The Art of Making Money off of Old LEGOs

thebighigg (72)in LEGO • last month (edited)

I'm sure almost everyone around the world is familiar with the wonderful toys known as LEGOs. They are a great toy that almost all kids love. I had them as a child and so did my son. They have moved beyond children's sets now and make sets for adults that are replicas of expensive cars, buildings, ships, and they ae very detailed. Some of those sets retail for hundreds of dollars!

I also remember hating LEGOs as a parent as eventually, without fail, you end on stepping on a piece that somehow got left on the floor. Usually in the middle of the night of course, those things can hurt!

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This particular LEGO made of 14 carat gold can make you some serious money if you can find one. I shared this in a previous post, but these go for about $20K. They were gifts to employees at the LEGO corporation for those who had completed 25 years with the company between 1979 and 1981. Talk about a nice bonus! Now if you happen to come across one of these cheap at a thrift store buy it as quickly and quietly as possible... If only I were so lucky...

When I have spare time I like to go the thrift stores like Goodwill or other private ones around town. Sometimes you can find silver items being sold cheaply because the employee failed to recognize it as a precious metal. More often than not I end up buying some old LEGOs betting that some I will be able to resell for a profit. Sets are always a gamble because parts are invariably missing that you end up replacing. Mini-figures are usually a safer bet because there is a huge market for them by collectors.

These are some I picked up recently for a few dollars, each worth more than I paid for the lot at the store so it wasn't a bad deal.

These two were part of an advent collection, here you have Santa Claus Yoda and a snow loving R2 D2. When I sell things I eBay I tend to use the Lego plates as a background. They don't work well with Yoda since he's a shade of green. Each one of these easily sells for more the $10 a piece so it more than made up for the investment right there alone!

And what's Star Wars without Darth Vader? Another nice find from Goodwill!

And a small set I found of a Star Wars AT-AT, it looked complete when I got it but it was missing a couple pieces that I already had thank goodness!

And a few random ones as well, this guy is the swordsman from Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the Indiana Jones trilogy.

Dobby from Harry Potter, although he's kind of ugly.... But he came with a sock, printed on a tile. lol I didn't take a picture of it though!

And from Lord of the Rings Gandalf the Gray

And last but not least, Batman!

All said and done I can probably get around $10 or more on each, so it was a nice buy. The AT-AT set I might get $20 if I'm lucky. But what kills you one eBay are the the fees. Many times it eats up 25 to 33% of your profits. If we had the buyer base here on Hive it would be fun to have a LEGO store, but I doubt there is nearly enough demand!

So not a bad trip to Goodwill this last time! Next time you are at the thrift store don't forget to look at the toys because many can be very valuable, especially the LEGOs! Mini-figures are usually safe bets as long as you don't see cracks on them or they are missing hands.

That will do it for the post today. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below. As always thank you again for all of your support, it's made the last year and a half here on Hive a lot of fun!

Disclaimer:

I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice, please always do your own research before spending your hard earned money.

Pictures are mine unless otherwise noted.

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