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Why your Lego could be worth more than gold

Lucy Dean
Image: Getty
Image: Getty

Some investors collect paintings. Others prefer wine or old cars.

But with returns outperforming gold, stocks and bonds, maybe investors should be considering Lego.

A new study from the Moscow National Research University Higher School of Economics has found the iconic toy has a high collectable value, and a massive collector’s market.

“Although it may seem odd to invest in a toy, a huge secondary market for Lego sets with tens of thousands of investors developed in the 2000s,” the researchers explained.

“The popularity of Lego investments is partially driven by the fact that this alternative asset does not belong to the luxury segment and is therefore affordable to any retail investor.”

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In the paper ‘Lego – The Toy of Smart Investors’, researchers Victoria Dobrynskaya and Julia Kishilova found that there were five sets worth more than any others.

These are:

  • “Darth Revan” (Star Wars)

  • “Seal’s Little Rock” (Friends)

  • Ice Skating” (Seasonal)

  • “TC-4” (Star Wars)

  • “Elves’ Workshop” (Seasonal)

These sets were all released in 2014 and made between 425 – 613 per cent over the 2014-15 year.

The Iron Man & Captain America (Super Heroes) set was the next-best performer. Released in 2012, it earned 405 per cent over three years.

The paper also found that Batman and Indiana Jones pieces had the strongest returns for character sets, along with Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Disney princesses. By theme, Minecraft sets returned an average 45.4% per annum.

Some retired sets have enjoyed returns of 600 per cent per annum, but the average return is 11 per cent.

But if you mainly have Atlantis, Prince of Persia or Toy Story pieces, the returns aren’t as good.

Interestingly, The Simpsons sets are the only sets to make a negative average return (-3.52 per cent).

Here’s that in a chart.

Image: LEGO – THE TOY OF SMART INVESTORS
Image: LEGO – THE TOY OF SMART INVESTORS

Lego announced yesterday that it will launch a standalone store in Sydney, offering exclusive pieces and experiences.

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