Forget gold, you'll earn more with Lego
Do you invest in gold, art, wine or antiques? Then you should take a look at Lego. A study says that this could be a lucrative alternative in the long run.
Economists from the Higher School of Economics in Russia have published a study on the secondary market of Lego. They found that the prices of old Lego sets increase by at least eleven percent annually. According to the authors, this is a higher average return than gold. For the study, the economists analyzed the prices of 2322 unopened Lego sets from 1987 to 2015.
"We're used to people buying items like jewelry, antiques or artwork as investments," said Victoria Dobrynskaya, a professor at the School of Economics and co-author of the study. "But there are other options, such as toys with collector value. Tens of thousands of deals are made on the secondary market for Lego. Even considering the low prices of most sets, this is a huge market that traditional investors aren't aware of."
Now, before you jump into the basement and dig out your old Lego sets, know this about the secondary Lego market: Prices vary enormously. For the sets analyzed in the study, the performance ranges from -50% to +600%. In addition, the prices of small and very large sets increase more than those of medium-sized Lego sets. This could be because small sets often contain unique parts or figures, while large sets are produced in small quantities and are more appealing to adults. According to the researchers, sets of famous buildings, movies or holidays have the greatest increase in value. So if you have a Millennium Falcon or a Taj Mahal from Lego lying around, you're sitting on a little treasure.
Riding my motorbike makes me feel free, fishing brings out my inner hunter, using my camera gets me creative. I make my money messing around with toys all day.