90th anniversary LEGO auction at Catawiki
Posted by Huw,
A special LEGO auction featuring many collectors' items being sold by JB Spielwaren is currently running on Catawiki.
Among the lots are the original UCS 10179 Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon (currently going for $2000) and 10030 Imperial Star Destroyer (£1250).
It's all listed, along with items in the general LEGO auctions, on our Catawiki page
After the break you can read a press release about the auction and five facts about LEGO and buying, selling and investing in it.
90 years of LEGO: Five facts and an anniversary celebration
- Five facts about LEGO on the 90th anniversary of the Danish toy manufacturer
- Sales data show LEGO’s popularity - Price of LEGO sets on the leading online marketplace Catawiki has risen by 25 percent in two years
- Catawiki is launching a special 90th anniversary auction for LEGO collectors
Up to 20,000 euros for a LEGO brick encased in 14-carat gold - LEGO is not only worthwhile as an investment for collectors. Once founded as a manufacturer of wooden toys, LEGO has become a billion-dollar toy company. Toby Wickwire, expert for video games and toys at the leading online marketplace for special objects, Catawiki, reveals these and other facts about the cult brand on the occasion of LEGO's 90th birthday. Catawiki is celebrating the anniversary with a special auction of unique items starting today until 14 August, together with LEGO enthusiasts from all over the world.
Fact One: From wooden toys to spaceships
In 1932, LEGO was founded, initially as a manufacturer of wooden toys. Sixteen years later, production of the first LEGO sets began, made of what are now known as sticky bricks. In the meantime, expert Toby Wickwire estimates the number of LEGO sets at 16,000 - 17,000. Wickwire mentions that the company could hardly have dreamed back then that it would eventually become the toy manufacturer with the highest turnover in the world (5.9 billion euros in 2020). The manufacturer's numerous licences are partly responsible for this development. For example, fans of all ages can assemble kits from the Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Star Wars universes. According to the expert, the Star Wars licence in particular has contributed significantly to LEGO's growth.
Fact Two: Some products are worth thousands of euros
The close connection between LEGO and Star Wars began in the late nineties when the first LEGO Star Wars sets came onto the market. This product line also hides real treasures: One of the most valuable LEGO figures is a miniature of the robot C-3PO from George Lucas' science fiction universe, which has been encased in 14-carat gold. The figure was only produced five times and was won in a competition organised by LEGO. Equally legendary among collectors is the Ultimate Collectors Edition Millennium Falcon, a model of a spaceship from the Star Wars films. According to Wickwire, packaged copies of the first edition were already being traded for 10 - 15,000 euros. On Catawiki, such an originally packaged Millennium Falcon of the first edition is being auctioned in the course of the LEGO campaign. Another remarkable item is a LEGO brick made of 14-carat gold, which was given to certain employees by the company. Several of these have already been auctioned on Catawiki.
Fact Three: Not just toys for children
Although the underlying purpose of LEGO kits is to build, collect and, most importantly, play, some kits don’t only cater to children. Wickwire tells of a LEGO model that is a replica of a chocolate drink manufacturer's factory. Such models are given out at events or competitions and are not available in the open market.
Fact Four: Don’t open the LEGO-box
LEGO sets are most valuable when collectors can call the original packaging and instructions their own. That's why collectors don't assemble their collections even once to avoid damaging the pieces. The expert reports of a collector friend who owns entire houses full of originally packaged LEGO sets.
Hendrik Bergmann of JB Spielwaren, the largest LEGO retailer in Germany, confirms the great and even increasing value of collecting: "Especially LEGO Star Wars and the minifigures of these sets have risen strongly in value in recent years. In the last 23 years, LEGO produced more than 1,200 different figures for the Star Wars universe, many of which were and are sold exclusively in just one set," Bergmann explains. He also sees great nostalgic value for adult collectors.
Fact Five: Creativity pays off
Also popular and valuable (especially among the MOC community, where MOC stands for "my own creation") are individual LEGO bricks, which are traded almost like investments. Online platforms independent of LEGO allow their users to buy and sell these bricks. Some of them fetch prices of 30 dollars and more. Wickwire talks about the MOC community that designs and builds their own LEGO ideas. If a particularly popular MOC is designed, the necessary LEGO bricks may see a large increase in value. The increase in both sentimental and monetary value can in turn turn them into objects of speculation.
A special auction to celebrate Lego’s 90th anniversary: Original packed sets on Catawiki
The online marketplace Catawiki has also proven to be a lucrative place for trading LEGO sets and bricks. Collectors can buy older LEGO sets in perfect condition here. And this demand seems to be increasing. Between 2019 and 2021, prices for LEGO objects increased by an average of 25 percent, from an average of 74 euros to 92 euros. The number of LEGO objects sold more than doubled in the same period.
On behalf of Catawiki, Hendrik Bergmann is now curating a large auction on the platform to celebrate the LEGO anniversary. Collectors and fans can bid on sets such as the Imperial Star Destroyer in the Ultimate Collectors Edition. A highlight of the auction is likely to be the previously mentioned 2007 LEGO 10179 Ultimate Collector Series Millennium Falcon First Edition in its original packaging. But other objects such as Night Lord's Castle or the Clone Turbo Tank will also make the hearts of fans and collectors beat faster.
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21 comments on this article
"The expert reports of a collector friend who owns entire houses full of originally packaged LEGO sets."
It REALLY sounds like someone is hoarding Lego sets and doesn't want to admit they've got a major issue. I mean, several houses?
"Fact Four: Don’t open the LEGO-box"
And how I build the set? Building, playing and exposing the set is the most interesting part in collecting Lego.
The Fact Four is only useful when you plan to resell a set. Not useful for a personal collection.
Staring at a Lego Box to never open it is very boring.
Lego Group should hire the guy that wrote these "facts". They sound just like the pretentious and elitist word vomit Lego puts on every set description.
@Robin84
""Fact Four: Don’t open the LEGO-box"
And how I build the set? Building, playing and exposing the set is the most interesting part in collecting Lego.
The Fact Four is only useful when you plan to resell a set. Not useful for a personal collection.
Staring at a Lego Box to never open it is very boring."
I still have a few sets unopened because of lack of display room.
Other I just have double, usually bought on sale and no need for the parts or the figs.
Fact Three: Not just toys for children is also usefull to know since many people here are +18 but it is nice Catawiki allows me te play with lego.
@Murdoch17 said:
""The expert reports of a collector friend who owns entire houses full of originally packaged LEGO sets."
It REALLY sounds like someone is hoarding Lego sets and doesn't want to admit they've got a major issue. I mean, several houses?"
Uh oh, I might need a second house. Mine is getting pretty full of my "collection."
When did everything around this hobby get so obnoxious?
@DabbingVidiyoRobot said:
"When did everything around this hobby get so obnoxious? "
Sorry I just dislike catawiki and their habit of charging both seller and buyer.
The facts are interesting but very undetailed and I my opinion to random for none lego fans and to shallow for lego fans.
The "don't open the box" is the one thing that annoys me most. Sure, I can understand why, but in the end a toy that is never played with is just sad. Same like with exotic cars that that should be a blast to drive, but never will because that decreases their value. Or fabulously detailed model trains that will never ever leave the box.
Someone I know has quite a few very special sets, including a few from Star Wars that would easily fetch a four figure price. But only if he has multiples of those sets he might open one. And from most he does only have a single one, and therefore will never ever see what's inside.
I personally just can't do that. I can see myself buy multiple sets as an investment (though never did so far), but the first one is for me, and I will build it. Otherwise I wouldn't buy it in the first place.
This website seems to be mainly for speculators, who will eventually resell again in the future at an even higher price helping to fuel hyperinflation, and probably not that worried about what they are actually buying apart from ticking the boxes for rare mini-figs, discontinued vintage theme etc.
@TomKazutara said:
"Happy 810NICLE-Day "
More like Sofia day 10822
@TeriXeri said:
" @TomKazutara said:
"Happy 810NICLE-Day "
More like Sofia day 10822"
Once seen cannot be unseen
"That's why collectors don't assemble their collections even once to avoid damaging the pieces."
I guess despite owning hundreds of sets, I'm not a collector then? What a shame.
I don't understand Catawiki. I have never ever (not once) seen a price that was reasonable there. When all costs are factored in (shipping, insurance, etc.), you can always find a set with the same quality either on Bricklink or ebay or amazon or else at a 'much' better price.
I don't understand why the OG UCS Falcon still fetches such high prices. I get that it's the original and super rare, but the current UCS Falcon is so much more detailed and accurate, I don't get the continuing appeal/demand of the original.
*Sigh* I do wonder how many sets kept unopened for years in observance of "Fact Four" have ended up and will end up in "I got an amazing deal" social media posts. I could see sad cases where a collector dies unexpectedly, before the sets could ever be resold, and family members just donate or sell them at garage sales to get room back in the house.
lame article sorry. Nose dive compared to the usual stuff
Bid on 5 things without looking at the 30$ shipping. Mistakes were made.
@CCC said:
" @ambr said:
"This website seems to be mainly for speculators, who will eventually resell again in the future at an even higher price helping to fuel hyperinflation, and probably not that worried about what they are actually buying apart from ticking the boxes for rare mini-figs, discontinued vintage theme etc."
That is exactly what catawiki want. The more times they can sell the same thing, the more commission they get."
I agree with the sentiment but I'm 100% keeping the figures I get if I win the auctions I entered.
@meclo said:
"I don't understand why the OG UCS Falcon still fetches such high prices. I get that it's the original and super rare, but the current UCS Falcon is so much more detailed and accurate, I don't get the continuing appeal/demand of the original. "
It's all to do with what people believe it's worth rather than what it's actually worth. If I buy a set for 100 and sell it for 110, a speculator can say the value has risen and soon it'll be 130 so you'd better buy it for 120. Now you have three points on the graph (100, 110 and 120) and it's rising so must keep rising. Eventually you'll hit a ceiling and confidence that something is worth a certain amount falls. At that point, either the perceived value drops or the market takes a swing due to external forces. It's why, when the second UCS Millennium Falcon was rumoured, the price of the original wobbled crazily for a few months, some guessing that the rumour was true and were concerned about the value of their 'stock' so they sold low and diversified and others who took a risk and tried to sell high to re-invest when the new set launched.
It's a horrible business really. Trading company stock is fine, buying things like precious metals to preserve value against inflation is... fine. But trading something with a defined purpose (cars to drive, Lego to build) damages the purpose.
@HOBBES said:
"I don't understand Catawiki. I have never ever (not once) seen a price that was reasonable there. When all costs are factored in (shipping, insurance, etc.), you can always find a set with the same quality either on Bricklink or ebay or amazon or else at a 'much' better price."
I've actually gotten a MISB 10235 on there for €125 couple of years ago, as well as a lot of 3 once-build 60181's for €15... But since then, I've indeed never seen any really good deals - guess comes with the growth of the number of Lego-fans - no longer is the supply-side leading.
I am deeply confused. Why is there a 40 euro bid (with 30 euro shipping and 9% auction fee) for 76911? It just came out and should be widely available for $20. Do the bidders think it's the older, bigger Aston Martin? Or is it just some kinda scam?