this article?
pssssst...
don't forget Brick by Brick: https://books.google.com/books?id=4YgAjv9bdT0C&hl=en
Gifts to a LEGO fan from a rich person.
What, no books in this list?!
I think this list is great as a conversation piece, rather than an actual guide. Obviously, it was accurately titled (...fan who has EVERYTHING). I wouldn't want any of these personally as they're not in themes I like (and I am nowhere near 'complete' in that regard), but just as examples of the more obscure, yet current sets it's interesting.
I too would like to know why we've got tls088: "Lego Brand Store Female, Sweater Cropped with Bow, Heart Necklace, Black Legs, Dark Brown Hair with Bun" at the top of the article! :)