Classic castle 375 and 383

[mike p]

Hi,

I don't post much here. I mainly buy new legos but loved these as a kid. I came across a guy who has a large collection in Europe including a sealed 375 and 383. Both are very nice with a few minor flaws and price seems reasonable. Since I am new to the market/hobby and don't know the seller well, are there any scam artists or scams with this stuff that I should be aware of so I don't throw $2500 away?

I'd really like to pick up a mint example of each (sealed) but don't know much about either in terms of how many are known/exist of each in high grade. I know there is no definite way to know exact numbers but figure if other people are interested in this stuff and have been doing it long enough, they may have rough estimates of how many of each remain sealed and in high grade.

Thanks in advance

Mike

[Flatfoot Thompsen]

That price is huge, but they are both very rare.

[ptdapen]

In my opinion, that isn't worth it. However, you may have the money to buy it. Moving on, I searched around Bricklink, and everything seems much cheaper if it is not sealed. Are you sure you need it to be sealed, since there are those that are used about once. I understand if you want to keep it only sealed, however. The only new 375 I could find on Bricklink was $1,800. So based on that, I suppose that $2,500 might be about right, though not sure about the 383.

[Sandy]

I would never, ever put that amount of money in just two sets (I couldn't even afford it), but if money's not a problem for you - if you're a millionaire or something like that - go ahead and make the seller extremely happy.

[jamtf]

The answer to your question really depends on a few deciding (and personal) factors:

- do you have the money?

- how much do you like the sets?

- are you prepared to spend a serious amount of cash on these sets?

- what is the purpose of buying (collection or future investment)?

- do you expect that these discontinued sets that are already 30 years old will keep their value or maybe increase in value?

First of all, you need to have the cash in order to be able to afford the purchase.

Furthermore, you need to be sure that these sets are absolute musts and indispensible for your collection. They are hard to come by, that is for sure. I have only once seen a sealed 383 sell on eBay a year or so back. The 375 is somewhat easier to find as I have seen these more often. They usually sell for figures between $400 and $800 on eBay. A few years ago (around 2005/2006), a sealed 375 sold for $600 on BrickLink. The seller also sold a sealed 1592 Town Square for the same amount. Most likely, these were purchased together by the same buyer since they appeared to be gone at the same time.

Then you must ask yourself if you are prepared to spend the money on just these 2 sets. That is something you should consider all by yourself.

If they are meant for your own collection and the aforementioned factors have brought you to a positive decision, then you should maybe buy them. If they are meant to be put away for some years and to be sold later on, I would say that it will be hard to get the same amount again. Of course, no one can look into the future but $2500 is a nice sum already these days and considering no one took the $1800 set on BrickLink so far, it can be hard to run into a fellow enthusiast who is prepared to buy your sets in case you need to sell them. In case you want to open them and build the sets... do not proceed! In that case, I would certainly look for a cheaper alternative and buy a used copy of each with original box and instructions instead.

I myself would pass up this offer, but I already own 2 boxes yellow castles and 1 boxed knight's tournament. All are used and pre-owned Lego sets but they are generally speaking in good condition and that suits me just fine.