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Showing results for tags '078 USA Samsonite Plate'.
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The first LEGO roadway plates that most people are familiar with are the ones that were introduced between 1978-80... which include the (9 stud) "T", "I" and curved plates of 1978, and the "+" plate introduced in 1980. However there was a very unique large 50x50 stud roadway plate introduced by Samsonite (USA only) in 1970. This looks like a large question mark. The 078 road plate was sold by USA Samsonite LEGO from 1970-71. It was however never found in a USA customer LEGO catalog... only in the 1970 Samsonite LEGO Retailer Catalog... as seen here... Interestingly enough... this retailer catalog image was incorrectly shown in the catalog as a mirror image. The actual plate was a reverse image. These plates are very scarce, and often can command $50 or more on BL (when available). This baseplate was sold separately as a 078 baseplate, and is also listed in online LEGO databases as having been in only one LEGO set... the 367 (USA only) Samsonite Airport Set... This interesting set was never actually sold all together in one box. It came in 2 parts... a box for all the bricks, and a 078 baseplate that was included as a separate item. This was the recollection of a Connecticut USA gentleman who purchased one of these back in 1970 when he was young. Also, although all online databases only list this large baseplate as only coming separately, or with the 367 set... there are 2 other unknown sets that also had this same baseplate. These 2 other sets were both USA Kraft Foods Velveeta Cheese mail order sets. Kraft Foods sponsored many Samsonite LEGO promotional mail order sets in the 1967-71 era. And these 2 sets date to 1970-71. One of these sets is a #4 House with Mini-Wheel Cars & Baseplate Set.... And the other set (found on the same Velveeta Cheese brochure... showed the #5 Airport Set. This Velveeta promotional set was identical to the 367 Airport Set.... These 2 mail order sets would have been shipped in brown shipping boxes. These 2 particular Velveeta sets have not been identified before. These sets are found in my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide DVD/download... the chapter on LEGO promotional Sets. http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73780
