7 Most Expensive Lego Sets In The World (2024 Update)
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Summary:
The most expensive LEGO set in the world is the Ole Kirk’s House set, which goes for $8,000 or more as of September 2022. Because only 32 were ever made, this set also remains one of the rarest in LEGO history.
When people think of investments, LEGO sets typically don’t come to mind first. However, many toy collectors are now snapping up LEGO sets as a way to invest in collectible toys. And they may be right to do so. Depending on the set you buy, you may be able to make a mint selling LEGO sets.
In order to make major money, you need to know which sets to buy at the LEGO shop. These sets are currently considered to be the most expensive LEGO sets in the world. If you have one of these in your home, you might be sitting on a serious nest egg.
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Is buying a LEGO set a good investment?
LEGO sets aren’t as predictable as stock markets, which is a low bar as predictability goes. The collectibles market is notorious for being volatile and for having collectors change their minds at the drop of a hat. How much money you can get from LEGO sets depends on demand, the quality of the set, as well as its popularity.
Pro Tip
In most cases, it’s best to treat LEGOs as a hobby investment rather than a retirement vehicle. The volatility of the collectible items market makes this investment exceptionally risky.
If you do decide to seriously invest in LEGO sets, you’ll need to have a safe storage space for these kits. Part of what makes these sets so valuable is the mint condition they’re kept in, so you’ll want to be extra careful about protecting them.
How can you tell if a LEGO set will be a good investment in the future?
You really can’t guarantee a good return on investment, but there are some “green light” signs that tend to suggest a better resale value in the future. These include:
- Rarity. The harder it is to obtain a particular set, the more likely it is that it will fetch a high price. This is true even if you don’t have a particularly interesting model.
- Pieces. Bigger sets tend to fetch higher prices, simply because you have to pay more for all those little pieces to be made. The biggest LEGO sets in the world tend to be more collectible and higher priced throughout their lifespans.
- Quality. A heavily-used LEGO set that looks like it was found in a dump is not going to be worth much. To get the highest market price available, you’ll need to get a set that is in mint condition in its original box.
- Franchise. If the set in question is part of a franchise or commemorates a popular movie (like Star Wars: The Phantom Menace or Star Wars Episode IV), the kit will more likely retain its value.
- Features. Certain LEGO sets have unique features, like a remote control that operates a car or a lighting kit. People who love LEGOs for their buildability often will pay extra for a kit that has a unique challenge to it.
- Age. Older kits tend to get better prices, provided they’re in good condition. This isn’t unlike how a coin from 1943 will get a better resale price than a newly minted coin.
Although investing in LEGO can be fun, it is probably not the best option for most people. If your main goal is to save for retirement or your kid’s college fees, consider opening a brokerage account and investing in more traditional assets, such as stocks and bonds.
The 7 most expensive LEGO sets in the world
Want to make an investment in toys? These LEGO sets might set you back a fortune, but they may also be worth quite a lot in the future.
Due to the variety of price appraisals, certain models will be ranked according to the price range they’ve sold at rather than a specific amount. The prices listed below were found on BrickEconomy in September 2022.
IMPORTANT! Each year, LEGO fans have the chance to experience the inner workings of LEGO through the LEGO Inside Tour. Here, you can learn the history behind the phenomenon and how LEGO bricks are made. As you’ll see when reading through the list, many of the most expensive LEGO sets are from Inside Tours.
7. The Legoland Train — $3,587
All aboard! If you have a thing for old-school LEGO set fun, then you might like to grab a hold of the Legoland train. This train is valued at $3,587 as of September 2022, but you can’t find it on the LEGO website. It stopped being sold in 2014.
6. LEGO Insider Edition Market Street — $3,999
If you were lucky enough to get tickets for the Inside Tour in 2018, you might have scored the LEGO set that really caught everyone’s eye. This Market Street set is one of the very few modular houses to make any major list. It’s whimsical and beautiful, and extremely rare.
5. LECA Automobile — $5,191
Are you searching for a way to blend your love of cars with LEGO? Well, this extremely rare limited edition Inside Tour gift might be the right pick for your collection. Issued in a very limited release run in 2005, this features a bright red car and driver.
4. Piper Airplane — $5,380
While many people can make a ton of money reselling the LEGO version of the Millennium Falcon or an Imperial Star Destroyer, some of the priciest ones involve fairly mundane designs that are rare or exceptionally vintage. Such is the case with the Piper Airplane model.
This just goes to show you that you don’t need to have a kit devoted to Star Wars movies to make your wallet fat. It just needs to be pretty rare. Don’t worry, this plane doesn’t require any diesel or gas fuel to look good in a glass case.
3. 4000001-1 LEGO Moulding Machines — $6,733
This LEGO set is one of the more surprising ones on this list, primarily because it is one hell of a weird thing to model. This is a LEGO model of the moulding machines in the LEGO factory, and it was given as a gift for a short period of time in 2011 for tourgoers.
2. 4000000-1 Cars — $7,282
Another member of the LEGO “Inside Tour” gift family, this particular set was offered as a gift in 2010. At first glance, this is a pretty simple set that just lets you build a trio of cars. However, only 33 of these were ever made.
1. Ole Kirk’s House — $8,197
Coming in at the most expensive LEGO set in the world is Ole Kirk’s House, a seemingly nondescript red model house offered to Inside Tour visitors in 2009.
Since only 32 copies were released at that time (all hand-numbered), this is the most valuable and one of the rarest LEGO kits in the world.
Though the model was previously valued at $5,500, 2022 saw Ole Kirk’s House valued at over $8,000. BrickEconomy believes this value will only increase, as their five-year forecast for the model’s value is estimated at over $12,000 (as of September 2022).
Expensive and popular LEGO sets that deserve an honorable mention
Officially, the sale prices for the sets below have not been fully verified, so we could not up them on the list. These LEGO sets may not be the most expensive on the books, but they’ll still cost a pretty penny. If you maintain these kits and keep them in a safe space, they may be valuable in the future.
LEGO Taj Mahal Set — $1,264
This massive LEGO set is absolutely huge at 5,900 individual pieces. Once it’s built, it’s also absolutely massive in size. Though these have sold for as much as $2,865 in the past, they can be found on Amazon for over $600 as of July 2022.
The historical accuracy of this model is amazing, which is why people tend to snap it up whenever they can.
Pro Tip
This isn’t, by far, the only historic rendition of a real place offered by LEGO. You can also buy the Eiffel Tower, which was built off the real tower’s original blueprints. Because of this, the Eiffel Tower kit remains the tallest LEGO set on the market as of July 2022.
LEGOLAND Scale Han Solo on TaunTaun — $1,850
There are several Star Wars LEGO sets that are still available for sale that can potentially make this list, but one of the hardest to find is the Han Solo on TaunTaun set. This particular version is known for its rarity, making it a hot-button item among Star Wars fan memorabilia collectors.
Pro Tip
If you’re a big Star Wars fan, then you’re in luck. LEGO releases a bunch of new Star Wars sets with every release of a new movie.
Once in a while, you may also get a new iteration of a specific LEGO scene like the Death Star (you can also find a Death Star II). Generally speaking, LEGO Star Wars packages always get a decent resale price.
TMNT Antonio’s Pizza-Rama — $2,516
While many big sellers on this list would make you think this is a Star Wars bonanza, the truth is it’s far from the only franchise that got big on LEGOs. In 2012, New York Comic Con released a special edition LEGO set that was made in the shape of a pizza.
Since then, this set became one of the biggest collector sets ever. It cannot be bought at the LEGO store or on Amazon. It’s so rare that it’s actually hard to find stories of sales in recent years. Bidding wars are common. It also comes in a pizza box, which is pretty cool.
H.C. Andersen’s Clumsy Hans — $2,650
Rarity is a major marker of a pricey LEGO set, and this LEGO set is extremely rare. In fact, there were only 80 sets in the world when they were first released. Each set of the H.C. Andersen set was given to a brand ambassador.
No one knows where to get this set without going through a specialty source. Due to the extreme rarity, this remains one of the most expensive LEGO sets to date. Though previous models have sold for over $7,000, the set was valued at $2,650 in September 2022.
LEGO 10179 Ultimate Collector’s Series Millennium Falcon — $2,725
Star Wars, as a franchise, has several major spaceships and characters that have become iconic. One of the most recognizable crafts is the Millennium Falcon, which has become one of the biggest Star Wars symbols in recent years.
This particular model is a kit that features 5,197 pieces and five mini-figures of main characters. The “mini figs” are Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia.
Finding a complete set (including the awesome mini figures) is exceedingly hard. In a recent auction, one airtight brand-new box sold for $15,000. However, good (though opened) collections can still fetch over $1,000.
LEGO House Tree of Creativity — $3,000
In 2017, LEGO Inside Tour attendees were given the House Tree of Creativity based on a massive LEGO tree built inside of the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark.
Because this kit is exclusive to tour attendees and was never sold in stores, mint condition sets are very valuable. Only 175 kits were ever produced of the 2017 model, making this LEGO set very valuable.
10182 LEGO Café Corner — $3,251
Though this model has one of the more volatile price valuations, the Cafe Corner LEGO set has only become more valuable over time. Originally released in 2007, the model displays a small café shop with three exclusive “mini figs” that are unique to the set.
While it’s not the rarest set in the world, the Café Corner remains a solid investment choice, as BrickEconomy believes the set will continue to grow in value.
FAQs
What is the most expensive LEGO block?
LEGO sets are generally only worth it if they are sold as a full set, but the most expensive LEGO block is actually a “solo package.” The most expensive brick is a solid 24K gold LEGO brick that is the same size and shape as a typical LEGO brick. It was sold for over $15,000.
What is the hardest LEGO set to build?
The hardest LEGO set to build can vary depending on your personal preferences, but the two most commonly-cited hard sets are the LEGO Rollercoaster and the 10179 Millennium Falcon. Both are difficult due to the high number of bricks you have to piece together.
However, the tiebreaker for most people deals with the LEGO Rollercoaster’s lighting kit, which you have to assemble yourself. In both cases, you also may have to deal with small parts that can easily break. That’s what happens when you have to assemble a fully functional rollercoaster.
Are old LEGOs worth money?
Old LEGO bricks are generally not worth much unless they are part of a highly coveted set. If they were played with and stained, they’re mostly worthless.
What’s the best way to store collectible LEGOs?
One of the best lifehacks for investors of collectible merchandise is to rent a climate-controlled, highly secure storage facility for them. This prevents mold, flooding, and theft from harming your investments.
Key Takeaways
- The most expensive LEGO set in the world is the Ole Kirk’s House set, costing over $8,000 per set.
- Rarity, quality, and movie affiliations often help improve the chance of a high price tag for a LEGO set.
- Many Star Wars LEGO sets can fetch hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on the market.
- Giveaways from major conventions often become major collectors’ items.
- Star Wars LEGO sets from the original trilogy are often the most high-priced of the franchise, especially if they are part of the Ultimate Collector series.
- Always check the make and model number of the kits you intend on buying.
Invest in the right collectibles
Are you curious about the prices of collectible items? Perhaps you just want to know how excessive lifestyles of the rich and famous really can get. Either way, SuperMoney has a full library of articles featuring news about the most expensive items in the world.
If you have expensive taste, check out our list of expensive yachts or our list of the most expensive pens in the world. You’ll be amazed at what you find out.
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