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In lugnet.loc.au, Chris Phillips writes:
> In lugnet.loc.au, Kerry Raymond writes:
> > While it's true that we can put a date on sets, it's presumably a lot harder
> > to put a date on pieces.
> > Would it be possible to distinguish between a box of assorted bricks from
> > the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, or 00s?
>
> When I look at a bunch of older pieces, I can see subtle differences. The
> older pieces don't hold together as strongly, although I'm not sure if that's
> an effect of age or just better design and tighter manufacturing tolerances of
> the newer pieces. The composition of the plastic has also changed a few times
> over the years. Sometimes the shape of a piece has been improved over time.
>
> I'm sure that somebody who studied the history of LEGO could easily tell you
> the rough age of a piece plucked out of a bin to within a decade. And I'm
> certain that there are a few LUGNET readers who could do a lot better if you
> tested them...
The best person to ask, of course, would be Gary Istok, but some things I've
noticed as differences:
- older bricks are made from Cellulose Acetate (sp?), newer ones are ABS
- the injection point for a lego brick used to be on the side somewhere, now
it's more commonly on the studs
- inner walls between the brick wall and the tubing on bricks have appeared in
more recent bricks
- some older bricks have a notch in the underside tubing
- supports along the inner side of the brick wall appear in newer bricks
I'll deferr the rest (and the dates) to Gary :)
> > My second question is "is age relevant to the value or appeal of Lego"?
> > Would you pay more for Lego just because it was old (as distinct from being
> > rare)?
> > Would you pay less for Lego just because it was old (as distinct from being
> > damaged or in poor condition)?
I'm going to totally agree with Chris on this one-- the only real appeal of old
Lego (for me) is getting pieces you can't get anymore or are rare. If someone
had a box full of red 2x4's from 1960 and one from 2000, I'd easily pay more
for the newer bricks. However, if someone had a box full of 1980's space and
castle pieces, I'd jump at the chance to get them, simply because many of the
pieces are really tough to find :)
DaveE
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: When is Lego actually considered old?
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| (...) When I look at a bunch of older pieces, I can see subtle differences. The older pieces don't hold together as strongly, although I'm not sure if that's an effect of age or just better design and tighter manufacturing tolerances of the newer (...) (24 years ago, 20-Sep-00, to lugnet.loc.au)
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