Giantorange

Collector or Builder?

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So last weekend I went to visit the family.  

 

Mum had rung to say she had got my younger sister's lego out from the loft and was separating it out into sets for the grandchildren (my neices) to build.  She was missing a few pieces and had asked me to bring my 'spares box'  to help her out.

Spent a happy afternoon sorting out a bunch of classic castle.  Get to Black Falcon's Fortress, and I manage to find enough black slopes to finish the rear section, then mention that I won't have the 2x2 flag as that is a rare piece.  She then says "don't worry, there will be one in this:"  and pulls out a MISB 6074, and then a 6067 for good measure.  Absolutely pristine, still sealed, boxes in perfect condition.  After I had finished picking my jaw up from the floor she explained that she had bought the of each, one for each of us, but by the time my youngest sister was old enough to make the set, I was in my dark ages, and she was playing with my stuff so the last sets had stayed in the loft for the last 25 years unopened.

 

She had no idea how collectible they were, and nearly had a fit when I showed her the Bricklink entries for the sets.  Her opinion is that the toys at her house are for playing with, and she is perfectly happy for the girls to open and build the sets as that's what she bought them for not for an investment.  I must admit I agree with her.  I am more than slightly jealous that I don't have the MISB sets for myself, but if I did, I'm fairly sure I would open them and build them for the pleasure of doing it again as an AFOL.  I would hesitate slightly at the thought of several hundred pounds evaporating as I opened the box when there are repairs to the house needing doing, but for me, the fun of LEGO is in the building, not owning the sets as such.

 

So, what would you have done with such a find?  sell them on, let the girls make them up and enjoy them, toothmarks and all, or keep them safe in the boxes?

 

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I play with things, don't care about the misb condition, so - if feasible (and not just putting it online at a high price with fingers crossed for a few years!), I'd sell the fancy and swap it for used/parts+ cash.  But that's just me.

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Open them and enjoy them.

I'm more so a collector, but I believe that LEGO is meant to be opened and enjoyed, whether that is, by playing with the set itself, MOCing with it, or displaying it on a shelf (which is what I do). Keeping it unopened in a box, away in storage, watching it 'hopefully' increase in value, in my opinion takes all the fun out of LEGO as a hobby. I have no problem with resellers, as they provide a valuable resource for LEGO hobbyists to get out of production sets and parts, but people who buy sets just to sell at a later date for an increased profit, I do take issue with.

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How about sell the unopened boxes and buy used ones for cheaper?  That way you get the sets and can have some money to help with the projects around the house.

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I wouldn't buy any sets just to keep in a box,  but if i would stumble upon some sets like that,  i'd probably sell them to whoever finds value in misb items and buy myself something else that i can open.   These girls would probably enjoy a newer set over this anyway. 

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I would also open them. Recently I got my hands on a lego ship from 1972, still in the box. When I got home I immediatly started building it. Later I saw the prices for such an Old set, but I didnt care because I was really happy to have it in my collection. :)

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That is a very exciting find!

I would have to say that I personally would sell the MISB and buy a used version of the sets to play with.  My policy in my collection is that no set remains unopened, but, if someone else highly values MISB and you want the set for play-value, the profit could be used to buy more sets for play-value.  This does require some time and transactions, though, which complicates the fun of play-value.

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Let the girls open and play with clean pristine LEGO if they like the set. I'd avoid buying used LEGO for kids to play after the cat urine incident. 

 

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I would probably just open the sets. Too much of a hassle putting them online and selling them, it would just suck the joy out of it. Not the smartest business decision, but Im in it for the fun, not the business.

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Sell them in a heartbeat. You can purchase the sets used for a fraction of the cost.  Personally I only keep sealed sets if I plan to sell them.  

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