principalbricks

I noticed some of my Rock Crystals have a hole on one side and a dent on the other side. (Photos attached) This occurs only on metallic gold pieces. I also saw on Brickset a photo of the metallic silver which has the same defect. Is this a known issue with the older molds, or has counterfeit parts taken over since the metallic gold has been discontinued by LEGO? Anyone have a straight out-of-the-box piece with this defect? Thanks

Thanks all, it's reassuring to hear. I did believe some of those with bubbles in my collection definitely came in the box, but just needed to be sure!

Parts that don't have a LEGO logo drive me crazy, as I avoid high-quality fakes slipping into my collection... One such part is the Jewel Gem. In recent years, it has finally received an embossed LEGO logo on its side. But the older version doesn't seem to have a LEGO logo anywhere? Some of mine have an air bubble inside, and some do not. Could someone who is sure their old Jewel Gem is genuine/from the box please let me know if theirs have an air bubble inside? Or any other tips on how to tell a genuine Jewel Gem from a fake one (old mold)? Thanks!

Thanks for all your sharing and suggestions! I have bought some parts, but as the size of MOC increases, I was hoping to use my existing sets first before spending more money. It's such a hard balance — LEGO is meant for creative building, but the price (and beauty) of big sets also mean preserving the original build and parts as-is... 😔

Need some advice before I go down the irreversible path of mixing-up my parts... Context: My collection has grown to ~50 large assembled sets — consisting of both new retail and older used sets. I always hope to disassemble and consolidate all the parts for some free-play/MOC. But also want to re-assemble them back to the original sets one day. Issue: For my new retail sets, the bricks are in great condition. For older used sets, some bricks are bit dull/scratched. Plus even our beloved LEGO isn't perfect, with variations in quality and mold across different time periods. So in an ideal world, I should separate new/old bricks. But I don't have enough space or money for duplicated sets of storage. Even if I do, it's hard to draw a line on which set is considered "new" v. "old". Problem: I worry that re-assembling the original sets after such a consolidation will be a nightmare. I imagine the sets will never look the same again with glossy bricks next to scratched bricks. And the mold variations through the years could cause alignment and clutch tightness issues? (e.g. I have even basic 1x2 bricks from ~2000s that have slight misalignment, which I once read was a known production issue?) Hoping for advice from others who also consolidated their large new/used parts collection, and how to achieve a happy practical balance. Many thanks!