The Best LEGO Sets to Invest in that Retire in 2023

Welcome to version 1 of my 2023 hit list

Jan 19, 2023

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With 2022 out of the way and some profit in our pocket, it is now time to start looking at sets that retire in just under 12 months.

You can never start looking too early, even if we won’t be buying much in the first half of the year.

As a refresher, here is what I look for when picking the sets I want to invest in:

MSRP above $80 most of the time and almost always above $40
Low level of competition on Amazon
Average Amazon sales rank above 30,000 in toys/games

If you can find sets with all of these attributes combined, the returns are better on average.

That being said, I will break all of these rules under the condition that my cost basis is low enough.

If you find me a set that has an MSRP of $30 but I can buy it at $15, chances are high I that I would add it to the portfolio.

My 2023 Hit List

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve compiled sets into a list and then given them a tier rating of 1, 2, or 3 with tier 1 being the best.

This post will only include sets from Tier 1 but I will expand upon the list in future posts.

Important: The sets in this tier will change regularly based on the data. There is no guarantee any of them remain by year end.

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Star Wars

LEGO Star Wars Republic Gunship 75309

MSRP: $399.95
Target Price: < $350

This set has it all. Low competition on Amazon and a high price point.

It will be $1,000 a few years after it retires with ease.

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LEGO Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina 75290

MSRP: $399.95
Target Price: < $350

This set has the same characteristics as the one above. It checks all boxes.

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LEGO Star Wars at-at 75288

MSRP: $169.99
Target Price: < $135

This might be my favorite set on the entire list. I’m am strongly considering going DEEP on it.

It has a high price point, less sellers (right now) than the $400 Cantina set but it also sells like wildfire on Amazon.

It having 6 mini-figures is a nice bonus too.

Not to mention, it’s one of the most iconic objects in the Star Wars series.

There is nothing to hate about this. I love it.

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Marvel

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes The Guardians’ Ship 76193

MSRP: $159.99
Target Price: < $125

High price, low competition and 6 mini-figures. Solid set for investment.

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Harry Potter

LEGO Harry Potter The Ministry of Magic 76403

MSRP: $99.99
Target Price: < $80

9 mini-figures for under $100 makes for great investment alone. Not only that, but low competition on Amazon too.

I see this doing well.

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LEGO Harry Potter 12 Grimmauld Place 76408

MSRP: $119.99
Target Price: < $100

Tons of mini-figures, low competition, and a high price point. Do you understand the pattern now?

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Technic

MSRP: $119.99
Target Price: < $100

This one is an obvious choice. My only worry is that everyone else will know this is a great investment too.

Otherwise, it is setting up to be great.

Amazon has always had issues keeping it in stock. So much so, that I almost bought some of them in 2022.

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LEGO Technic Heavy-Duty Tow Truck 42128

MSRP: $159.99
Target Price: < $140

There is next to no competition on this one because Amazon has had a tough time keeping this in stock since it was released.

Resellers understand this and will continue to target it.

Once the market buys up their stocks leading up to retirement, the price will fly.

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Icons

LEGO Icons The Friends Apartments 10292

MSRP: $179.99
Target Price: < $150

This is one that I love but is an obvious investment choice. I suspect people will start hoarding this one towards the end of the year.

It has too much potential to avoid entirely though.

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LEGO Creator Expert Bookshop 10270

MSRP: $199.99
Target Price: < $160

Love everything about this one. Can’t wait to buy a bunch up.

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NINJAGO

LEGO Ninjago Ninja Ultra Combo Mech 71765

MSRP: $89.99
Target Price: < $70

Underrated set here. Great mini-figures and hardly any sellers whatsoever on Amazon.

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LEGO Ninjago Ninja Dojo Temple 71767

MSRP: $99.99
Target Price: < $80

Look at all those mini-figures. Need I say more?

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LEGO NINJAGO Lloyd’s Golden Ultra Dragon 71774

MSRP: $149.99
Target Price: < $130

This is my favorite of the NINJAGO bunch this year. Great sales rank for the price.

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Super Mario

LEGO Super Mario Nintendo Entertainment System 71374

MSRP: $269.95
Target Price: < $230

This is one that I think is painfully obvious, but it’s too good to ignore.

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Disney

LEGO Disney Princess: Frozen The Ice Castle 43197

MSRP: $219.99
Target Price: < $180

This one I don’t understand but the data says otherwise. We’ll rock with it for now.

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City

LEGO City Police Chase at The Bank 60317

MSRP: $99.95
Target Price: < $80

I like this one, but I wouldn’t go super deep on quantity. The Amazon sales rank is worse than I would like.

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LEGO City Fire Station 60320

MSRP: $69.99
Target Price: < $55

Fire department sets always do great. This one is no different.

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LEGO City Train Station 60335

MSRP: $99.99
Target Price: < $80

This might be my favorite from the City theme based on the data. It should do great.

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Friends

LEGO Friends Andrea’s Theater School 41714

MSRP: $99.99
Target Price: < $80

People hate on the Friends theme but it does well so I’ll keep investing in it. Competition on this is super low.

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LEGO Friends Horse Show Trailer 41722

MSRP: $99.99
Target Price: < $80

Next to no competition on this one too. Should do well long term.

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Minecraft

LEGO Minecraft The Llama Village 21188

MSRP: $129.99
Target Price: < $110

I don’t like most Minecraft sets for investing, especially the sets retiring in 2022. They suck compared to some of the original.

This one is good though.

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DUPLO

LEGO DUPLO Town Train Bridge and Tracks 10872

MSRP: $24.99
Target Price: < $20

As you will notice, the high MSRP rule does not apply to DUPLO. In fact, sets between $20-30 are the sweet spot.

Many investors avoid DUPLO because of the box size, but it’s an incredible place to park capital.

This one is obvious, anything relating to trains seems to always do well. This is an add on set to a train set. Sneaky good investment.

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LEGO DUPLO Town Wild Animals of The Ocean 10972

MSRP: $19.99
Target Price: < $16

It doesn’t have a train or a plane, but it’s lining up to do well long term. We’ll see if that lasts.

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LEGO DUPLO Disney Buzz Lightyear’s Planetary Mission 10962

MSRP: $29.99
Target Price: < $24

I want to get a ton of these. Most DUPLO sets that combine with another IP do extremely well in the long run.

Version 1 of this list will look a lot different than the final version, but at least we have a general idea to start with.

As this list evolves, it will allow me to know when to create a position or not once the sales start happening.

Keep in mind the context of what we are doing here:

All retired LEGO sets increase in value. It’s just a matter of “how much”.

We are trying to find the ones that increase most over the first 0-18 months post-retirement.

If you are interested in learning how to get started with LEGO investing, consider getting my in-depth guide LEGO Investing Mastery.

These posts are not financial or investment advice.

They are made for entertainment purposes only by a bum who gave up his job as a prestigious Aerospace Engineer to talk about parking money in things like LEGOs.