15 Vintage Lego Sets Worth More Than $1,000

Some sets of the iconic Danish toy have become very popular with collectors.

15 Vintage Lego Sets Worth More Than $1,000

Who doesn’t know Lego, those familiar colored plastic pieces that fit together to build anything? Lego, a Danish toy company, has been making them since 1958. Many of us grew up playing with them as children, and, as parents, have stepped painfully on the stray blocks kids drop on the floor.

Even in this digital era, Legos has held its popularity with both children and adults. The company has continued to innovate its popular build-it-yourself kits, offering limited edition designs and tie-ins to popular movies and TV shows — think “Star Wars” or “Bob the Builder.” Legos are now sold in over 140 countries.

Some Lego special editions, such as the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower, were only released for a short time or were discontinued after a few years, and have now become rare and valuable collectors’ items. Collectors pay the highest prices for sets in mint condition. A brand-new, sealed Lego set can be worth up to ten times as much as one that has been opened.

Here are 15 of the most valuable Lego sets you can buy — if you can find them. All prices derived from Bricklink unless noted and listed from least to most expensive.

Rebel Snowspeeder

Current average price for unopened set: $1,233.31

Year released:2003

Set number:10129

One of the numerous “Star Wars” movie tie-in kits, the snowspeeders were the small orange and white fighter ships which the Rebel Alliance flew in battle in the movie “The Empire Strikes Back.” One reason for the high value of this limited edition speeder (which launched with a retail price of $200) was the designers’ attention to small details: the correct angle of the lasers, detailed controls in the cockpit and power-coupling stickers.

King’s Mountain Fortress

Current average price for unopened set: $1,279.01

Year released:1990

Set number:6081

The King’s Mountain Fortress set was released in 1990 and contains 429 pieces. The finished castle has battlements, a tower, a gate, a drawbridge, a jail cell, a hidden trap and a treasure room. It also has figures of knights, guards, a princess and a glow-in-the-dark ghost. The princess’s skirt used Lego’s brand new slope brick as part of the design.

Maersk Line Container Ship

Current average price for unopened set: N/A. Chris Malloy, managing editor for The Brothers Brick, told Fatherly the rare set goes for around $1,700 when you can find it.

Year released:1974

Set number:1650

Released in 1974, the limited edition Maersk Line Container Ship kit is fairly small by today’s standards, with just over 200 pieces. Maersk is a Danish container shipping company — and the world’s largest. Lego periodically makes small replicas of the company’s trademark blue-hulled ships with the name, Maersk Line, written in black on the sides.

Imperial Star Destroyer

Current average price for unopened set: $1,729.73

Year released:2002

Set number:10030

The Imperial Star Destroyer was sold until 2008 and was, at that time, the largest set ever made by Lego. The kit contains the massive Destroyer, and a stand to hold it, together with a mini Rebel Blockade Runner ship, with its own stand, to show the scale of the two together. The set was a first in two ways: the first Lego model to contain more than 3,000 pieces and the first recommended for fans over 16.

Milk Truck (Dairy Tanker)

Current average price for unopened set: Catawiki estimates the price of this rare old set at around $1,960.

Year released:1989

Set number:1952

Lego released this Milk Truck set just in Denmark to promote the Danish dairy company MD Foods (the company has since changed its name to Aria Foods). Although the tanker kit is quite a simple one, containing just 133 pieces, it is very hard to find, and its rarity has made it a highly sought-after collectible.

Eiffel Tower

Current average price for unopened set: $2,002.07

Year released:2007

Set number:10181

The Eiffel Tower kit was made in response to requests from Lego enthusiasts. The Tower is the tallest kit the company has made so far, at 42-inches high, and is a 1:300 scale of the real Eiffel Tower in Paris. The kit even comes with four tiny elevators and a small French flag.

Death Star II

Current average price for unopened set: $2,044.38

Year released:2005

Set number:10143

The model of the partially constructed Death Star II from the movie “Return of the Jedi” was launched in 2005 but didn’t sell as well as the Death Star I model, so Lego discontinued it in 2007. Death Star II then became a sought-after collectible.

Market Street

Current average price for unopened set: $2,098.32

Year released:2007

Set number:10190

This Market Street kit was part of a set of modular buildings including a café, which could be put together to create an urban street scene. This kit was actually designed for teens and adults. The set came with a wiring system that let the builder add lights to the buildings. It also came with three figures, a curved staircase and interchangeable floors.

Taj Mahal

Current average price for unopened set: $2,259.39

Year released:2008

Set number:10189

Based on the famous Taj Mahal tomb in India, this set was part of Lego’s Sculptures series. At the time of its release, it was the largest kit ever released by Lego with 5,900 pieces. The Taj Mahal was meant for experienced builders and not intended for play once it was finished. The model accurately reproduces the minarets, domes, finials and arches of the original building.

King’s Castle

Current average price for unopened set: $2,721.80

Year released:1984

Set number:6080

The King’s Castle was a large kit for its time, containing over 660 pieces. The kit comes with four horses and twelve mini-figures. The finished castle has two towers, a gatehouse at the front and a prison cell.

Airport Shuttle

Average price for unopened sets sold in last six months: $2,775.22

Year released:1990

Set number:6399

The Airport Shuttle was released in 1990, as part of the Town Airport series, and features two battery-powered rail cars that run on a looping track. Each car has a separate compartment for the driver.

The kit also includes two ground-level waiting stations, complete with seating, phone booth, lockboxes, street lamps and a hamburger stand. Nine minifigures are included. Lego outsourced production of the monorail tracks to another company, which went bankrupt and the tools to make the tracks were lost, so no more monorail sets could be made, which makes this set especially valuable.

Grand Carousel

Current average price for unopened set: $2,897.40

Year released:2009

Set number:10196

Once built, Lego’s Grand Carousel plays music while the carousel figures move up and down, just like a real merry-go-round. The kit contains a Power Functions motor and a “sound brick” to make this possible. The kit has over 3,000 pieces, nine figures and was targeted at teen and adult Lego enthusiasts. The top of the carousel is even made of canvas.

Statue of Liberty

Current average price for unopened set: $3,223.83

Year released:2000

Set number:3450

The Statue of Liberty was the largest Lego set at the time of its release, with 2,800 pieces. The finished model stood 33inches tall without her pedestal and was made completely of a brand new Lego product — Sand Green bricks.

Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon

Current average price for unopened set: $3,682.87

Year released:2007

Set number:10179

Even at the time of its release, this Star Wars tie-in set was one of the most expensive Lego had ever produced, retailing for $500. Millennium Falcon 10179 is ranked as the third-largest set ever made by Lego, with over 5,000 separate pieces and a 311-page instruction manual. The kit includes figures of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Lego sold a limited number of First Edition versions that came with a special certificate of authenticity, which makes them even more valuable.

Maersk Container Lorry (Truck)

Current asking price for unopened set: $3,709.77

Year released:1980

Set number:1651

The Maersk Container Lorry kit features a blue Maersk Line (the Danish shipping company) truck cab. The cab comes with two trailers, one full-size and the second smaller, to carry a gray storage container. The kit includes the figures of a driver, and the truck’s doors open so he can be seated inside. As the truck is rarer than the Maersk Line ship, its value, if you can find one, is considerably higher.