Vintage Lego Sets: How to Identify and Collect Classic Lego Bricks

The Lego company did not always make building blocks – in the 1930’s, owner Ole Kirk manufactured various toys and furniture, in an attempt to remain solvent through the Great Depression. In fact, the Lego Company didn’t have a name until a 1934 contest in which employees submitted ideas in the hopes of winning a bottle of homemade wine. The little company in Denmark finally selected the name Lego – a contraction of the Danish phrase leg godt (“play well”).

The Lego company is focused on creating high quality products, and the company logo is det bedste er ikke for godt (the best is never too good).

The first plastic interlocking blocks were manufactured by a company called Kiddicraft, and the Lego company received some plastic bricks for review in 1947. The Lego company decided to manufacture their own interlocking bricks, and dubbed the product Lego Mursten (literally, Lego Bricks). The very first Lego brick was a white 4 x 2 brick.

The Lego bricks did not sell well in the beginning, until the decision was made to improve the locking ability of the bricks and to sell the toys in a series of related kits. The first building system kit series was the Lego “Town Plan,” released in 1955.

• The first Lego bricks had a hollow rectangular base, but no hollow tubes under the bricks. The bricks were modified in 1958 with hollow tubes for better locking ability. The earliest bricks will not have the hollow tubes.
• The first Lego bricks were available in the colors of red, white, yellow, blue, and black. Green Lego bricks were not included in the earliest building kits.
• Roof bricks were added in 1958, so kits earlier than this year will not feature roof building components.
• Lego wheels were not included until 1961, when the Lego System of Play was introduced (this series contained 15 vehicles – while the series debuted in 1955, wheels were not included until 1961).
• Bricks manufactured prior to 1963 were made from cellulose acetate, a different plastic from the modern bricks. After 1963, bricks were manufactured from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
• Lego kits manufactured prior to 1964 did not include instruction manuals.
• Lego kits prior to 1974 did not contain mini-figures. The earliest minifigures were not poseable, and did not have faces. The modern Lego minifigure was not produced until 1978. The first Lego minifigures had a variety of skin tones – the modern yellow Lego minifigure was manufactured in 1978, with the classic smiling face. Later models from the 1980’s and beyond featured specialized minifigures, such as pirates with eye patches and Lego aliens.
• Lego Technic kits did not have pneumatic components until 1984.

In 1966, Lego released the Lego train system. This system contained tracks, building bricks, a battery compartment, and a 4.5 volt motor. The earliest Lego train systems have a 4.5 volt motor: later editions used a 12 volt motor (the 12 volt motor was added in 1968).

A second series of trains was released in 1981, with a wider variety of accessories (including lights and remote-controlled points). The trains from 1981 were available in 4.5V battery powered models, or with 12V mains powered engines.

Another series of trains was launched in 1991, with modern 9V trains which are able to use a modern transformer. The trains from 1991 also contain a speed regulator, which allows the operator to move the train forward, backward, and alter the speed of the train.

The first Lego people were manufactured in 1974 – the Lego company produced a series known as “Lego Family.” This was the best selling kit of all time. The very first Lego minifigures had no face and was not poseable – later models in 1974 were manufactured with moveable limbs and faces.

The Lego Family minifigures were poseable, but had a different overall shape than the current Lego Minifigure. These minifigures were slightly larger, and had jointed arms and dress shapes built into the body of the female figures.

Lego decided to create a set of Legos for advanced builders: the Expert Series was introduced in 1975, and series of kits (dubbed “Expert Builder”) were released for sale in 1977. These kits included motors, gears, levers, differentials, and axles for older Lego builders. Cars with working motors could be constructed from the Expert sets.

The Expert Series preceded the later Lego Technic series: in 1982, the Expert building sets evolved into the modern Technic sets – by 1984, the Lego Technic series has pneumatic components.

In 1979, Lego introduced the Space series. The Space series included translucent Lego windows, satellite dish bricks, and computer shaped bricks. An interview with a Lego designer reveals that the Lego company advertised for “space ship designers” in the Sunday paper – young Bjarne Tveskov applied and was sent a supply of Lego bricks. He was told to design a space ship from his imagination: his design was well received and the young Bjarne left high school to work for the Lego company full-time. Many of the Lego Space Series kits were designed by Tveskov. Tveskov invented two of the Blacktron space sets, as part of a Lego design team.

Lego sets with licensed characters (such as Harry Potter and Star Wars Legos) did not appear until the 1990’s. These kits contain minifigures with realistic skin tones (similar to the on-screen character) and special building components to recreate the worlds of the beloved fictional characters.

The modern Lego sets include licensed characters such as Lego Batman and Harry Potter. Other current Lego sets include Ninjago, which feature Lego ninjas. The Ninjago series includes ninja characters of four "paths" which can battle atop lego-constructed tops. The four paths include fire, lightning, earth, and ice, and there are characters to represent each of the elements. A spinner can be purchased for each character, and battles between the ninjas can be staged with the "fighting tops."

What is your favorite Lego Set? Tell us in the comments!