LEGO Historian Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 (edited) The first non-building LEGO sets ever produced came out in 1955. They were known as the LEGO MOSAIK sets number 1300 (smaller) and 1301 (larger). This set was probably so unpopular, that most of them were probably sent back to TLG, who may have used the parts in other sets and threw the boxes away. The reason for this possibility is that until this past week, I knew of no other existing set outside of the Billund LEGO Collections. But a Dutch collector has one of the 1300 Mosaik sets in MISB condition (the TLG example is in used condition, and was purchased on the secondary market). So my Dutch collector friend Henk Van Zanten finally got his acquaintance to photograph this "museum quality" set. So here it is.... The set consisted of a 10x20 thick baseplate... and some round and square small bricks, as well as 2x2 and (rare) 2x4 macaroni bricks. The number of parts in this set are so pathetically few, that it was likely one of the reasons it was not popular. The girl on the brochure was KKK's younger (late) sister Hanne. Now I finally have an inside image of this box for my next version of my LEGO DVD download (along with about 50 other historic set images, and 1/2 dozen new chapters) which will be coming out in a few months... free to current DVD download owners.... If this set ever came up for auction... I could see it fetch well over 1500 Euros. Edited February 20, 2013 by LEGO Historian Quote
Fugazi Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 It's a beautifully preserved set, thanks for sharing! Is the shrink-wrap original? I was under the impression that sets from that period usually came in unsealed boxes, but perhaps that was only true for some of them. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 20, 2013 Author Posted February 20, 2013 In the 1950s and 1960s, the spare parts pack boxes, wooden box sets, and Town Plan (810) sets came as loose parts. But the model sets, and basic sets came shrink wrapped in the lower box, with the box top coming off easy to show what was held in place inside. Most of the basic sets had a "checkerboard" design for the LEGO bricks, such as this circa 1960 700/0 LEGO set (from Europe)... Quote
Stinky Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 (edited) Hello, I wonder how this fellow Dutchman got hold of this set? Would there be any chance that TLC would be interested in buying this for their 'vault' ? One other off-topic question for Gary: I got your cd, the 2006 version. Would that also mean that I can download any new version? Thx. Edited February 20, 2013 by Stinky Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 20, 2013 Author Posted February 20, 2013 Hello, I wonder how this fellow Dutchman got hold of this set? Would there be any chance that TLC would be interested in buying this for their 'vault' ? One other off-topic question for Gary: I got your cd, the 2006 version. Would that also mean that I can download any new version? Thx. Hi Stinky, I just tried to use the Eurobricks private message system, but it says you cannot use it (not enough posts?)... anyway, send me an EMAIL at istokg@earthlink.net.... previous owners of the CD can get special discounts! DVD owners get new updates free. As for the Dutch collector who owns this set... he has stated that he will not part with it for any amount of money. Gary Istok Quote
Androo Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 How on earth do these things stay sealed like this for so long? Interesting stuff. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 20, 2013 Author Posted February 20, 2013 I knew of one Wisconsin man, who was a grandson of a 1960s toy store owner. He had 8 sets like the one with the checkerboard pattern locked away in his deceased grandfathers basement refrigerator for 40 years. When he came across them he was amazed that they were all still in pristine condition, and sold them off for a mighty hefty sum. Quote
Androo Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 It's almost a shame because I guess they'll never be opened now due to the value. Quote
Faefrost Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 I knew of one Wisconsin man, who was a grandson of a 1960s toy store owner. He had 8 sets like the one with the checkerboard pattern locked away in his deceased grandfathers basement refrigerator for 40 years. When he came across them he was amazed that they were all still in pristine condition, and sold them off for a mighty hefty sum. Grandpa locked them up in the refrigerator? Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 20, 2013 Author Posted February 20, 2013 Grandpa locked them up in the refrigerator? A disconnected refrigerator.... no light, no humidity! Wonder if they smelled stale? Quote
Zeya Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 This reminds me of these two more recent mosaic sets: http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6162-1 http://www.brickset.com/detail/?Set=6163-1 I assume "MOSAIK" means mosaic, right? :) Quote
Honorable Posted February 20, 2013 Posted February 20, 2013 This reminds me of these two more recent mosaic sets: http://www.brickset....ail/?Set=6162-1 http://www.brickset....ail/?Set=6163-1 I assume "MOSAIK" means mosaic, right? :) Mosaik mean mosaic in German, it's really common sense to know what it is though. Quote
Stinky Posted February 21, 2013 Posted February 21, 2013 @Gary: This is my 10th post so PM should work now Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 21, 2013 Author Posted February 21, 2013 I sent the LEGO Archives folks these images of the MISB 1300 Set, and they sent me this image of their opened version of the set that they purchased on the secondary market. As you can see... not many parts to build with, which likely was the reason for it being so very unpopular... This blue background type image is how they store all the LEGO Archive sets... and in my LEGO Collectors Guide on DVD download, you are able to spot their Archival images in my document when this background color is present! Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 24, 2013 Author Posted February 24, 2013 I think I figured out a few things about the rarity of this set. 1955 was the year that TLG really started producing a lot of spare parts packs in different sizes. So they didn't provide a lot of parts to this set, expecting the buyer to purchase some of the small parts parts packs to supplement this set. Then the cardboard insert at the back of the set could be turned upside down, and more small parts for building mosaics could be stored there. Only 1 problem... this set was NOT at all popular. So a lot of retailers likely sent their stock of these sets back to TLG. In turn TLG probably reused the parts in other sets and parts packs, reused whatever cardboard partitions they could, and likely burned the boxes for heat in the winter time (remember TLG wasted NOTHING!!). This may explain why I only know of the existence of 2 of these sets. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 25, 2013 Author Posted February 25, 2013 Who would have ever guessed that the 15 or so 1300/1301 Mosaik sets sitting on the left side of this 1955 Swedish Department Store photograph are worth about $30,000 combined today?? Also, above the LEGO sign above the counter is a display of some displays of LEGO Mosaik designs.... Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 25, 2013 Author Posted February 25, 2013 As rare as the Mosaik sets are... there is a pair of LEGO sets that are even rarer.... the 700/4 and 700/5 Automatic Binding Bricks set that was introduced in 1952 Denmark. From 1949-52 TLG was only producing larger 700/1, 700/2 and 700/3 basic sets. But TLG found this example of a 700/5 Automatic Binding Bricks Set in their warehouse. This set (nor the slightly larger 700/4) has never been found anywhere on the secondary market.... This 1952 Danish sheet was sent to Danish retailers announcing the introduction of the 2 new sets... and 1952-53 Danish LEGO catalogs mention the set numbers... but none have ever been found... Either the sets were not introduced in 1952.... or (more likely).... they were introduced in the next years (1953) box style in those 2 sizes (700/4 and 700/5) a year earlier. They are the 2 blue boxes in this series of all the 1953 LEGO box designs from the biggest to smallest (counterclockwise... 700/1, 700/2, 700/3, 700/3A, 700/4, 700/5, 700/6, 700A). From Chapter 5 of my 2800 page Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide download. Quote
dvsntt Posted February 25, 2013 Posted February 25, 2013 How do you know so much about Lego history? Amazed. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 26, 2013 Author Posted February 26, 2013 How do you know so much about Lego history? Amazed. Your kind words are much appreciated! Answer to your question.... 1) I'm older than dirt.... lol.... actually I got my first LEGO set at Christmas 1960 (a year before LEGO came online in the USA), from my uncle in Germany. Excluding the few years I've been in my dark ages (circa 1970-79)... I've been a collector for over 40 years. 2) my decades of knowledge about LEGO didn't hurt. Since 1998 I've been posting online about my knowledge of LEGO on websites such as RTL (Rec.ToysLEGO, Lugnet, Bricklink, Eurobricks, Brickblogger, 1000steine, as well as BrickJournal). I've been mentioned in newspaper articles... I am the only AFOL mentioned in the 1987 book THE WORLD OF LEGO TOYS, and have been on TV. 3) I have been in direct contact with the TLG Archives and Collections people since 2006, when I wrote my first 1000 page CD (Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide).... this original CD (covering the late 1950s to 1970s) spurred me on to write additional expanded CDs... and my latest was a DVD... (at 688MB... it was too big to be a CD) which goes back to "Day 1" of LEGO bricks (1949-1990s). At someone's suggestion, I was asked to make an online version of it... and now anyone who has either the DVD or online version will get future online updates for free. I attempted to try the kindle route... but due to the high resolution 6000 images I have in the DVD/download (with 1/3 million words in 73 chapters).... it would have required 14 Kindle books!!! 4) my contacts with the TLG Archives has gotten to be a weekly occurrence, since there is so much information in the sparse early years of the LEGO Archives (1949-70)... that I have been helping them complete their missing information, and they have been helping me, by sending me some very rare items (as seen in this thread and others on Eurobricks).... that I am using in my updates to the LEGO DVD/dowload (next version coming out in a few months... free to current DVD/download owners, discounted to previous CD owners). If you look in EBAY and search LEGO Collectors Guide... the image that shows all the wooden boxes is mine... and it lists the 73 chapters and over 200 subchapters that are in the guide. (NOTE: Eurobrick rules justifiably forbid me from providing a direct link.) 5) Last and certainly not least... there are over 100 LEGO collectors worldwide that I consider my LEGO friends who have contributed and helped provide images (I provide credits) that have helped me with my endeavor... and it is much to their credit that my encyclopedic reference guide is due. Gary Istok Still a kid at heart... P.S. http://www.brickwiki.info/wiki/Gary_Istok Quote
Rolf Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 Have you considered epub format ebook? It's supported in more devices than kindle, and kindle users can convert their copy into kindle format by calibre. Quote
LEGO Historian Posted February 27, 2013 Author Posted February 27, 2013 Rolf.... thanks for the recommendation... the original document is in 77 MS Word 2007 documents, individually PDF'ed and linked together thru the PDF Table of Contents. I was just checking and it did say it was MS Word 2007 compatible.... Quote
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