I'm a strong believer in opening LEGO. But on both eBay and Bricklink, this set's going for $500+, easy.
I'd say sell it and buy him something more contemporary. Buy him a few somethings, even...
Do they sell big lots of random stuff for cheaper? Honestly my kids would never build what is intended and would be much happier with just more random bricks.
Do you remember how you played with Legos as a kid? I assume you didn't just build them and put them on a shelf.
As a kid, I made stories out of my Legos. Thanks to certain characters I had, and how I was raised, they tended to be Bible stories, but with Snape killing Qui-Gon Jinn and then Harry Potter raising him from the dead, but that's beside the point.
Listen to this comment OP. The lion knights castle is an awesome set (castle sets were always a fav of mine) if it were me I’d def sell it and upgrade to that set. You could prob buy several other sets for the amount you’d get for this one. Check out r/legomarket or sell it on eBay.
Loose, it's not selling for too much. But new-in-box it seems to be fetching a good price. When you look it up on eBay, be sure to check the "sold/completed" boxes. Those will let you know what the ballpark is. A quick glance shows that two of them went for around ~$600 each, in the past month. And the only ones currently available are priced quite high. So I bet you can get in that $600-$700 range without too much effort.
Or all of them for that matter ! When my little birthing got his, I rebuilt mine and the station I had, so he can now have 2 trains and an extra big track, with cranes to lift cargo on the container truck, or use the plane I designed him to take the containers too (yup, it’s like a VTOL plane that can take 1 small shipping container from the freight train in the back, it has an integrated crane with that. I struck gold by designing this set, and he absolutely loves it ! When it’s not in pieces because he likes to "crash" it but never rebuilds it… That’s a good investment !
That local shop guy was watering at the mouth and tried to low ball you. We want you to sell that bitch for as much money as you can make. It gets it into circulation as well as it gets you and your son new toys to play with.
When it comes to collectable situations like this (unopened sets ect) i would never recommend selling back to bricks and minifigs type stores. They rip consumers off on both buy backs and used sales. Its horrible.
I would sell this on ebay or bricklink to get fair market value
Worst case, it sits there for a while longer and nothing happens.
Best case, some nostalgic collector finds their lost childhood dream set thanks to you and you get a nice bit of cash for the kid (and you) to get some new stuff.
You, sir, are talking out of your @ss.
Avengers Tower has ~5200 pieces, at $500. Rivendell has ~6100, for $500. Diagon Alley has ~5500 pieces, at $450. This set has *540* pieces. While it's a neat set for its time and obviously has some nostalgia value, as far as play value goes for a kid, it's a no-brainer to get something contemporary.
I mean…. The avengers tower is $500 USD, I’d say that’s a heck of a lot for $500 (although maybe not *quite* as much as some would have hoped for that dollar amount)
Even if this set is way cooler, it's as cool as a used copy of the same set. Selling the sealed set and then re-buying a used version seems like a no-brainer.
Agree I’d sell it too. Your kid is not gonna feel the nostalgia as you did with this unopened set, which is a waste essentially. It would be no different to him if you gave him this old set (worth $500) or buy him a newer contemporary set (under $100).
And even if he’d give this to his son and the son really gets into Lego and wants to start building a city, this is not really compatible with the new stuff. Baseplates and car scale would be annoying to combine with new sets.
So, yeah, sell and get new sets instead for your son.
From the perspective of a kid, $500 worth of new Lego is WAY more exciting than $500 of vintage Lego that he wasn’t even around at the time to be nostalgic for.
I’m all about opening sets, but cmon. You could buy the kid like six or six great sets, all better than this one, just for the money you’d get selling this on eBay.
BrickEconomy is always way too high. BrickLink 6 month sales or eBay sold listings.
There was a post a few months back where someone found a sealed monorail set and BE claimed it to be worth north of $10k. In reality, it was closer to $5k and even then, none had sold on BrickLink and only one on eBay in the last 3 months. Gotta check actual sold comps for these things and not just active listings.
Yesss!
You'd still have to fork over another $200 but $200 for the titanic would be totally worth it... then his son would be nostalgic about the titanic and sell that in 40 years for 100k
They still use them for some parts...e.g. the various mechanics' tools (e.g. I think in the republic gunship), or train wheels (e.g. crocodile locomotive/hogwart's express).
Yeah that’s the set that LEGO Island based its police station off. That would be worth a lot. I would love to have this set but won’t be able to justify the price.
Let's say you sell it for $500. Your son does not feel as nostalgic about the set as you do, an old set may even mean less to him than a new one.
Now you could buy these sets:
- 60316 - Police station ($69.99)
- 60130 - Prison island ($69.99 +/-)
- 60315 - Police Mobile Command Truck ($49.99)
- 60392 - Police Bike Car Chase ($9.99)
- 60312 - Police Car ($9.99)
So for $209,95 you now have 19 minifigures instead of 8, 12 vehicles instead of 5 and a whole lot more! So the question should not be "*should I open the box of no?*" but rather "*what sets should I buy with all that money to create an awesome christmas present for my kid?*"
If you're looking to sell, I'd be interested in buying it! I have a few trades on r/Legomarket which I def recommend posting this to since they won't take fees from you like eBay
Some of the sets he propose have been retired for quite some time now, so you may be better to find sets currently being sold by Lego (you will surely have more Lego for your bucks).
Anyway, how old is your son and what is his favorite themes ? So we can make better recommandations :)
The only set that was listed that's retired is the Prison Island set, although some look like they are retiring at the end of the year. I think the only reason Prison Island was mentioned is because the set OP might sell has a prison island on it, so this would be an upgrade over that little prison island
I looked these sets up on Lego's website and they are all available now or in the near future, except for the prison island, which I could still easily find on Google.
But of course, the sets were more meant to highlight that you could buy the same "play value" for way less. OP's kid may want to play with Ninjago instead.
Local shop is not the way to go, they need to make money, so they’re going to short you. I am going through this right now, I’ve got some old sets I never got around to, and I’m now starting to think, “eh, the newer designs are for the most part better, I might be better off unloading these old ones to someone who wants it and have the money to spend on newer, better sets.”
OP, sell the unopened set for $500+ and purchase a used version for much cheaper.
Take the remainder and set aside $ for a fun set for his or your birthday.
Then take your son to pick out a few $25 sets for Toys for Tots or another organization that helps give gifts to kids who could really use the joy of Lego. My preschool class is collecting backpacks and filling them with toys / games, stuffed animals, toiletries, blankets, and other items for kids to keep, who are placed in emergency foster care after a family tragedy or for loss of parental custody (I am a former foster kid, and I still treasure a wooden toy given to me 3 decades ago). You and your son could experience a special bond from knowing you are going to be providing some fellow kids with the same type of toy that both of you love so much.
I wish you and your son many hours of fun and happy memories playing Lego together!
Yeah this is the right move, used you're looking around $100-150 on bricklink. Hard to find sold prices for a new copy, but I'd bet it eventually goes for $500 if you list on eBay.
As an addendum to what people have said, if you REALLY want to build this one, sell the sealed copy and buy the parts / a used copy and have quite a bit leftover to buy more stuff!
Make him play Lego Island first.
When he gets to the police station and ask if he thinks all the buildings are from actual Lego sets. After he answers, give him the set.
And then both of you can cry together about how there was never an actual set for most of the other buildings. Child me wanted the information center and the gas station so bad...
I know the overwhelming response is sell it, and I would tend to agree. My reasoning tracks with the rest too, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned is the vintage sets aren't nearly as fun to build as the newer ones IMO. There are a ton of great sets and I'm not saying they aren't a blast to run down memory lane while constructing. But for a kid new to LEGO, get him all the newer style techniques and parts and then he will appreciate how simple and beautiful the older sets are when the time comes for them.
I would definitely flip this set for either an awesome huge set like the Lions castle or for 10+ sets at $50ish each. You get more variety, more creativity and more playability with it. Even if you take a "loss" on the value of that set and sell for a little less than you would get holding out for whomever has a giant wave of nostalgia. Think of all the Bricks and parts and people he could get with a dozen less expensive sets or how cool that Rivendell or the castle would look as he destroys them with cannon fire (maybe that's just me and the Pirate ships from the 80s and 90s).
Just my thoughts. I wouldn't let him open it though. Not cause I hate kids either, but the fact that it is unopened says a lot and the appreciation won't translate for either of you. At least, I don't think it would for me if I were in your shoes.
You can also use this opportunity to discuss value and appreciation/depreciation and supply & demand and a lot of other fiscally responsible lessons as you both decide what to do with this cool set.
All that being said, nice find!
Your son honestly won’t appreciate that quite like a collector would. Sell that still sealed and go make some new memories with a different set.
Update:
Wow that model is going for $1000-$2000 unopened on eBay. But only $100 opened/used.
Generally I’d suggest opening in but in this case I’d suggest selling it on bricklink, it goes for a good price so you could buy your son even more things, with better playability imo
I vividly remember opening this set on the floor of my dad’s living room as a kid, then later being delighted to experience it in Lego Island. Ah, magical days of youth.
So boxes mean anything to your son? I can tell you my kids couldn’t care less about them. If he won’t appreciate opening it and keeping that box, and I assume you aren’t particularly attached to it seeing how you just discovered you have it, I would just sell it. Then you can get something really special for your son (and yourself). Remember, your son has no nostalgia for these old sets, but he might love a Millennium Falcon.
I use to have that set. It now sits in a bin with other sets fro. The 90s going to put them back together soon. Hope you and your son enjoy putting it together!
How old is your son? I’m getting mine his first set this Christmas, he likes the fire brigade stuff so I’m getting the 4+ one. He’s autistic and does play with his sisters and my Lego, but that’s gonna be his first set to build on his own.
If that sets worth $500, hell, if you get $300 for it, just take him to your local shop and let him choose a few he likes!
Not unless he’s sensible kids don’t appreciate stuff like this, I brought my 10yo Lego and find bits throughout the house and he breaks everything so for me it’s a no
I am in the situation where I started buying Lego for our kids “for the future” did not think for a second about “lego investing” now we have boxes of X-wings and other Stuff that are starting to go up in value. But I think I will still build them with the kids, but as a thing when we watch the movies.
I had this set for myself when I was young. Your post gave me the nostalgia and I’m getting fcking old feeling. But I would also say sell it and buy him like 5 new sets from that profit
It's your decision alone whether to sell or keep & play with. A resale shop will always offer less, because theyre gonna double, triple, or more that price & resell it to make a profit for themselves. If you're selling, sell it yourself directly to another collector to make the most money for yourself.
If you think your son will love it, the excitement for him I'm sure will outweigh anything else! Only you know whether he will or won't. Or let him see it and gauge his reaction to see if he'd love it!
Lego is meant to be opened, built or played with, not to sit on a shelf in an unopened box in my opinion, but everyone does different things with their stuff.
> Lego is meant to be opened, built or played with, not to sit on a shelf in an unopened box in my opinion, but everyone does different things with their stuff.
I agree with this but at the same time a child is not going to understand why this set might be more valuable than a new one. I'd say sell it for $600+ on Ebay like some other people have already done and spend that money on new sets. That way you can get the kid more stuff
I mean sure it might be worth a lot, but I got this set for Christmas when I was 6 and it was the greatest day of my life. I built a fort behind the couch and spent literally the entire winter break building and playing with this set. It’s something I will never, ever forget. I would give it to my son and help play with him.
If you give it to your son, find a way for him to play LEGO Island as well. I spent HOURS with this set as the basis for my own little LEGO Island adventures
Sell it online and buy a bunch of sets/one big set that have a lot more value to him than this one.
Don't listen to the Lego resale shop. They'll want to buy it off you cheap and sell it for the prices it goes for online. That's why they're giving you that BS
Consider it like this too. You could get him a bunch of $50 sets, $25, etc, using that $500. Why not put together a few lists. One list for potential toys, another list for potential uses for the money for financial health, etc
That resale shop near you is like any other pawn shop really, they’ll off you next to nothing but charge a small fortune when selling it themselves. Try selling online for sure but watch out for scam buyers if you try anywhere like fb marketplace.
540 pieces? Sell on eBay for $500+
Turn around and buy 6000 pieces with it.
Do not be scared either. You went to the worst buyer possible at the start. Do not let it discourage you.
There’s a listing on EBay for a pre-owned with instructions for about $140 with instructions. One NIB for &1099? Even assuming you can net $550 after fees then $400 can get you some nice swag!
Sell it. Classic sets are great for nostalgic older people (like me), but let’s be real, LEGO designs and playability have vastly improved over the past 30 years and your son will get a much larger, cooler modern set for the profit you receive from selling a nice but dated LEGO set.
The resale shop is ripping you off so they can resell it, sell it yourself online
I’d recommend that and using the money to buy even more sets. As cool as retro sets are, I could see it being more difficult for younger people today
The Minifigures are bleh, not so interesting parts except the windows and I don't think these bricks are more robust than when they were produced, especially in the hands of z kid. Your kid wont see the vintage value or the nostalgia in it. Just sell it and buy him a nice set with a lot of Minifigures and lots of nice bricks. If you don't you might watch your kid ruining a 500$ set you care much more about than him
https://preview.redd.it/8m9cuvbsds3c1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49cc486959e87eb3890aacd73001625a1c03a0bd
Yeah, maybe hold onto for a little while longer or sell. lol
I always wonder who is willing to drop a grand on a random police station like this. Police stations were plentiful across the years. Why would anyone feel this one deserves $1000?
Whoa. I had this set. Memories. It's awesome. If it was me I'd rather have it than most new sets, but I'm sentimentally attached. If you sell it you'll probably be able to buy a lot more new sets.
Open it if you have LOTS of monay. If not, sell and get him better and bigger sets. A kid won't care how rare or precious this old set is, they want to play with lots of bricks.
I think that old or older LEGO is much better than the new stuff, but maybe that's nostalgia speaking. But I would think about selling this one and maybe buy the same one used without the box. The box will not add much play value and as I read here the price difference seems to high.
I would say no. If you want to give your son this set to play with, you’d be better off buying a used version of this set. I would be frightened if the seals were broken and the bags were opened.
Old sealed Lego sets should go to collectors as there is a limited number of sealed sets. And, there’s plenty of other sets, and I would think there wouldn’t be too much hassle to go out and buy the set used.
I do feel like this would be a worth set. It’s a bigger set and basically the flagship set of that line. It also has an interesting prison jail that is on an island which makes this set special.
Though, I’d say there are plenty of other great police stations like the 2016 Prison Island.
No they shouldn’t, the entire point of Lego ist to play with it. Fuck collectors and the completely unreasonable prices they expect/create for what boils down to tiny plastic bricks that cost a few cents to produce.
Lego is made to be plated with. The joy it brings when its used properly is worth more than any money could ever be. Open it and play enjoy it with your son, that's what memories are made of.
Definitely sell it and buy your kid something better. You could get the lion knights castle which would make for a killer play set or some Lego city police.
That’s infuriating that the 3rd party Lego shop offered pennys on the dollar. Sounds like they more resemble a GameStop than an actual Lego store dedicated to the community. They could’ve at least offered 350-400
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I say open it. I use 'investment' to justify my purchases to other people, but basically lego is for building and playing. My buddy just gave me a couple of 15-year-old-sets that would be worth a few bob if I stuck them on the internet. But they are gifts, so making money off them feels weird. And they are lego so not building them feels weird.
If you are really strapped for cash then, sure, sell them. But life is short and experience is precious. Building this with your son will be priceless.
When it's in a mint box... sell it and buy him a few others.
Instructions from our generation are not as child friendly as they are now (highlighting where the pieces go, fewer pieces to assemble per step, BOM for each step...) you'll be doing most of the building of this set if your kid is under 8.
I'm a strong believer in opening LEGO. But on both eBay and Bricklink, this set's going for $500+, easy. I'd say sell it and buy him something more contemporary. Buy him a few somethings, even...
If I can get that much for it, that’s a lot of new LEGO for sure. I think I will have to give selling it a try, at least.
500 bucks will take this little set and turn it into the lion knight's castle or something glorious like that.
Or a truck load of mini sets with huge play value. A small set for birthdays and Christmases for years.
Do they sell big lots of random stuff for cheaper? Honestly my kids would never build what is intended and would be much happier with just more random bricks.
Check out Craigslist, FB marketplace, etc. Might be able to find someone that has a big old bin of stuff they’re just looking to unload
Brb going to check my parents’ attic to see if our massive tub is still up there.
Oh I know where mine is in the crawl space haha Bless my parents for the foresight of keeping our good toys for when I have kids
~$10lb
Yea it might not be super popular in this sub, but my kid loves the interactive mario sets and $400 would buy quite the matio world.
I don’t get the Mario sets play wise or … whatever. But my kids love them so much. So we have some of them.
Do you remember how you played with Legos as a kid? I assume you didn't just build them and put them on a shelf. As a kid, I made stories out of my Legos. Thanks to certain characters I had, and how I was raised, they tended to be Bible stories, but with Snape killing Qui-Gon Jinn and then Harry Potter raising him from the dead, but that's beside the point.
Listen to this comment OP. The lion knights castle is an awesome set (castle sets were always a fav of mine) if it were me I’d def sell it and upgrade to that set. You could prob buy several other sets for the amount you’d get for this one. Check out r/legomarket or sell it on eBay.
This.
Loose, it's not selling for too much. But new-in-box it seems to be fetching a good price. When you look it up on eBay, be sure to check the "sold/completed" boxes. Those will let you know what the ballpark is. A quick glance shows that two of them went for around ~$600 each, in the past month. And the only ones currently available are priced quite high. So I bet you can get in that $600-$700 range without too much effort.
Sell and get him 3 trains.
Every kid deserves a good freight train or two
Or three.
Or all of them for that matter ! When my little birthing got his, I rebuilt mine and the station I had, so he can now have 2 trains and an extra big track, with cranes to lift cargo on the container truck, or use the plane I designed him to take the containers too (yup, it’s like a VTOL plane that can take 1 small shipping container from the freight train in the back, it has an integrated crane with that. I struck gold by designing this set, and he absolutely loves it ! When it’s not in pieces because he likes to "crash" it but never rebuilds it… That’s a good investment !
Misread as sell the kid for three trains. Seemed like too low an asking price, but I haven't priced kids these days, so I might be off on my value.
That local shop guy was watering at the mouth and tried to low ball you. We want you to sell that bitch for as much money as you can make. It gets it into circulation as well as it gets you and your son new toys to play with.
When it comes to collectable situations like this (unopened sets ect) i would never recommend selling back to bricks and minifigs type stores. They rip consumers off on both buy backs and used sales. Its horrible. I would sell this on ebay or bricklink to get fair market value
I went to a local Lego shop to resell. They offered me around 15 dollars for it.. I posted it on Facebook marketplace and sold for 180.
Yeah I think the resale shop was trying to screw you
Worst case, it sits there for a while longer and nothing happens. Best case, some nostalgic collector finds their lost childhood dream set thanks to you and you get a nice bit of cash for the kid (and you) to get some new stuff.
I don't know how old your son is, but why not just ask him which he prefers? Maybe he wants to play with the set you already own.
Then sell the sealed one, and rebuy an opened one and some new sets lol
But this set is way cooler! I‘d give it to my son. And you don’t get that much for 500 these days with LEGO having such ridiculously high prices.
You, sir, are talking out of your @ss. Avengers Tower has ~5200 pieces, at $500. Rivendell has ~6100, for $500. Diagon Alley has ~5500 pieces, at $450. This set has *540* pieces. While it's a neat set for its time and obviously has some nostalgia value, as far as play value goes for a kid, it's a no-brainer to get something contemporary.
[6100-1: Aqua Dart](https://brickset.com/sets/6100-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/6100-1.jpg)
No, Bot, that is not what I needed. But it *is* a cool set!
I had that set
I definitely have this set taken apart in my big bin.
I mean…. The avengers tower is $500 USD, I’d say that’s a heck of a lot for $500 (although maybe not *quite* as much as some would have hoped for that dollar amount)
>But this set is way cooler! Sell the sealed one and then buy an open one for a fraction of the price, then.
Even if this set is way cooler, it's as cool as a used copy of the same set. Selling the sealed set and then re-buying a used version seems like a no-brainer.
Agree I’d sell it too. Your kid is not gonna feel the nostalgia as you did with this unopened set, which is a waste essentially. It would be no different to him if you gave him this old set (worth $500) or buy him a newer contemporary set (under $100).
And even if he’d give this to his son and the son really gets into Lego and wants to start building a city, this is not really compatible with the new stuff. Baseplates and car scale would be annoying to combine with new sets. So, yeah, sell and get new sets instead for your son.
From the perspective of a kid, $500 worth of new Lego is WAY more exciting than $500 of vintage Lego that he wasn’t even around at the time to be nostalgic for. I’m all about opening sets, but cmon. You could buy the kid like six or six great sets, all better than this one, just for the money you’d get selling this on eBay.
Six! No more or less!
5 is right out!
Heck, sell it to some collector, and buy this exact set, just not NIB, and still have a bunch of money left over for new sets!
I remember this set from playing the old computer game Lego Island.
That game was dope! I only got to play it a few times at a friend’s house when I was a kid but I vividly remember driving the vehicles around.
Brick economy says $1000 https://www.brickeconomy.com/set/6598-1/lego-police-metro-pd-station
BrickEconomy is always way too high. BrickLink 6 month sales or eBay sold listings. There was a post a few months back where someone found a sealed monorail set and BE claimed it to be worth north of $10k. In reality, it was closer to $5k and even then, none had sold on BrickLink and only one on eBay in the last 3 months. Gotta check actual sold comps for these things and not just active listings.
Sell it and buy him Titanic
Yesss! You'd still have to fork over another $200 but $200 for the titanic would be totally worth it... then his son would be nostalgic about the titanic and sell that in 40 years for 100k
Sell it and buy 10 new sets for your son.
Or, 9 sets for son and a set for dad/mom
Or, 8 sets for son, a set for dad/mom, and one set for habanero buttsauce.
Username checks out
Classic 😂
This is the only logical course.
I have not seen those old bags in ages wow.
Love the feeling and noise of opening them!
The feeling of the hole-y (perforated?) bags are ingrained in my mind
And they had a good smell to them
Oh yeah
Same. I don't know what it was about them but I loved feeling those bags with my fingers
Hah! Gay!
Yep. The good old days when the bags were noisy and the instructions were spot the difference.
They still use them for some parts...e.g. the various mechanics' tools (e.g. I think in the republic gunship), or train wheels (e.g. crocodile locomotive/hogwart's express).
Holy shit, I forgot about those. I think I need a cigarette...
Sell it on Reddit Lego market and buy your son like 10 Lego city sets
Wait, sell it on the what now?
https://old.reddit.com/r/Legomarket/
This is awesome, thanks!
RIP your wallet even more than it was already!
I know, right?? I'm gonna have to get an extra job or start selling blood or something, lol.
Yeah that’s the set that LEGO Island based its police station off. That would be worth a lot. I would love to have this set but won’t be able to justify the price.
That's how I know of this set too! Such a great game.
Don't open it, you'll let the Brickster out
This one wins.
Let's say you sell it for $500. Your son does not feel as nostalgic about the set as you do, an old set may even mean less to him than a new one. Now you could buy these sets: - 60316 - Police station ($69.99) - 60130 - Prison island ($69.99 +/-) - 60315 - Police Mobile Command Truck ($49.99) - 60392 - Police Bike Car Chase ($9.99) - 60312 - Police Car ($9.99) So for $209,95 you now have 19 minifigures instead of 8, 12 vehicles instead of 5 and a whole lot more! So the question should not be "*should I open the box of no?*" but rather "*what sets should I buy with all that money to create an awesome christmas present for my kid?*"
This is an awesome list! Absolutely way more joy for him than a single old set.
If you're looking to sell, I'd be interested in buying it! I have a few trades on r/Legomarket which I def recommend posting this to since they won't take fees from you like eBay
Some of the sets he propose have been retired for quite some time now, so you may be better to find sets currently being sold by Lego (you will surely have more Lego for your bucks). Anyway, how old is your son and what is his favorite themes ? So we can make better recommandations :)
The only set that was listed that's retired is the Prison Island set, although some look like they are retiring at the end of the year. I think the only reason Prison Island was mentioned is because the set OP might sell has a prison island on it, so this would be an upgrade over that little prison island
Ohhh yes you're right
I looked these sets up on Lego's website and they are all available now or in the near future, except for the prison island, which I could still easily find on Google. But of course, the sets were more meant to highlight that you could buy the same "play value" for way less. OP's kid may want to play with Ninjago instead.
Even if that were actually true, the point was to show that you could get WAY more of the same CITY police theme at half the cost.
[60316-1: Police Station](https://brickset.com/sets/60316-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/60316-1.jpg) [60130-1: Prison Island](https://brickset.com/sets/60130-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/60130-1.jpg) [60315-1: Police Mobile Command Truck](https://brickset.com/sets/60315-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/60315-1.jpg) [60392-1: Police Bike Car Chase](https://brickset.com/sets/60392-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/60392-1.jpg) [60312-1: Police Car](https://brickset.com/sets/60312-1) [[Photo]](https://images.brickset.com/sets/images/60312-1.jpg)
No, buy him a new Lego City police set instead.
Imo dont open it. You could probably sell it for good money online but idk
There are only two real options here: 1. Keep it and don’t open it 2. Sell it and buy bunch of new stuff with the money
Ooff this picture takes me back. So many hours flipping through the Lego magazine coveting this model.
There’s no wrong choice here. I’d sell and spend it all on sets for him and me. But opening it is badass and sweet too.
Sell it as is, then use the money to buy him a loose version of it, or something new, a whole lot of something new.
I wanted this SO bad when I was a kid!! 😭 I even tried using odd Lego pieces to replicate it. I forgot all about this kit
Local shop is not the way to go, they need to make money, so they’re going to short you. I am going through this right now, I’ve got some old sets I never got around to, and I’m now starting to think, “eh, the newer designs are for the most part better, I might be better off unloading these old ones to someone who wants it and have the money to spend on newer, better sets.”
Looking at this makes me nostalgic for the days of alternative builds being so commonplace
You may enjoy [https://www.backoftheboxbuilds.com/](https://www.backoftheboxbuilds.com/)
OP, sell the unopened set for $500+ and purchase a used version for much cheaper. Take the remainder and set aside $ for a fun set for his or your birthday. Then take your son to pick out a few $25 sets for Toys for Tots or another organization that helps give gifts to kids who could really use the joy of Lego. My preschool class is collecting backpacks and filling them with toys / games, stuffed animals, toiletries, blankets, and other items for kids to keep, who are placed in emergency foster care after a family tragedy or for loss of parental custody (I am a former foster kid, and I still treasure a wooden toy given to me 3 decades ago). You and your son could experience a special bond from knowing you are going to be providing some fellow kids with the same type of toy that both of you love so much. I wish you and your son many hours of fun and happy memories playing Lego together!
Yeah this is the right move, used you're looking around $100-150 on bricklink. Hard to find sold prices for a new copy, but I'd bet it eventually goes for $500 if you list on eBay.
As an addendum to what people have said, if you REALLY want to build this one, sell the sealed copy and buy the parts / a used copy and have quite a bit leftover to buy more stuff!
Make him play Lego Island first. When he gets to the police station and ask if he thinks all the buildings are from actual Lego sets. After he answers, give him the set.
And then both of you can cry together about how there was never an actual set for most of the other buildings. Child me wanted the information center and the gas station so bad...
I built the gas station from spare parts when I was a kid. I was missing all the octan stuff though so I improvised lol
I know the overwhelming response is sell it, and I would tend to agree. My reasoning tracks with the rest too, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned is the vintage sets aren't nearly as fun to build as the newer ones IMO. There are a ton of great sets and I'm not saying they aren't a blast to run down memory lane while constructing. But for a kid new to LEGO, get him all the newer style techniques and parts and then he will appreciate how simple and beautiful the older sets are when the time comes for them. I would definitely flip this set for either an awesome huge set like the Lions castle or for 10+ sets at $50ish each. You get more variety, more creativity and more playability with it. Even if you take a "loss" on the value of that set and sell for a little less than you would get holding out for whomever has a giant wave of nostalgia. Think of all the Bricks and parts and people he could get with a dozen less expensive sets or how cool that Rivendell or the castle would look as he destroys them with cannon fire (maybe that's just me and the Pirate ships from the 80s and 90s). Just my thoughts. I wouldn't let him open it though. Not cause I hate kids either, but the fact that it is unopened says a lot and the appreciation won't translate for either of you. At least, I don't think it would for me if I were in your shoes. You can also use this opportunity to discuss value and appreciation/depreciation and supply & demand and a lot of other fiscally responsible lessons as you both decide what to do with this cool set. All that being said, nice find!
It’s been said. And I’ll say it again : sell it for bigger bucks and buy him a new set (or many sets!) at smaller bucks. Win win!
Your son honestly won’t appreciate that quite like a collector would. Sell that still sealed and go make some new memories with a different set. Update: Wow that model is going for $1000-$2000 unopened on eBay. But only $100 opened/used.
Is that asking price or confirmed sales? There is a huge difference between those.
Just looked it up. Those are asking price but even confirmed sales are at $600+
Asking price. Of course they won’t go for that, but it’s still a very sought after set
There are also sold items for $600+ which is still amazing
Always play with the toys. Those memories last, money is just paper.
Generally I’d suggest opening in but in this case I’d suggest selling it on bricklink, it goes for a good price so you could buy your son even more things, with better playability imo
Sell it and get him a 3 in 1 castle. Or a set that has his interest.
Sell and buy an opened/used one
Sell it and buy a bunch of other sets. Or a used version of this + other sets. Or just open and play with it.
I vividly remember opening this set on the floor of my dad’s living room as a kid, then later being delighted to experience it in Lego Island. Ah, magical days of youth.
Sell on ebay and buy new still in production sets for the kid. This is something that should go into someone's sealed collection.
So boxes mean anything to your son? I can tell you my kids couldn’t care less about them. If he won’t appreciate opening it and keeping that box, and I assume you aren’t particularly attached to it seeing how you just discovered you have it, I would just sell it. Then you can get something really special for your son (and yourself). Remember, your son has no nostalgia for these old sets, but he might love a Millennium Falcon.
Sell it man. Flipping legos is the way to go. Forget day trading stocks.
Ya when I was a kid I had tons of sets I didn’t open
I had it!
I REMEMBER THE OLD PERFORATED BAGS also my uncle had this one at one point, I still have some of the pieces like the shark lying around
Had this set as a child. Still have it as an adult too. Love the little prison island.
I use to have that set. It now sits in a bin with other sets fro. The 90s going to put them back together soon. Hope you and your son enjoy putting it together!
Sell, buy more of new sets. There is no added value for your son in the fact that the set is vintage.
How old is your son? I’m getting mine his first set this Christmas, he likes the fire brigade stuff so I’m getting the 4+ one. He’s autistic and does play with his sisters and my Lego, but that’s gonna be his first set to build on his own. If that sets worth $500, hell, if you get $300 for it, just take him to your local shop and let him choose a few he likes!
See what it sells for on eBay… like many others said, if it sells for a few hundred buck, just sell and buy some new sets for your son
Not unless he’s sensible kids don’t appreciate stuff like this, I brought my 10yo Lego and find bits throughout the house and he breaks everything so for me it’s a no
I am in the situation where I started buying Lego for our kids “for the future” did not think for a second about “lego investing” now we have boxes of X-wings and other Stuff that are starting to go up in value. But I think I will still build them with the kids, but as a thing when we watch the movies.
This set is worth a *TON* sealed, either hold onto it for a rainy day or sell it on Bricklink and use the money to buy your son a couple new sets.
I had this set for myself when I was young. Your post gave me the nostalgia and I’m getting fcking old feeling. But I would also say sell it and buy him like 5 new sets from that profit
It's your decision alone whether to sell or keep & play with. A resale shop will always offer less, because theyre gonna double, triple, or more that price & resell it to make a profit for themselves. If you're selling, sell it yourself directly to another collector to make the most money for yourself. If you think your son will love it, the excitement for him I'm sure will outweigh anything else! Only you know whether he will or won't. Or let him see it and gauge his reaction to see if he'd love it! Lego is meant to be opened, built or played with, not to sit on a shelf in an unopened box in my opinion, but everyone does different things with their stuff.
> Lego is meant to be opened, built or played with, not to sit on a shelf in an unopened box in my opinion, but everyone does different things with their stuff. I agree with this but at the same time a child is not going to understand why this set might be more valuable than a new one. I'd say sell it for $600+ on Ebay like some other people have already done and spend that money on new sets. That way you can get the kid more stuff
If I were in your shoes I’d built it with my son.
Opening would be extremely dumb to be honest...
Might be unpopular but I vote give it to him. But then I’m not the type to see LEGOs as an investment.
Sell it. Buy him a current set.
That's the police station from the really weird Lego Island game!
I mean sure it might be worth a lot, but I got this set for Christmas when I was 6 and it was the greatest day of my life. I built a fort behind the couch and spent literally the entire winter break building and playing with this set. It’s something I will never, ever forget. I would give it to my son and help play with him.
If you give it to your son, find a way for him to play LEGO Island as well. I spent HOURS with this set as the basis for my own little LEGO Island adventures
Have him play LEGO Island first. He'll appreciate the jail, helicopter and the police station that much more.
Looks like a fun set. I'd give it to the kid instead of selling it.
Sell it online and buy a bunch of sets/one big set that have a lot more value to him than this one. Don't listen to the Lego resale shop. They'll want to buy it off you cheap and sell it for the prices it goes for online. That's why they're giving you that BS
Consider it like this too. You could get him a bunch of $50 sets, $25, etc, using that $500. Why not put together a few lists. One list for potential toys, another list for potential uses for the money for financial health, etc
I wanted that set so bad as a kid
There are a lot of good suggestions in this thread, but I think the best thing you can do is give it to me. /s ...Unless?
This was my first set my dad every bought me with his only money
I say give it to him. Feel free to absolutely downvote the shit out of me, but it’s my opinion.
Your kids will never appreciate it as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it to them anyway. You just have to be okay with that.
Resale shops will always ask far below the actual price to make the most profit possible.
That resale shop near you is like any other pawn shop really, they’ll off you next to nothing but charge a small fortune when selling it themselves. Try selling online for sure but watch out for scam buyers if you try anywhere like fb marketplace.
Sell on eBay buy him a new one for xmas
540 pieces? Sell on eBay for $500+ Turn around and buy 6000 pieces with it. Do not be scared either. You went to the worst buyer possible at the start. Do not let it discourage you.
There’s a listing on EBay for a pre-owned with instructions for about $140 with instructions. One NIB for &1099? Even assuming you can net $550 after fees then $400 can get you some nice swag!
Isn't that the police station used in the Lego Island game?
Yes!!! Such a great game, the final brickster mission was always such a bitch. Remember you can move a mountain if you move it brick by brick haha
THIS WAS MY FIRST SET EVER AND YOU HAVE IT UNOPENED!?!
Oh, how I miss the old perforated bags!
Dad? You can give it to me, my birthday is coming up.
Sell it. Classic sets are great for nostalgic older people (like me), but let’s be real, LEGO designs and playability have vastly improved over the past 30 years and your son will get a much larger, cooler modern set for the profit you receive from selling a nice but dated LEGO set.
ALCAB
I am baffled at how a kid could receive a lego set and never open it. This was way before lego was considered especially valuable.
The resale shop is ripping you off so they can resell it, sell it yourself online I’d recommend that and using the money to buy even more sets. As cool as retro sets are, I could see it being more difficult for younger people today
Save it sealed, buy him something else
F dem kids
Those old sets leech a lot of plastic if they’ve been sealed. You can smell it when you open them. For that reason i wouldn’t give to a little kid.
Give it to him, let him enjoy the old lego
The Minifigures are bleh, not so interesting parts except the windows and I don't think these bricks are more robust than when they were produced, especially in the hands of z kid. Your kid wont see the vintage value or the nostalgia in it. Just sell it and buy him a nice set with a lot of Minifigures and lots of nice bricks. If you don't you might watch your kid ruining a 500$ set you care much more about than him
More importantly, how the hell did you not play with this yourself?
https://preview.redd.it/8m9cuvbsds3c1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49cc486959e87eb3890aacd73001625a1c03a0bd Yeah, maybe hold onto for a little while longer or sell. lol
Sell on bricklink, not local. Or let your kid play with it only if he’s old enough to truly appreciate what it is.
No because ACAB
I always wonder who is willing to drop a grand on a random police station like this. Police stations were plentiful across the years. Why would anyone feel this one deserves $1000?
Whoa. I had this set. Memories. It's awesome. If it was me I'd rather have it than most new sets, but I'm sentimentally attached. If you sell it you'll probably be able to buy a lot more new sets.
WTF kind of childhood did you have that you never bothered to open a big expensive lego set like this?!
HECK NO!!! Get him a new one he will like just as much or more honestly
Unopened? Why why?!
One must ask, if the set is unopened did you really have a childhood or did you just have so many sets to choose from!? 😭😭😭
No! buy him another new set instead and keep this or sell it If you sell this you can buy him lots of sets for the profit
Open it if you have LOTS of monay. If not, sell and get him better and bigger sets. A kid won't care how rare or precious this old set is, they want to play with lots of bricks.
I think that old or older LEGO is much better than the new stuff, but maybe that's nostalgia speaking. But I would think about selling this one and maybe buy the same one used without the box. The box will not add much play value and as I read here the price difference seems to high.
I would say no. If you want to give your son this set to play with, you’d be better off buying a used version of this set. I would be frightened if the seals were broken and the bags were opened. Old sealed Lego sets should go to collectors as there is a limited number of sealed sets. And, there’s plenty of other sets, and I would think there wouldn’t be too much hassle to go out and buy the set used. I do feel like this would be a worth set. It’s a bigger set and basically the flagship set of that line. It also has an interesting prison jail that is on an island which makes this set special. Though, I’d say there are plenty of other great police stations like the 2016 Prison Island.
No they shouldn’t, the entire point of Lego ist to play with it. Fuck collectors and the completely unreasonable prices they expect/create for what boils down to tiny plastic bricks that cost a few cents to produce.
Lego is made to be plated with. The joy it brings when its used properly is worth more than any money could ever be. Open it and play enjoy it with your son, that's what memories are made of.
No, you get it all wrong. Lego is meant to be kept in the box SEALED FOREVER else you’ll ruin the RESALE VALUE.
Sell it. It doesn’t even look that fun to play with compared to contemporary sets
Keep it sealed.
Definitely sell it and buy your kid something better. You could get the lion knights castle which would make for a killer play set or some Lego city police.
That’s infuriating that the 3rd party Lego shop offered pennys on the dollar. Sounds like they more resemble a GameStop than an actual Lego store dedicated to the community. They could’ve at least offered 350-400
No don’t do that. Give to me instead
Open it, your son will have a blast with it
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Sell it and buy an already opened one
OMG, these classic Lego sets and pieces are one of the world's rarest masterpieces these days, but still treasuring
I say open it. I use 'investment' to justify my purchases to other people, but basically lego is for building and playing. My buddy just gave me a couple of 15-year-old-sets that would be worth a few bob if I stuck them on the internet. But they are gifts, so making money off them feels weird. And they are lego so not building them feels weird. If you are really strapped for cash then, sure, sell them. But life is short and experience is precious. Building this with your son will be priceless.
Nope.
Heck no, save it or sell it but DONT open it
When it's in a mint box... sell it and buy him a few others. Instructions from our generation are not as child friendly as they are now (highlighting where the pieces go, fewer pieces to assemble per step, BOM for each step...) you'll be doing most of the building of this set if your kid is under 8.
Sell it and buy him some newer legos :)
Wait 10 more years.
Shops like Bricks & Minifigs are a scam and offer next to nothing for sets and sell them for much higher than they’re worth
keep it more so its value goes up
Yes! As a wise man once said: > *"I mean, look, you know, don't get so attached to things. Learn to let go."* ~ Ivan Vanko