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Subject: 
Re: Samsonite LEGO in 1960s SEARS catalogs
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general
Date: 
Sun, 5 Dec 2004 19:46:50 GMT
Viewed: 
954 times
  
In lugnet.general, Allan Bedford wrote:
   In lugnet.general, Eric Strand wrote:
   In lugnet.general, Allan Bedford wrote:

  
   Eric,

Thank you for helping bring this bit of LEGO history to our attention. These are great scans. The ads are so much fun to look at and imagine what it might have been like as a young kid seeing them for the first time. They are just about 10 years or so before my own childhood LEGO years, so they are not pictures that I have seen before.

   Allan, Thanks for the comments. I’m fascinated with Samsonite LEGO and these catalogs help date many of the old sets.

Here is 1963: http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/estrand/Vintage-Ads/lego_ad_1963_sears_christmas_catalog.jpg

Take a look around my other brickshelf folders and you’ll find some other interesting Samsonite LEGO items.

Yes, I’ve looked through your folder several times. Not every item every time, but on each visit I take a look at a few more of the old sets.

Growing up in Canada, most of my childhood LEGO sets are marked ‘Samsonite’. Luckily for me, my parents allowed me to keep not only all of the original instructions but also almost all of the original boxes.

About six years ago my wife and myself moved to Stratford, Ontario... home of the Samsonite plant from which all of the Canadian sets originated back in the 70’s. I have since met people whose parents worked at the plant back then or have other memories of the old LEGO days. There are still people who talk about being able to go to the factory and buy pillow case sized bags of factory seconds for next to nothing.

As an interesting side note, finding LEGO at a yard sale in Stratford is nearly impossible. It seems all these years later the people around here seem to still value this product and keep for new generations. And that’s not a bad thing I guess. :)

Thank you again Eric for sharing all of these great images with us. Can I ask... where do you find them all? Not one source I’m sure, but what type of sources do you use to gather them from?

Best regards,
Allan B.

One thing I forgot. Allan, you grew up with Samsonite in Canada. Well you had more time to get Samsonite sets than USA folks. Samsonite Lego was sold in the USA from 1961 to 1972. In Canada Samsonite had a longer run, since it was sold there from 1962 until 1986. TLG must have had a court fight to get the Lego license back from USA Samsonite, since the 1971-72 Lego set selection was appalling! In Canada things went much smoother, since the 1986 transfer seemed to be realtively uneventful (Lego set wise).

Gary Istok



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Samsonite LEGO in 1960s SEARS catalogs
 
(...) Do these help explain the difference in the anniversary buckets and tubs that were available in 1998? Ours here in Canada were to celebrate the 35th anniversary. But I think the ones in the U.S. were silver anniversary markers, is that right? (...) (20 years ago, 6-Dec-04, to lugnet.general, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Samsonite LEGO in 1960s SEARS catalogs
 
(...) Yes, I've looked through your folder several times. Not every item every time, but on each visit I take a look at a few more of the old sets. Growing up in Canada, most of my childhood LEGO sets are marked 'Samsonite'. Luckily for me, my (...) (20 years ago, 5-Dec-04, to lugnet.general, FTX)

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