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Todd Lehman wrote:
>
> Here's an idea I've been itching to try out for about 4 years... I've got a
> box of several hundred (or maybe 1000 or more, I haven't counted) LEGO
> elements that I know I'll never use. These come from buying up large
> collections at garage sales or on the net, in order to get a few sets I
> wanted for my Space collection, but there was always stuff left over.
>
> I always kind of figured I'd find the time someday to sell or trade them,
> but because this particular bunch of stuff is such a mish-mash of various
> elements, I don't think it's really worth all the hassle.
>
> So what if I sent this box of LEGO on a long, long, worldwide journey?
> (I don't ever care if it comes back to me, I just want it to find a better
> home.)
>
> Let's say I mail it to someone a couple states away, and they pick out some
> pieces they like, and replace them with some pieces they don't need. Then
> they, in turn, send the box on to a new person. The process could repeat
> itself over and over, and, eventually, the box could probably tour the
> entire world. :)
>
> I'm thinkin' a couple restrictions might be wise:
>
> 1. You'd have to pitch in at least as many pieces as you took out, and
> you'd have to put in pieces that were in at least as good quality as
> those you took out. (In other words, this helps prevent the quality of
> the pieces in the box from slowly going downhill overall.)
>
> 2. You'd have to work quickly -- grabbing out what you wanted and repacking
> the box and sending it on to the next person within a couple or three
> days, so that the overall person-to-person turnaround cycle would
> average approximately one week (even less would be better).
>
> 3. Putting in a little more than you took out would be encouraged --
> because this way, after the box reaches a certain size, it won't fit
> in a reasonable size anymore -- and that's good -- because it could then
> fork into two boxes, each of which goes happily on its way independently
> of the other. Over time, the forks might even fork, and there might
> then be three or four boxes merrily going around.
>
> Obviously there's a bit of a gamble in that when a box arrives to you, there
> may not be anything you like, but the more boxes that get going around, the
> more chances that you might have to get something interesting. I guess in
> the best of all possible worlds, it could be like Christmas several times a
> year for those participating. :-)
>
> If everyone sent the pieces on to the next person via USPS Priority mail,
> sealed in a 2-gallon ZipLoc bag, it ought to be fairly inexpensive (about $5
> per person), at least within the U.S., which would be a good place to give
> it a try.
>
> Does this sound like a fun idea?
>
> --Todd
This sounds like an excellent idea. A couple more suggestions:
1) You might want to limit the number of pieces that could be exchanged
per person (say 10-20 at most, I don't know)... and encourage people to
input a variety of pieces rather than a handful of 1x2's or something.
This could help keep the piece variety interesting.
2) A website could be made to 'track' the box(es) and have people sign
up to be 'in the queue' for the postal mailing list.
3) Also, type out a clear, concise page (webpage that could be printed
out) that explains all the 'rules' and send it along with the pieces.
4) Finally, if the lot finally does become just a bunch of 1x1's... send
'em to me... I'll use 'em all [grin]
eric
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Harshbarger / eric@ericharshbarger.org / www.ericharshbarger.org
"Oh please, if people are going to start telling the truth around
here... I'm going to bed." - Jackie-O (Parker Posey, THE HOUSE OF YES)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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In lugnet.general, Eric Harshbarger writes:
>
> Todd Lehman wrote:
> >
> > Here's an idea I've been itching to try out for about 4 years... I've got a
> > box of several hundred (or maybe 1000 or more, I haven't counted) LEGO
> > elements that I know I'll never use. These come from buying up large
> > collections at garage sales or on the net, in order to get a few sets I
> > wanted for my Space collection, but there was always stuff left over.
> >
> > I always kind of figured I'd find the time someday to sell or trade them,
> > but because this particular bunch of stuff is such a mish-mash of various
> > elements, I don't think it's really worth all the hassle.
> >
> > So what if I sent this box of LEGO on a long, long, worldwide journey?
> > (I don't ever care if it comes back to me, I just want it to find a better
> > home.)
> >
> > Let's say I mail it to someone a couple states away, and they pick out some
> > pieces they like, and replace them with some pieces they don't need. Then
> > they, in turn, send the box on to a new person. The process could repeat
> > itself over and over, and, eventually, the box could probably tour the
> > entire world. :)
> >
> > I'm thinkin' a couple restrictions might be wise:
> >
> > 1. You'd have to pitch in at least as many pieces as you took out, and
> > you'd have to put in pieces that were in at least as good quality as
> > those you took out. (In other words, this helps prevent the quality of
> > the pieces in the box from slowly going downhill overall.)
> >
> > 2. You'd have to work quickly -- grabbing out what you wanted and repacking
> > the box and sending it on to the next person within a couple or three
> > days, so that the overall person-to-person turnaround cycle would
> > average approximately one week (even less would be better).
> >
> > 3. Putting in a little more than you took out would be encouraged --
> > because this way, after the box reaches a certain size, it won't fit
> > in a reasonable size anymore -- and that's good -- because it could then
> > fork into two boxes, each of which goes happily on its way independently
> > of the other. Over time, the forks might even fork, and there might
> > then be three or four boxes merrily going around.
> >
> > Obviously there's a bit of a gamble in that when a box arrives to you, there
> > may not be anything you like, but the more boxes that get going around, the
> > more chances that you might have to get something interesting. I guess in
> > the best of all possible worlds, it could be like Christmas several times a
> > year for those participating. :-)
> >
> > If everyone sent the pieces on to the next person via USPS Priority mail,
> > sealed in a 2-gallon ZipLoc bag, it ought to be fairly inexpensive (about $5
> > per person), at least within the U.S., which would be a good place to give
> > it a try.
> >
> > Does this sound like a fun idea?
> >
> > --Todd
>
> This sounds like an excellent idea. A couple more suggestions:
>
> 1) You might want to limit the number of pieces that could be exchanged
> per person (say 10-20 at most, I don't know)... and encourage people to
> input a variety of pieces rather than a handful of 1x2's or something.
> This could help keep the piece variety interesting.
>
> 2) A website could be made to 'track' the box(es) and have people sign
> up to be 'in the queue' for the postal mailing list.
>
> 3) Also, type out a clear, concise page (webpage that could be printed
> out) that explains all the 'rules' and send it along with the pieces.
>
> 4) Finally, if the lot finally does become just a bunch of 1x1's... send
> 'em to me... I'll use 'em all [grin]
How about in order to keep the box from going to blue 1x1's, people have to put
in what they take out, like if they take out a purple 1x19 plate, they have to
put in another type of plate, and if they take a Timmy, they have to put in
another minifig, or a 1x1 finned Space engine, another engine piece must go in,
etc..
Greg
citrusx__@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/1888/
>
> eric
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Eric Harshbarger / eric@ericharshbarger.org / www.ericharshbarger.org
>
> "Oh please, if people are going to start telling the truth around
> here... I'm going to bed." - Jackie-O (Parker Posey, THE HOUSE OF YES)
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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In lugnet.general, Patricia Schempp writes:
> Greg Majewski wrote
> > How about in order to keep the box from going to blue 1x1's, people
> > have to put in what they take out, like if they take out a purple
> > 1x19 plate, they have to put in another type of plate, and if they
> > take a Timmy, they have to put in another minifig, or a 1x1 finned
> > Space engine, another engine piece must go in, etc..
>
> I think that might defeat the purpose of the box. I might have space
> engine pieces i don't want, and getting space engine pieces back out
> of the box wouldn't help if I wanted plates. Maybe a more general rule
> like just try to keep a good fun mix going would be appropriate.
Yeah, that's a great way of wording it! That's perfectly in line with the
idea behind it -- to keep a good fun mix going, so it doesn't get so boring
that it peters out.
> Patricia Schempp
> pschemp@clemson.edu
> (Hey, there are three dedicated lego nuts here at clemson, (we're all
> friends) so can we have the box first?)
> (If not oh well, can't hurt tryin' ! *grin*)
Someone and his child in California already called "first dibs" -- but
there's really no reason there has to only be one box going around.
--Todd
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In lugnet.general, Todd Lehman writes:
<cool idea>
Ditto's to the various 'count me in's! Heck, I could bounce it around my
basement and catch 6 different people's collections! <grin>(1)
James
http://www.shades-of-night.com/lego/
1: This is what happens when you're the only maniac with floorspace! ;)
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Greg Majewski wrote
> How about in order to keep the box from going to blue 1x1's, people have to put
> in what they take out, like if they take out a purple 1x19 plate, they have to
> put in another type of plate, and if they take a Timmy, they have to put in
> another minifig, or a 1x1 finned Space engine, another engine piece must go in,
> etc..
> Greg
> citrusx__@yahoo.com
> http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/1888/
I think that might defeat the purpose of the box. I might have space engine pieces
i don't want, and getting space engine pieces back out of the box wouldn't help if
I wanted plates. Maybe a more general rule like just try to keep a good fun mix
going would be appropriate.
Patricia Schempp
pschemp@clemson.edu
(Hey, there are three dedicated lego nuts here at clemson, (we're all friends) so
can we have the box first?)
(If not oh well, can't hurt tryin' ! *grin*)
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> > Greg
> > citrusx__@yahoo.com
> > http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/1888/
>
> I think that might defeat the purpose of the box. I might have space • engine pieces
> i don't want, and getting space engine pieces back out of the box wouldn't • help if
> I wanted plates. Maybe a more general rule like just try to keep a good • fun mix
> going would be appropriate.
I have to agree with Greg on this one. I have an odd collection of castle
and space pieces that are no interest to me which I would gladly swap for
any town parts. While some parts of no value they are extremely valuable to
other collectors and I think that was the point that Todd was originally
trying to make.
I think a simple rule to keep the box interesting would not to allow any
non-decorated regular 1xn or 2xn bricks in it. The life of this experiment
would probably be extended a great deal buy doing this. There may be other
pieces that should be prohibited as well. Instead of ending up with a box
of blue 1x1s, we may end up with a box of blue boat plates instead!
Mike - mike_walsh@mentorg.com
http://members.tripod.com/mike_walsh
PS: Count me in! I want to be on the list as well but like Larry, my
travel schedule can be somewhat unpredictable so there is a small chance
that I couldn't meet the one week turn around requirement.
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Hey, could you make this exciting for those of us without a warehouse
full of bricks to contribute? (Each and every one of my bricks is a
treasure in its own special way, and I'm unwilling to part with any of
them right now.)
So how about having everyone post a message telling which bricks they took
and which bricks they abandoned. That way the rest of us can laugh at
the silly stuff some folks want and cry over the great wealth of bricks
the others will just give away. Plus all you debaters can razz anybody
dumps a bunch of Timmies for all the cool castle and space(1) bricks.
Don Heyse
(1) Feel free to substitute your favorite stuff here.
PS. I apologise to anyone who truly identifies with Timmy.
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Mike Walsh wrote
> I think a simple rule to keep the box interesting would not to allow any
> non-decorated regular 1xn or 2xn bricks in it. Mike - mike_walsh@mentorg.com
> http://members.tripod.com/mike_walsh
That's the whole idea of a good fun mix. 1x and 2x are necessary, but not what
I would call "fun".
Patricia Schempp
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On Mon, 5 Jul 1999 19:59:42 GMT, Patricia Schempp uttered the following
profundities...
> > How about in order to keep the box from going to blue 1x1's, people have to put
> > in what they take out, like if they take out a purple 1x19 plate, they have to
> > put in another type of plate, and if they take a Timmy, they have to put in
> > another minifig, or a 1x1 finned Space engine, another engine piece must go in,
> > etc..
> > Greg
>
>
A webpage or newsgroup log, to perhaps keep it honest. I'd
put in a silver brick so that someone in Europe who might not
have had a chance for one would.
Size, though, for an international box, would have to be
somewhat smaller, especially considering disparate postage
rates in Europe.
But for an international box, that might end up back with Todd,
place inside a tiny, lightweight souvenir of the country the
box had visited, such as an unused, special issue postage
stamp or something. As well as being a Lego exchange, it could
end up as a mini-cultural exchange of sorts.
--
_____________________________________________________________
richard.dee@nospam.virgin.net remove nospam.(lugnet excepted)
Web Site: http://freespace.virgin.net/richard.dee/lego.html
ICQ 13177071 AOL Instant Messenger: RJD88888
_____________________________________________________________
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Mike Walsh wrote:
>
> > > Greg
> > > citrusx__@yahoo.com
> > > http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/1888/
> >
> > I think that might defeat the purpose of the box. I might have space • engine pieces
> > i don't want, and getting space engine pieces back out of the box wouldn't • help if
> > I wanted plates. Maybe a more general rule like just try to keep a good • fun mix
> > going would be appropriate.
>
>
> I have to agree with Greg on this one. I have an odd collection of castle
> and space pieces that are no interest to me which I would gladly swap for
> any town parts. While some parts of no value they are extremely valuable to
> other collectors and I think that was the point that Todd was originally
> trying to make.
>
> I think a simple rule to keep the box interesting would not to allow any
> non-decorated regular 1xn or 2xn bricks in it. The life of this experiment
> would probably be extended a great deal buy doing this. There may be other
> pieces that should be prohibited as well. Instead of ending up with a box
> of blue 1x1s, we may end up with a box of blue boat plates instead!
I don't know, if I had a boatload of boat plates, I might play with
making a hull from them (one could also slightly change the lines of a
boat by alternating between boat bow bricks and plates). Also 1x10 or
longer and 2x8 or longer are probably ok in small quantities (I suspect
they wouldn't travel more than a stop or two in the box). Uncommon
colors would also be ok in small to moderate quantities.
> PS: Count me in! I want to be on the list as well but like Larry, my
> travel schedule can be somewhat unpredictable so there is a small chance
> that I couldn't meet the one week turn around requirement.
Of course Raleigh is one of those multi-person stops... I'm sure James,
Phil, and Karim would be game for it.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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Don Heyse wrote:
> Hey, could you make this exciting for those of us without a warehouse
> full of bricks to contribute? (Each and every one of my bricks is a
> treasure in its own special way, and I'm unwilling to part with any of
> them right now.)
>
> So how about having everyone post a message telling which bricks they took
> and which bricks they abandoned. That way the rest of us can laugh at
> the silly stuff some folks want and cry over the great wealth of bricks
> the others will just give away. Plus all you debaters can razz anybody
> dumps a bunch of Timmies for all the cool castle and space(1) bricks.
>
> Don Heyse
>
> (1) Feel free to substitute your favorite stuff here.
>
> PS. I apologise to anyone who truly identifies with Timmy.
Hey how about those of us who identifiy with a warehouse?!
Count me in!
I'm now working on my 3rd 20 pound box of mish-mash miscellaneous parts that
I'll never use. Can I cheat and load up the box going out? I know I've got
some stuff other folks will want.
And I can fish out those 1x1 bricks, that are a mainstay with me .........
And perhaps in some areas the box can be passed around person to person. For
example, there are many Lego Maniacs in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area .... I can
get what I want out of the box and then hand it to Scott Sandburn of Ann Arbor
(who will probably want to check it out immediately after me anyway) or Mark
Koesel or others in the area, and then it can get sent to someone in another
city.
Gary Istok
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Gary Istok wrote:
>
> Don Heyse wrote:
>
> > Hey, could you make this exciting for those of us without a warehouse
> > full of bricks to contribute? (Each and every one of my bricks is a
> > treasure in its own special way, and I'm unwilling to part with any of
> > them right now.)
> >
> > So how about having everyone post a message telling which bricks they took
> > and which bricks they abandoned. That way the rest of us can laugh at
> > the silly stuff some folks want and cry over the great wealth of bricks
> > the others will just give away. Plus all you debaters can razz anybody
> > dumps a bunch of Timmies for all the cool castle and space(1) bricks.
> >
> > Don Heyse
> >
> > (1) Feel free to substitute your favorite stuff here.
> >
> > PS. I apologise to anyone who truly identifies with Timmy.
>
> Hey how about those of us who identifiy with a warehouse?!
>
> Count me in!
>
> I'm now working on my 3rd 20 pound box of mish-mash miscellaneous parts that
> I'll never use. Can I cheat and load up the box going out? I know I've got
> some stuff other folks will want.
Cheater cheater, he put too much neat stuff in! Cheat all you want in
this way Gary... Of course you could always start a box or two
yourself, or be one of the points where the box splits.
I think I've come up with a good place to put my mismatched pirate ship
stern... If there's anyone out there that can use it, one of these boxes
would be the best way to get it to that person.
--
Frank Filz
-----------------------------
Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com
Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
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Frank Filz wrote:
> Mike Walsh wrote:
> >
> > > > Greg
> > > > citrusx__@yahoo.com
> > > > http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/1888/
> > >
> > > I think that might defeat the purpose of the box. I might have space • engine pieces
> > > i don't want, and getting space engine pieces back out of the box wouldn't • help if
> > > I wanted plates. Maybe a more general rule like just try to keep a good • fun mix
> > > going would be appropriate.
> >
> >
> > I have to agree with Greg on this one. I have an odd collection of castle
> > and space pieces that are no interest to me which I would gladly swap for
> > any town parts. While some parts of no value they are extremely valuable to
> > other collectors and I think that was the point that Todd was originally
> > trying to make.
> >
> > I think a simple rule to keep the box interesting would not to allow any
> > non-decorated regular 1xn or 2xn bricks in it. The life of this experiment
> > would probably be extended a great deal buy doing this. There may be other
> > pieces that should be prohibited as well. Instead of ending up with a box
> > of blue 1x1s, we may end up with a box of blue boat plates instead!
>
> I don't know, if I had a boatload of boat plates, I might play with
> making a hull from them (one could also slightly change the lines of a
> boat by alternating between boat bow bricks and plates). Also 1x10 or
> longer and 2x8 or longer are probably ok in small quantities (I suspect
> they wouldn't travel more than a stop or two in the box). Uncommon
> colors would also be ok in small to moderate quantities.
>
> > PS: Count me in! I want to be on the list as well but like Larry, my
> > travel schedule can be somewhat unpredictable so there is a small chance
> > that I couldn't meet the one week turn around requirement.
>
> Of course Raleigh is one of those multi-person stops... I'm sure James,
> Phil, and Karim would be game for it.
>
> --
> Frank Filz
>
> -----------------------------
> Work: mailto:ffilz@us.ibm.com
> Home: mailto:ffilz@mindspring.com
i aggree that rare colors such as green,brown,light blue,orange of basic bricks
etc be allowed
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Richard Dee wrote in message ...
> On Mon, 5 Jul 1999 19:59:42 GMT, Patricia Schempp uttered the following
>
> Size, though, for an international box, would have to be
> somewhat smaller, especially considering disparate postage
> rates in Europe.
>
> But for an international box, that might end up back with Todd,
> place inside a tiny, lightweight souvenir of the country the
> box had visited, such as an unused, special issue postage
> stamp or something. As well as being a Lego exchange, it could
> end up as a mini-cultural exchange of sorts.
> --
What if the box was occassionally "hand carried" to Europe by one of the
LUGNET faithful that is going across. It could be "delivered" to a primary
contact who would then pick up the responsibility to The return trip could
be handled the same way. There seems to be a few people going back and
forth so given a little notice this might save a few bucks. Once the box is
in Europe, is shipping between European countries expensive as well?
Mike - mike_walsh@mentorg.com
http://members.tripod.com/mike_walsh
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On Tue, 6 Jul 1999 19:11:22 GMT, Gary Istok <gistok@umich.edu> wrote:
>
> And perhaps in some areas the box can be passed around person to person. For
> example, there are many Lego Maniacs in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area .... I can
> get what I want out of the box and then hand it to Scott Sandburn of Ann Arbor
> (who will probably want to check it out immediately after me anyway) or Mark
> Koesel or others in the area, and then it can get sent to someone in another
> city.
>
> Gary Istok
Hehe, I'd DRIVE to Michigan to get the box after you. :)
I too would love to try this out. I too have a BUNCH of unwanted
pieces, from tires and windshields to minifigs and accessories.
Rob
+-------------------------------------------+
| Rob Farver - rfarver@rcn.com |
| http://www.farver.com/lego/ |
| http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/rfarver |
+-------------------------------------------+
|
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> What if the box was occassionally "hand carried" to Europe by one of the
> LUGNET faithful that is going across. It could be "delivered" to a primary
> contact who would then pick up the responsibility to The return trip could
> be handled the same way. There seems to be a few people going back and
> forth so given a little notice this might save a few bucks. Once the box is
> in Europe, is shipping between European countries expensive as well?
Not terribly expensive, but it can get comparitively expensive within
some countries, where cost of living is higher. The
US-Europe-US hand-off is a good idea, though.
> Mike - mike_walsh@mentorg.com
> http://members.tripod.com/mike_walsh
>
>
>
>
--
_____________________________________________________________
richard.dee@nospam.virgin.net remove nospam.(lugnet excepted)
Web Site: http://freespace.virgin.net/richard.dee/lego.html
ICQ 13177071 AOL Instant Messenger: RJD88888
_____________________________________________________________
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Richard Dee wrote in message ...
>
> > What if the box was occassionally "hand carried" to Europe by one of the
> > LUGNET faithful that is going across. It could be "delivered" to a • primary
> > contact who would then pick up the responsibility to The return trip • could
> > be handled the same way. There seems to be a few people going back and
> > forth so given a little notice this might save a few bucks. Once the box • is
> > in Europe, is shipping between European countries expensive as well?
>
> Not terribly expensive, but it can get comparitively expensive within
> some countries, where cost of living is higher. The
> US-Europe-US hand-off is a good idea, though.
If we can get this project off the ground I will volunteer to courier it to
Europe on it's first journey.
I will be going back to Stockholm again at the end of August. Right now my
plan is to leave North Carolina on August 21st connecting in London on
August 22nd and then into Stockholm later in the day. I will be connecting
via Gatwick this time so if there is a box that we want to try and get to
Europe, I can take it to either London (if someone will come pick it up at
the airport) or to Stockholm where someone could get it from where ever I am
staying (which I don't happen to know off the top of my head but likely will
be either down town or out in Kista).
I think we will need a European volunteer to coordinate the effort in Europe
sort of like what Larry P. is doing in the US. After August I don't have
any more trips planned but there is a very small chance that I will go back
in October.
Mike - mike_walsh@mentorg.com
http://members.tripod.com/mike_walsh
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