Alex
LEGO pieces are among the most ubiquitous toys in the world, but certain LEGO sets and LEGO Minifigures are crazy valuable. There are a lot of reasons why the most expensive LEGO sets are so pricey. Some of the most expensive Lego sets (e.g. massive Star Wars sets or the Taj Mahal) are worth a lot because they’re massive, challenging to put together, and/or particularly impressive in their finished form. Other original LEGO sets are worth a lot of dough because they’re hard to find, rare LEGO Minifigures, sets, and pieces that collectors are eager to hunt down.
“Demand is the primary factor,” says Chris Malloy, managing editor for The Brothers Brick and co-author of Ultimate LEGO Star Wars. “For most of the company’s history, LEGO was viewed as exclusively a children’s toy. So, in the early 2000s, when LEGO began to explore the adult market in a serious way, they began developing a lot of massive sets with high price tags.”
Gerben van IJken, a full-time LEGO investor and appraiser with the E.U.-based auction platform Catawiki, cites rarity, detail, and demand as reasons for increased value in some LEGO collectibles.
“Most high-priced sets are recent, but not that recent. Properties such as Star Wars, for example, benefited from the restart of the movie franchise and the fact that people who loved Star Wars as kids — but didn’t have the money to buy sets that cost hundreds of dollars — are now buying them.”
So what are the most expensive LEGO sets around? That’s what we set out to learn. While LEGO lore (get used to that term) tells of employee exclusives, such as a solid-gold 14k Lego brick valued somewhere between $9,000 and $14,000, we’ve kept this list to models, sets, and Minifigures that are, or once were, available to the general public. We’ve also included links to similar sets that won’t break the bank but might scratch the same building itch. Even if they won’t necessarily be worth thousands in 2040, they’re still fun to play with now.
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1. #10179 LEGO Ultimate Collector’s Series Millennium Falcon
Highest Sale Price: $15,000
The out-of-this-world sale price for this Star Wars set is a bit misleading, because it was a one-time thing influenced by some extraordinary factors. “This sale involved a first edition set, sold in an airtight case,” says Gerben van IJken. “It was also sold in Las Vegas, which influenced the markup.”
Despite the galactic inflation, a first edition Millennium Falcon is one of the most — if not the most —valuable LEGO set ever produced. “We’ve sold these sets for prices ranging from $3,400 to $5,700,” Ijken says. However, a pre-released version that came out in 2017 has devalued the set, according to Malloy. “Since the new Millennium Falcon came out, the more recent value is about $1,679, with only one sold in the last six months.” That said, with an original price of about $450, even the more modest sale price still represents a nearly 300 percent increase, making this set a true smuggler’s treasure.
A classic gets a modern update with this alternative:
While the original was sized to be more collector’s piece than plaything, this new-gen option is decidedly on the latter side. Two spring-loaded shooters, a fully accessible interior, smuggling compartment, and six franchise-spanning Minifigures ensure hours of play with this 1,353-piece kit.
2. #10189 LEGO Taj Mahal, First Edition
Highest Sale Price: $3,864
“This set used to trade blows with the Millennium Falcon for the top spot,” explains Malloy. “But it’s a perfect example of why speculating LEGO set values and prices is a very, very risky business.” LEGO re-released the Taj Mahal model a few years ago as part of a different collection, which dropped the price on this set from north of $3,000 to a mere $450. Despite the devaluation however, this set is still an architectural masterpiece.
The sun may have set on the former British empire but its history remains in this storied cityscape alternative:
Recreating one of London’s most famous squares, this 1,197-piece kit commemorates landmarks like the National Gallery and Nelson’s Column.
3. #6080 LEGO King’s Castle
Highest Selling Price: $2,600
If you’ve got a mint condition, in-the-box 1984 King’s Castle, you might be able to fetch some serious loot. Part of the reason is that, in general, a sealed LEGO set is worth up to ten times as much as an opened one. Another part is that, for the ’80s, this was a huge set, with an extraordinary number of pieces. “The largest set in a given theme during the ’80s and ’90s was typically in the 600-piece range,” Malloy explains. “Since the early 2000s, most themes include sets of more than 1,000 pieces. This means that there are a greater number of recent sets with a high starting value than there were from decades past.” Remarkably, the price of Legos on a per-piece basis has pretty much stayed the same — about $0.10 per piece — since the 1980s, according to Malloy. So, the larger the set, regardless of its release date, the greater the possible value.
The ghosts of the past return—albeit much more affordably—with this alternative:
This is another legendary castle. The 4,080-piece kit is especially complicated and is recommended for children 16 and up, but with parental help, it would make a great preview for a summer vacation to the Magic Kingdom. It includes five minifigures, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Tinker Bell, all of which include their own signature accessories.
4. #10030 LEGO Ultimate Collector’s Series Imperial Star Destroyer
Highest Sale Price: $2,300
Star Wars sets are a beast of their own. According to Malloy and van IJken, the high prices for Star Wars sets has less to do with rarity, and more to do with the enormous demand for all things Light or Dark Side. “Countless fans collect these sets to try and complete the full ‘Ultimate Collector’s Series’ or find every version of their favorite ship,” Malloy says. When fully assembled, this highly-detailed Star Destroyer measures more than 3 feet long, and is comprised of more than 3,000 pieces. Other versions of the same ship, which are not part of the Ultimate Collector’s Series, can still fetch nearly a grand on the secondary market.
Out with the old and in with the new with this modern kit:
Thanks to Disney+, you kids have a new canon from which to buy toys. This 1,023-piece ship, from ‘The Mandalorian,’ includes four minifigures, including Baby Yoda.
5. #6399 LEGO Airport Shuttle
Highest Sale Price: $2,484
If you were in a ’90s kid(and were a nerd), you probably remember the “Classic Town” line, which included this hyper-realistic airport set. Why the hype? Because it was one of the rare monorail sets that featured a looping track and battery-powered train. Originally selling at $140, this 730-piece model sits alongside other monorail sets such as the Futuron Monorail Transport System (1987, set #6990) and the Monorail Transport Base (1994, set #6991), which each average more than $1,000 in collector markets. “The monorail is sought after because it was a limited production,” says van IJken. “In fact, LEGO folklore tells us that Lego outsourced the production of the monorail tracks — just the tracks, not the trains — to a company that went bankrupt. Because of that, the tooling pieces for the tracks were lost, and the monorail sets were abandoned.”
Rail travel is not dead. Check out this alternative for your future conductor:
Train travel comes into the 21st century with this Bluetooth-enabled 677-piece train, which allows your kid to wirelessly select its speed. It also includes four minifigures, including conductor and attendant.
6. #10190 LEGO Market Street
Avg. Sale Price: $2,163
Designed by a LEGO fan, this intricate set is a LEGO Factory exclusive which incorporates impressive design elements such as spiral staircases, awnings, and removable balconies. It’s also part of the sought-after “modular” collection, which allows you to construct it in different ways and supplement it with different sets to create a truly unique Lego town. The highly valued “Cafe Corner” set (#10182), is one such set, itself valued at nearly $1,600.
American manufacturing has been in decline for decades. Try this other eroding industry:
Encourage your son or daughter to get his or her hands dirty with this farming kit. Two minifigures accompany this moving tractor so your child can get seeds in the ground. The 148-piece kit also includes a few tiny crops as well as a rabbit to create drama.
7. #1952 LEGO Milk Truck
BrickLink.com
Average Value: $1,980
Released in 1989, this LEGO vehicle set debuted in Denmark to promote the Danish dairy company MD Foods. While it only contains 133 pieces, its niche availability, and subsequent rarity, make it one of the most sought after “oddities” in LEGO land. Don’t be fooled by later, domestic releases, such as this one, which are much less valuable.
Celebrate the everyman and -woman with this alternative:
Your future comptroller can clean up the fictitious town he or she runs with this 89-piece, one-minifigure kit.
8. #71001 LEGO Minifigures Series 10, “Mr. Gold”
Average Sale Price: $1,786
If you have kids, you know the thrill of hunting for the rare, blind-boxed LEGO Minifigures, a collectable series that contains fun characters in each mystery bag. “This Minifigure was limited to 5,000 pieces,” explains Malloy. “Sold to the public, they were mixed in with the unmarked, blind packs as a ‘treasure hunt’ item.” Minifigures, which are a huge part of LEGO lore can drastically affect the value of whole sets. “It’s common to sell sets without the Minifigures, which will often drop the value by at least 50%,” Malloy adds. And Mr. Gold, because he wasn’t part of a larger set, had a sticker price of only $2.99 during his release in 2013.
They may not be worth their weight in gold, but there are tons of great minifigures available for individual purchase.
9. #1650 + #1651 LEGO Maersk Line Container Ship + Container Truck
brickpicker.com
Average Sale Price: $938 (used), $1,700 (Mint in Same Box [MISB])
“Maersk and Lego have a long history, and LEGO continues to release Maersk sets,” explains Malloy. “These are both limited sets, and finding accurate listings on them can be tough. I’ve seen a mint, in-box Container Ship listed for $1,700, a used Truck for $2,000, and a new Truck for $3,600. But these are asking prices.” Still, both sets are rare enough to command respectable scratch.
The oceans are mostly full of plastic anyway. Try this space-themed alternative to the final frontier:
The same sense of exploration that once drove men to roam the seas is now rocketing them into space with this 837-piece kit, which includes six minifigures, including two scientists.
10. #10196 LEGO Grand Carousel
Average Sale Price: $1,591
The LEGO Creator series — of which this intricate carousel set is a part — is a recent example of the detail factor that makes certain models so valuable. It’s a work of art that sells for nearly $1,500.
Fill in the rest of the amusement park experience with this alternative:
This 1,000-piece kit features three water slides and four minifigures for late-season fun. Ages eight and above can enjoy wet-or-dry fun with reclined spots, a unicorn float, and even an ice-cream truck.
11. #3450 LEGO Statue of Liberty
BrickLink.com
Average Sale Price: $1,531
Liberty comes at a price in this country.. But in all seriousness, as part of the LEGO Architecture series, this 2,882 piece beauty can fetch up to $2,000 in its first edition. There’s even a boxed set on Amazon listed at $5,000 ($11.54 for shipping, though? We’ll pass). “This set and the Eiffel Tower regularly switch places in the value department, says van IJken. “More recently, the Statue of Liberty has begun to gradually increase in value,” he says. Standing at 30 inches tall, it’s likely to tower over your typical toddler — assuming he or she doesn’t swallow the torch pieces first.
Most people only see the Statue from a distance anyway. Try this smaller alternative:
Seventeen inches tall when its 1,685 pieces are fully assembled, your child won’t be at risk from being crushed under its toppled weight.
12. #10018 LEGO Darth Maul
BrickLink.com
Average Sale Price: $1,333
Back to the Sarlacc pit we go to retrieve yet another high priced Star Wars LEGO set. This time, it’s a bust of a bust — the majorly underwhelming Darth Maul from 1999’s The Phantom Menace. His 1,800+ piece visage looks incredibly cool, and the hype was strong with this one, having been released less than two years after the film. So, again, a combination of Star Wars buzz, moderate rarity, and a great looking figure created a sought after collectible. If you’re not inclined to pay max Galactic Credits, though, here’s a list of all the pieces needed to build your own for a fraction of the bounty. Instructions too!
Double-bladed lightsabers are overrated. Try this instead:
A bust of Pallas it ain’t, but for your law-and-order child who’s already gravitating toward the Republic, what better 647-piece gift?
14. #6081 LEGO King’s Mountain Fortress
superretromania.com
Average Listing Price: $1,326
As “The Crown” and “Bridgerton” take the world by storm right now, it’s no question that people have an almost biological gravitation towards royalty. A key component of LEGO’s ’90s Castle line, this 400-plus piece stronghold features a realistic drawbridge, landscaping elements, and several badass Minifigure knights for anyone who dreams of growing up in the English monarcy. Currently, eBay features a handful of used sets (some complete, some not), which go for nearly 15 percent of the boxed set we’ve listed. “If you want to sell a set like this quickly,” Malloy says, “eBay is the way to go. If you get lucky and there’s a bidding war, it’s likely to bring in the highest price possible. But if you want to have more control over the price but don’t care about selling as quickly, use Bricklink, which is a dedicated community for LEGO collectors.”
Forget generic knights; the modern mythology is Harry Potter and the castle in which he lived and trained:
Massive, and with scores of individual play areas that allow your child to recreate his or her favorite scenes from the series. Both inside and out are packed with details in this 6,000-plus-piece kit. It also includes quidditch teams’ worth of mini- and microfigures, including Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw, as well as students, professors, and statues, and an extra five Dementors. There’s enough here to reshoot the movies on an iPhone (provided you’re willing to do the voices, dad).
15. #4051 LEGO NesQuik Bunny
BrickLink.com
Average Sale Price: $114
“There are a few increasingly rare LEGO pieces that were available to the public, but this one is the most baffling to me,” says van IJken. “It’s the Nesquik bunny, who is the mascot of the chocolate milk brand. This figure was part of a line that was centered around movie-making, and was endorsed by Steven Spielberg.” It came with a yellow sweater and brown pants and was given away with European chocolate milk cartons. Some did hop on over to the U.S., though, and if you have a mint, bagged one, you can hock it for some modest money. Not bad for what was once a free giveaway.
While we can recommend other great mini-figures, this piece of history is truly one of a kind.
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