What you own. What it’s really worth.

Some of it has been, a lot of it has not. Across 577 retired sets we measured on BrickLink, the typical set retired for more than five years sold sealed for 84% above its UK original price (230 sets). The theme matters most: Lord of the Rings sets retired two years or more sit at +409%, Harry Potter at −4% and Super Mario at −29%. These are what sets have sold for, not a forecast of what they will do.

Usually not straight away. In our data the typical set sells for 24% below its original price in its first year after retiring (88 sets), 15% below in year two (57) and 13% below in year three (46). Between three and five years it is roughly level (+2%, 125 sets), and after five years it is 84% above (230 sets). That first-year dip is why a set that has just retired often sells for less than it cost in the shop.

For sets retired two years or more, sealed, against original price: Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit +409% (26 sets, every one above its original price), Speed Champions +113% (31), Star Wars +91% (35), Modular Buildings +78% (10), Ninjago +61% (19). At the bottom: Super Mario −29% (24), Friends −24% (6), Disney −8% (13) and Harry Potter −4% (27).

The longer they have been retired, the further they have climbed. Star Wars sets retired 5 to 10 years: +70% (17 sets). 10 to 15 years: +171% (23). Over 15 years: +348% (16). The Republic Dropship with AT-OT (10195) cost £183.99 and sells sealed for £1,621.92 (9 sales). Not every set: small buildable figures from 2016 and 2017, like Poe Dameron (75115), sell well below what they cost.

Most are worth a few pounds and a few are worth hundreds. The median used Star Wars minifigure sells for £7.10 (99 figures) and a City figure for £1.40 (25). The top 5% of Star Wars figures have a median of £72.37. Lord of the Rings figures are worth the most as a group: median £16.77 (82 figures), and 83% of them sell for £10 or more. Gríma Wormtongue (lor072) sells for £169.67 used (15 sales).

Of the figures we track, the Cloud City Boba Fett (sw0107) is the most valuable: £1,199.82 ($1,606.06) used, median of 7 sales. Next is the 2006 big-figure Bane with black head and hands (bat021) at £509.38 ($685.54, 12 sales). Promotional and prototype figures that almost never sell are not in our sample, so we do not quote a price for them.

So far less than most themes. Harry Potter sets retired two years or more have a median of −4% against their original price, and only 48% sell above it (27 sets). Even five years after retiring the median is +7% (11 sets). The figures are similar: median £2.99 used (83 figures). Gilderoy Lockhart in sand red (hp029) is the exception at £28.13 (79 sales).

Yes. It is the strongest theme we measure. All 26 Lord of the Rings and Hobbit sets we track that retired two years or more sell above their original price, median +409%. Witch-King Battle (79015) cost £11.99 and sells sealed for £116.22 (22 sales). Uruk-hai Army (9471) cost £29.99 and sells for £223.61 (19 sales).

Look at completed sales, never asking prices: anyone can list a set for any price, and what matters is what buyers actually paid. Check how many sales a price rests on, because three sales can swing a long way. Stud Stacks does this for your whole collection: add your sets and minifigures, or photograph a tray of figures, and each one is priced from recent completed BrickLink sales with the number of sales shown. Join the beta.

No. Stud Stacks is an independent product for adult LEGO® collectors. Not affiliated with, endorsed, or sponsored by The LEGO Group.

Completed sales on BrickLink, the largest LEGO® marketplace. Never asking prices. Each value is the median of recent sales, and the app shows how many sales it is based on and the date of the most recent one, so a thin or stale figure is visible as such. Prices are requested in pounds and dollars directly, not converted.

As accurate as the market is. Individual sales of the same item vary, often by 25% or more either side of the median, so a valuation is a fair estimate of what it would sell for, not a guarantee. Where there are too few recent sales to say, the app tells you rather than inventing a number.

Not during early access. A paid tier will be announced before launch. Scanning and valuation will remain free.

Mark it as sold with the sale price and date. Stud Stacks keeps it in your history for realised-gain tracking without cluttering your active shelf.

iPhone first: the beta runs on TestFlight, with invites going out in small batches. Android to follow. Join the waitlist for either and you will hear when it is your turn.