What's the weirdest thing you've found amongst used bulk bought Lego?

[Killian]

Inspired by a thread I saw on FB where people mentioned buying used Lego and finding a dead Rattlesnake, a live Cockroach, a human tooth etc in used lots they bought; I thought it could be fun for us to list weird things we've found in amongst pre-loved Lego?

I don't have a good story, the worst I've discovered was a human hair in a used set 41365 that I bought online 

[koalayummies]

Oh this should be good, and disgusting.

1 hour ago, Killian said:

the worst I've discovered was a human hair

Just one hair?! Lucky you! All my Lego has hair. Have to do a hair check before posting anything.

[Toastie]

3 hours ago, koalayummies said:

Have to do a hair check before posting anything

Heehee - human and/or animal hairs? Here it is both ... cats and dogs living together ...

Trying to do that as well, but ...

Best,
Thorsten.

P.S.: Wait, what did I find ... several clonebricks. They were glowing in the dark. That's how I found out. Only faintly - but it was haunting me. And then I found out they stick to LEGO bricks. Since then, I have terrible dreams. No, I have not. Just kidding .

[CallMeCarbiz]

Not my proudest moment, but someone threw away a large bag of LEGO by our community dumpster. There was some foul smelling stuff in the bag. I remember seeing food bits and some of it was slimy. I rinsed it off outside and then filled up a two large king sized pillow cases and ran them through the dishwasher a couple of times.

The collection spanned back to the early 90s and was worth the effort, even if it was pretty gross.

Not gross, but I've found a really nice Star Trek communicator pin. Most large lots will include coins, marbles, beads, and hair of all sorts.

 

[Feuer Zug]

I've found a tooth before. Hair is expected. Loose change is appreciated (had one bulk lot that had about three euros in it, along with five Deutsche Marks. Way past the turn in date though.) My marble collection is fair sized too. Every year or so, I donate a decent sized bin of clone bricks to a local charity. A couple of spiders and some millipedes too.

[ks6349]

I have never bought used Lego because I cannot see any advantage of buying them. Too many people, if not all, like to list their used Lego for very high price, sometimes even more expensive than new set I can find somewhere else. This is outrageous. And I do not like to bother bargaining with them. Buying new sets before they retire, and if they have retired, just don't buy. This is my strategy.

[Feuer Zug]

@ks6349 In many ways, I agree with you. Too many people want way too much for their LEGO nowadays. That said, if I find a bargain, I jump on it. Last year, I found a tub of 40 pounds of LEGO for $100. I got cash and hauled it away in hours. 99% LEGO, clean, and chock full of minifigs. I have gone to meet people as well and found the "LEGO" is so mixed with knock offs that it wasn't worth my time. Some lots have been a deal, but require sorting and cleaning. I don't mind that because it can be therapeutic for me.

[Peppermint_M]

Crayons, Plastic Army Men, Screws/Nails, strange plastic that may be part of a toy but no longer makes sense? One lot I had was home to about half a pack of mini playing cards. Of course, all the expected clone brick is in there and sometimes stray Playmobil. 

Nothing too yucky, or too alarming either. 

[dr_spock]

Used LEGO used to be a good bargain before the LEGO Movie came out. I don't recall anything gross, just dirty.

 

[MAB]

I've found shotgun shells in a bulk lot, but probably the worst was a cluster of old (wrapped) boiled sweets that had slowly sucked up water from the air and created a fist sized ball of sugar, wrappers and lego, along with a lot of hair, dirt and what was probably rodent droppings. Playmobil, sticklebricks, K'nex, plastic soldiers, old cereal free gift toys etc, are fairly common.

One of the best (non-lego) things I have ever found was an old Star Wars ice lolly (popsicle) wrapper from 1980 (The Empire Strikes Back). It sold on ebay for about £40.

Edited August 22, 2022 by MAB

[EamonnMR]

Does a foul smell count?

[Pirate_King_1982]

I haven’t found anything too gross or unusual yet. But having said that I’ve probably just jinxed myself and I’ll end up finding something really gross like a bag of toe nail clippings.

Edited September 12, 2022 by Pirate_King_1982

[SNIPE]

one time I bought set 8462 for like £20 off off a market stall, but when I walked round the corner and opned the box it was only about 10 % lego, the rest was just matchbx cars, a barbie dolls head, and stationary etc.

So I went back and got a refund.

Still don't own that legendary set :|

[Tariq j]

Like others, plastic army men, hair, playmobile, megablocks, Pokemon cards and Top Trump cards.

[Moz]

The weirdest thing was several small collectable dolls. I looked up the brand online and found a few collector websites. If I'd got them 10 years before then they would have been worth a few hundred dollars... but I suspect the reason they were in with $100 worth of Duplo is that the owner knew they were worthless.

But mostly what I find is mysterious goo stuck to the Lego. Toothpaste? Chewing gum? Glue? Excrement? Who knows... I just work through my collection of solvents and cleaning agents until one works or I run out of options. Most vanish in a bucket of warm soapy water, some resist caustic soda, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol (one at a time!) I don't think I've ever found money.

The worst was some "non-smoking household" Lego that stank of cannabis smoke. I ended up assembling a couple of sets and selling them with the warning "stink of cannabis smoke" because I couldn't wash the smell off. The extra parts I just dumped, I'm not wishing that problem on anyone (cannabis is illegal in Australia).

[MAB]

1 hour ago, Moz said:

But mostly what I find is mysterious goo stuck to the Lego. Toothpaste? Chewing gum? Glue? Excrement? Who knows... I just work through my collection of solvents and cleaning agents until one works or I run out of options. Most vanish in a bucket of warm soapy water, some resist caustic soda, vinegar and isopropyl alcohol (one at a time!) I don't think I've ever found money.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I think a lot of gunk is down to sweets that have dropped into a box and slowly turned to a sticky gunk that attracts dirt, hair, and gets into ever crevice in a LEGO brick.