Does the value of LEGO sets increase with their price?

Discussion around the investment opportunities that LEGO sets provide continues, with the Guardian chiming in.

UK national newspaper The Guardian has a view on LEGO sets, after the recent news that LEGO investing could indeed have paid off better than investing in gold if people chose wisely. Over 30 years, some products appreciated by 8% each year in real terms.

The editorial laments that while the bricks are being stored for investment, they cannot be played with, as it is new, unopened sets that increase in value the most. “It’s not the bricks themselves, with their invitation to open-ended play, that make the money, but the specialised sets all designed to be built into one predesigned model that leaves little to the players’ imagination,” says the newspaper.

Noting the absurdity of specific sets being worth more than others, essentially meaning that the box, packaging and instructions hold the real value, the Guardian says: “The collectors are not paying for the plastic but for the penumbra round it that exists only in their imagination. In the end, we’re left with a question that goes to the heart of capitalism: if the price of Lego sets increases by 8% a year, does their value do the same?”

It is a question that LEGO collectors should always bear in minds – does the current market rate of a set match the value that they get from owning it? Is the collection for their own satisfaction, or intended to be an investment?

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