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(SORRY, NO PHOTOS AT THIS TIME!)
I just received a box of vintage LEGO which I purchased on eBay. It is set
120, the Samsonite Gift Set from ca. 1971. Some great pieces in it, and the
box is to die for!
Before I continue, I should point out a few things, so you don't have to:
1. Yes, I realize that this may not be a complete set, and may contain parts
from other years, and that it may be impossible to verify the vintage.
2. Yes, I realize I took a risk by purchasing this on eBay -- in fact, the
seller tried to fix the date in the 1960s, but due to the wonderful
resources here at LUGNET, I was able to verify the real vintage beforehand.
3. Yes, I realize that on a price-per-piece basis, it is not the best
investment, and that, as investments go, I may have overpaid, but I didn't
buy it for its monetary value (present or future) but simply for the
pleasure of owning it, looking at it, and perhaps giving it to someone in
the future.
4. No, I do not intend to mix the pieces in with the rest of my new LEGO.
This set will be kept as I received it, intact as it may or may not be.
Having said that, let me describe what I have:
THE BOX is great, and smells nice and musty! It is in great shape. The
cover slides off and reveals a box with three cardboard compartments.
FIRST MISSING PIECE I noticed is the gray base piece pictured on the box.
Of all the pieces in the set, this should have been the easiest one to
verify as missing, but the seller was up front about not knowing too much
about it. Oh, well! Based on the amount of pieces in the box (which is
veritably STUFFED with LEGO), it is clear that a lot of extra pieces were
added to fill the box. The absence of this large gray base should have
created a noticeable gap in the box. But it does appear that all the pieces
are old.
CONDITION is excellent -- for its age. Very few pieces are broken or
chipped. Someone took care of this LEGO. The pieces are a tiny bit dusty
and some have specks of who-knows-what on them, but I think I'll experiment
with gently washing a few to see how well I can get them to look.
GRAY TIRES! I remember these from my childhood -- wheels with gray rubber
tires, around red hubs, with metal axles which you insert into a white 2x4
brick! This white 2x4 brick is red underneath, which is quite cool. Also,
there are holes on all four sides of the brick, so a narrow chassis can be
formed. I only got two tires and one axle brick in this set, so of course I
am suspicious that I am missing some; but no wheels are represented on the
box, so perhaps these wheels are a bonus from a completely different set.
PLATES are white, and are very strange underneath -- they resemble waffles.
Definitely not like the undersides of today's plates.
1xN bricks are mostly hollow underneath, with a thin wall of plastic at the
interval of every two studs. When these long narrow bricks are fitted
together, they don't snap very tightly -- in fact, they're quite loose.
Also, the red is a bit washed out (not faded, just a different shade of
red), and they are definitely from an era where control of color wasn't as
scrupulous as it is now. Also, some 2x10 bricks in red are darker than
usual. Side by side, these red bricks contrast in shade, and are quite odd.
MYSTERIOUS CONNECTOR PIECE... I'll do my best to describe this: It is
clear, but slightly milky. It consists of TWO 2x2 plates, connected with a
narrow, flexible strip of plastic (but this mysterious piece is of course
from one die mold). The flexible strip is equivalent in length to three
studs, so the total length is seven studs. The "plates" are even thinner
than regular plates (less than one-third of a brick), and -- although they
have studs on the upper surface (with "LEGO" imprinted on them) -- the lower
surface CANNOT connect to other bricks. One of the "plates" is imprinted
with "A - 2" on the back; the other is imprinted "PAT. PEND." on the back.
The purpose of this piece seems to be some sort of vehicle connector,
attaching two vehicles while allowing "turning." Sorry about the lack of
photos, but this slightly resembles the first LEGO Breathe-Rite strip!
THE LEGO-IMPRINTED STUDS don't appear to be as "polished" as the new bricks,
but are a bit rougher in texture (there is a difference in feel). I can't
really explain this, except the "resolution" of today's molds is a bit finer
(I apologize if this doesn't make sense to some of you).
COLORS include red, white, black and clear, with a very few yellow
(including 1x1 bricks in both round and regular), plus a very few blue
bricks. One blue brick seems suspiciously new to me, as it is a 2x2 Double
Convex. It is curiously out of character with the rest of the set, but what
the hekk do I know?
Those are the highlights, and I would be happy to hear your comments and
answer what questions I can. I hope you enjoy this!
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Samsonite Info
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| Paul, I share your enthusiam when opening Samsonite packages. I am a fan of Lego history. I'll try to shed some light on a few of the items you mention. (...) I've got some of the Samsonite sets pictured on Brickshelf. Here's the page: (URL) also (...) (23 years ago, 3-Feb-02, to lugnet.year.1971, lugnet.db.brictionary)
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