According to Russian researchers, LEGOs are more profitable than gold. So keep your sets carefully, and in blister packs.
Do you have a certain nest egg you want to invest and are thinking of offering yourself one or more gold bars? Maybe you should reconsider the question and turn to the famous yellow LEGO bricks. According to a very serious Russian study, from the Higher School of Economics, these toys for children (and also for adults) represent a better investment than gold. They studied the price of the precious metal to compare it to that of LEGO sets. The second recorded a growth of 11%, which according to them is a better performance than that of gold.
The study authors analyzed the prices of 2,322 LEGO sets in blister packs and bought between 1987 and 2015. Online sales information and auction transactions allowed them to study the market and its growth phases. Victoria Dobrynskaya, professor of economics and finance and co-author of the study, explains her approach.
“We are used to thinking that people buy jewelry, antiques or works of art to invest. However, there are other options like collectible toys. Thousands of transactions are made in the LEGO aftermarket. Even taking into account the low prices of most sets, this is a huge market that is not well known to mainstream investors. ”
Any LEGO?
Are you the owner of a real treasure? May be. The researchers point out that most of the LEGO sets that sell for gold have been withdrawn from the market for several years. Their value then varies between -50% and + 600% every year. You must therefore sell at the right time and take your troubles patiently.
They also found that small or large sets were the most sought after. Those who sell the most are often linked to internationally renowned tourist spots, parties (Christmas or Halloween) or even famous films and licenses. In the genre, it is Star wars which undoubtedly won the palm of gold, with the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star or even Imperial Destroyers.
Finally, it will be said that the fans are widely favored when it comes to determining which investment will be the most fruitful. They can anticipate which sets could sell for a high price! Still, sometimes, it is very difficult to part with a LEGO set, because ultimately, emotional value is priceless …
Buy the LEGO AT-AT set
