Where do Rare/HTF Parts come from?

[Haltiamieli]

What about this? Was browsing castle torsos the other day and came across this. It's labelled 'Knight's Kingdom', but it doesn't seem to appear in any sets. It was supposedly released in 2003, but this was the only castle released that year, and I don't think it appears in any of those.

It is from a key chain figure, afaik. There used to be one BL seller who had like hundreds of them and the price wasn't high either, but apparently their stock has run dry. Luckily I bought a few before they disappeared, though I'm starting to regret that I gave some of them away to a friend.

[CamelBoy68]

Here's another rare torso, the astronaut with NASA logo (only 3 available on BL - as a torso)

Torso Space Discovery, NASA Logo Pattern

It was the only torso included with the Discovery sets and features in Lunar Lander 10029.

[The Blue Brick]

It is from a key chain figure, afaik. There used to be one BL seller who had like hundreds of them and the price wasn't high either, but apparently their stock has run dry. Luckily I bought a few before they disappeared, though I'm starting to regret that I gave some of them away to a friend.

Here's another rare torso, the astronaut with NASA logo (only 3 available on BL - as a torso)

Torso Space Discovery, NASA Logo Pattern

It was the only torso included with the Discovery sets and features in Lunar Lander 10029.

I knew the Nasa torso was rare, but never knew about that wolfpack one. I'm lucky because I still have the Lunar set still in mint sealed box and two of the wolf pack torsos.

[Paul Boratko]

Here is a very rare part that someone is asking an insane amount for.

$1,897.00 each

You know... 1897 was the year that Abraham Stoker wrote the Gothic Novel Dracula...

[Athos]

Don't forget the perennial favorite: the Red Ghost.

And there is a yellow ghost, of which I was unaware...

Steve

[AmperZand]

I have a couple of red wizard hats. You can see one of mine here: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/AmperZand/Fantasy/wizards_witch_and_druid.jpg

Not super rare, but not that common either. I believe the wizard's hat in red never appeared in a set. I think they were test pieces for a new mould.

[Lasse]

Rare LEGO parts are always interesting.

I own some old rare multicolored LEGO bricks from the early 1950s:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5558741

I have been told, that this bricks were made, when there were changed colors in the molds, and they were sold cheap to the LEGO employees. Today they are very rare to find and very expensive.

[LEGO Historian]

Rare LEGO parts are always interesting.

I own some old rare multicolored LEGO bricks from the early 1950s:

http://www.brickshel...y.cgi?i=5558741

I have been told, that this bricks were made, when there were changed colors in the molds, and they were sold cheap to the LEGO employees. Today they are very rare to find and very expensive.

Very nice! Those "marbled" bricks were sold not only to the employees, but also to Danish retailers for sales to the public.

While the 2 color bricks indeed were color changes in the molds parts, the very fancy multi-colored marbled bricks were likely what I like to call "floor sweepings"... any spilled plastic pellets near the molding machines were likely swept up and washed (to remove impurities). Since TLG never threw anything away (and since plastic was a relatively expensive product in the 1950s)... they took a lot of these spilled pellets and used them for making "factory second" bricks.

An acquaintance at the LEGO Archives told me that they sold these marbled bricks cheaply to employees... but also to retailers for individual parts sales to customers at "8 øre" each in Denmark... while single color bricks were sold at "11 øre" each.

Ironically these "seconds" are highly collectible and prized by old LEGO collectors today!

By 1956 the slotted bricks were retired, and a new use was found for the "floor sweepings"... namely to make early LEGO trees/bushes. Those multicolored trees were painted green with brown bases, so no one would see the interesting color swirls (at least once TLG started painting the bottoms of the trees as well)...

TLG also eliminated the 2 color swirling bricks by using an "MRA"... or mold release agent... that was a chemical that prevented the colored "leftovers" from staying in the mold. So that eliminated those type of bricks as well.

My LEGO Collectors Guide E-Book shows many of these parts in the chapters on LEGO bricks and the chapter on LEGO Trees/Bushes.

Edited September 18, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[Kai NRG]

That's because you don't own a copy of my DVD/download E-Book.... Chapter 16 - LEGO Buckets & Storage Cases...

This case also comes in a lavender color from a USA exclusive variation of the 6271 Imperial Flagship Set

I think we have one of those in red. . . at least we used to. Didn't know it was rare!

I really couldn't say if I have any other rare pieces - who knows, I may have a few, but I don't think so!

[LEGO Historian]

Unfortunately....

The most common color for that case is red... followed by blue... the lavender is rare, and the black one rarer still.

[purpleparadox]

Rare LEGO parts are always interesting.

I own some old rare multicolored LEGO bricks from the early 1950s:

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=5558741

I have been told, that this bricks were made, when there were changed colors in the molds, and they were sold cheap to the LEGO employees. Today they are very rare to find and very expensive.

Those bricks are...beautiful! :wub: I would be absolutely thrilled to own of them.

[LEGO Historian]

I hope the admins don't mind me putting this here... it's just that some LEGO item has me stumped??

I can't remember where I got this, but it is made by TLG.... and they're Alphanumeric bricks similar to the Modulex adult architectural sets... but I'm not sure??

Never seen them before, and this has me scratching my head...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150904104504?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

[madoka]

It is from a key chain figure, afaik. There used to be one BL seller who had like hundreds of them and the price wasn't high either, but apparently their stock has run dry. Luckily I bought a few before they disappeared, though I'm starting to regret that I gave some of them away to a friend.

I'm kinda sad I only got 400 of those.

[Robominer]

Here is a very rare part that someone is asking an insane amount for.

$1,897.00 each

Turns out I have two of those. I could sell them both for $3,794.

[LEGO Historian]

Speaking of rare LEGO parts... here's what LEGO parts looked like from 1949-56.... (this is the underside) these are known as Automatic Binding Bricks from 1949-53 and LEGO Mursten until 1956)... these are also known as slotted bricks... where the thin windows and doors were held in place by the slots...

And in 1956 TLG started producing the classic LEGO windows/doors that no longer needed slots on the sides of bricks... the windows/doors now fit onto the studs. The 1956-58 windows/doors had solid studs... replaced with hollow studs in 1958. These are known as "hollow bottom" bricks...

Another oddity that was produced from1955-57 only were 1/2 macaroni bricks (with and without the notches on the sides)... as well as the regular (1/4) macaroni bricks, also with and without slots on the sides.

In 1957 only the 1/4 macaroni with the notches were continued... the other 3 types were permanently retired.

I just put these all out on Ebay as LEGO Mursten bricks..

[Canticleer blues]

Hey guys, I've recently acquired the following piece- a 3x4 33 degree slope piece with purple shingles pattern (3297)...in red.

(Click on the image above to see it larger)

Here's a 3/4 view.

And the bottom.

That number on the bottom reads '3 23 3297'.

Unusual, eh? My best guess is that it's a 'prototype' part used to test the shingles print, but I figured it'd be good to let some of you take a look at it and see what you can determine. For all I know it might not even be genuine.

[LEGO Historian]

Hey guys, I've recently acquired the following piece- a 3x4 33 degree slope piece with purple shingles pattern (3297)...in red.

(Click on the image above to see it larger)

Here's a 3/4 view.

And the bottom.

That number on the bottom reads '3 23 3297'.

Unusual, eh? My best guess is that it's a 'prototype' part used to test the shingles print, but I figured it'd be good to let some of you take a look at it and see what you can determine. For all I know it might not even be genuine.

Does it have a LEGO logo on all the studs? If not, it's not LEGO.

But you had me excited for a moment thinking that you had actually found one of these... a white brick with the red roof pattern (instead of purple).... this set was never produced (for Britain) and no examples of this white brick with red pattern are known....

[Canticleer blues]

Does it have a LEGO logo on all the studs? If not, it's not LEGO.

It does indeed have the word 'LEGO' written on every stud in the proper orientation, so that seems to check out.

But you had me excited for a moment thinking that you had actually found one of these... a white brick with the red roof pattern (instead of purple).... this set was never produced (for Britain) and no examples of this white brick with red pattern are known....

Yeah, to be honest that's most of the reason why I bought the piece- I was hoping the red would be in the pattern like in 6500. Despite that it's still very unique- it's not often you get genuine pattern test part, eh?

[LEGO Historian]

It does indeed have the word 'LEGO' written on every stud in the proper orientation, so that seems to check out.

Yeah, to be honest that's most of the reason why I bought the piece- I was hoping the red would be in the pattern like in 6500. Despite that it's still very unique- it's not often you get genuine pattern test part, eh?

It does appear that this may indeed have been a test piece! Red was the common color for test strikes. I have never seen a test strike for a decorated part, but that doesn't mean they didn't make them! They may just not have gotten out of the factory.

In this case the test was not the part... but the print... TLG may have just taken a regular 3x4 33 degree red slope, and tested out the pattern on some of them. It may have taken several tries to get the pattern right, and I don't think your piece is necessarily worn... it may just have been a non-complete patterning of the part. But I do believe you may have a nice patterned test piece!

What is odd is that this patterned piece (and its' 2x3 slope counterpart in white with purple tiles) was only ever used for the 4161 Pink Suitcase Set. I purchased 5 of those back in the 1990s, and the rare parts were those roof tiles, and the 1x6 white bricks with a flowered pattern arch imprinted.

Why they were both only in that 1 set is puzzling...

Edited September 25, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[andhe]

I'm kinda sad I only got 400 of those.

I'm guessing that's why the stock ran dry... I picked a few of the torsos up when they were quite cheap, so think I'll be hanging onto them!

I also have a black and a white version of the pony http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=30032

And a black polar bear http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=x206c01

I'm assuming they were production prototypes or something.

[LEGO Historian]

Prototypes, or "test strikes" are usually red. What some of those pieces could be is model shop inventory. The model shops got LEGO parts produced in colors not released in sets. And model shop excess inventory often find their way into PAB.

And then you have some weird parts, such as the Monarch's Ghost... which is known in its' regular fluorescent green hue, and 1/2 other rare colors...

Edited September 25, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[The Joker1]

WOW. The last few pages have reall fascinated me. Thanks to everyone who has made a contribution. And an extra thanks to lego historian who has taught me at least 5 things i never knew before .

[LEGO Historian]

LOL the Joker1.... you should get my 2800 page LEGO DVD download (over 6000 interesting/rare/historic images)....

Just ask anyone who owns a copy... the you would be able to about....

There's more lots more....

http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=73780

Edited September 29, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[LEGO Historian]

Believe it or not... this is the first time EVER that all of these very rare 1954-56 tall classic LEGO Panorama windows (1x6x4 instead of the normal 1x6x3)... have ever been seen together in all colors... (I did a cut/paste of 2 images)... these windows are so rare that the cheapest ones (red and white would likely go for about 25 Euros each, the blue and dark blue would likely go for about 50 Euros each... the rare yellow (Sweden only) ones would go for at least 80 Euros, and the very rare (Norway only) one would go for over 100 Euros.... Note the variations in the colors... (window images courtesy of Lothar and Jeroen).

These very rare windows are found in my LEGO DVD/download - Chapter 44.2 Early Classic LEGO Windows/Doors with Wings(1954-56). The Billund Archives was unaware of the yellow and green ones until I sent them an image. Just another of the thousands of LEGO things that you probably never knew about... in my LEGO collectors guide as download....

Edited September 29, 2012 by LEGO Historian

[Fugazi]

Merged with the existing discussion!