The new City Mining Collection was just released last week. What are the chances for a non-licensed theme such as this to appreciate in the after market with so many licensed themes coming out at the same time? With LoTR and Monster Fighters both debuting at nearly the same time it seems that the Mining Theme got mostly ignored. I for one like it a lot and plan to get all the sets. I especilly like The Mine (4204) and the large Mining Truck (4202). In general this theme includes minifigs, a variety of interesting vehicles with cool attachments, and an overall fun concept of a gold mine. I hope this theme get some positive attention and is not overlooked. Thoughts?

The new City Mining Collection was just released last week. What are the chances for a non-licensed theme such as this to appreciate in the after market with so many licensed themes coming out at the same time?

With LoTR and Monster Fighters both debuting at nearly the same time it seems that the Mining Theme got mostly ignored. I for one like it a lot and plan to get all the sets. I especilly like The Mine (4204) and the large Mining Truck (4202).

In general this theme includes minifigs, a variety of interesting vehicles with cool attachments, and an overall fun concept of a gold mine. I hope this theme get some positive attention and is not overlooked.

Thoughts?

I agree with you. The new Mining theme has some very interesting sets and will probably be very popular among kids. The CITY theme is very, very popular and is one of LEGO's best selling lines, yet never gets any love from the collectors and investors out there, including myself. I guess it's because there are usually 300-400 new LEGO sets launched yearly and who has the financial ability or space to acquire them all. You have to pick and choose the ones you think will appreciate the most.

That being said, I would put my money into the LOTR or Monster Fighters before the CITY sets as an investment, but there are tons of CITY sets that appreciate nicely over time.

I agree with you. The new Mining theme has some very interesting sets and will probably be very popular among kids. The CITY theme is very, very popular and is one of LEGO's best selling lines, yet never gets any love from the collectors and investors out there, including myself. I guess it's because there are usually 300-400 new LEGO sets launched yearly and who has the financial ability or space to acquire them all. You have to pick and choose the ones you think will appreciate the most.

That being said, I would put my money into the LOTR or Monster Fighters before the CITY sets as an investment, but there are tons of CITY sets that appreciate nicely over time.

I agree, I'd pass on mining stuff for investment.

the minin set looks neat but i wouldnt invest in it. For 2012 i would snag the last of the POTC ships and then work on collecting all of the LOTR, which there will be more than just what we are seeing now, there is supposed to be a bunch coming out to coincide with the Hobbit movie which i believe is being released in December this year? not 100% on the date

the minin set looks neat but i wouldnt invest in it. For 2012 i would snag the last of the POTC ships and then work on collecting all of the LOTR, which there will be more than just what we are seeing now, there is supposed to be a bunch coming out to coincide with the Hobbit movie which i believe is being released in December this year? not 100% on the date

Yes, sir..The Hobbit will help the LOTR sets for sure. I also agree on your first point. Pick up a Queen Anne's Revenge and/or Black Pearl before they go bye-bye...

the minin set looks neat but i wouldnt invest in it. For 2012 i would snag the last of the POTC ships and then work on collecting all of the LOTR, which there will be more than just what we are seeing now, there is supposed to be a bunch coming out to coincide with the Hobbit movie which i believe is being released in December this year? not 100% on the date

I agree, mining doesn't seem like the greatest investment, not because it's not interesting, but because for the most part, City don't see huge gains. There are of course exceptions, the 7892 Hospital or a few of the older train sets for instance. If you do choose to invest in the mining sets, it might take a long time before they increase in value. I agree with Spartikis, ships are winners.

I think it's an awesome theme that will exist in relative obscurity until people see the aesthetic that they are all upholding. If any City sub-theme will do well in a couple of years, I think it will be this one.

I am missing only 4203 and I can say that these sets are awesome!

Sorry but city and mining set are not my cup of tea. Just dosent have the extra punch of fun and coolness IMO. Nothing against people who like it though.

Compared to all the other unique series, the City theme(s) can seem rather general overall. (It is city life after all.) Between a Garbage Truck and a Sith-Class Interceptor spaceship, there's no competition. For myself it was only a few years ago (2009, maybe 2008) that the City series actually caught my attention. Now first & foremost, I've ALWAYS been a Space fan. Anything Space related, I gotta have it! (I have other favorites too, but that's besides the point) I've never really been a fan of the Town/City themes. They just never caught my attention or didn't seem to have as much creativity as the Space themes did. However, when I look at what the City series is now, I'm actually impressed. The designs have a nice smooth flow to them, some really good parts (even in the small $5-$10 sets), and the minifigs are just great. I bought quite a few these for myself. Heck, I even bought the Tipper Truck (4434)! (I never thought the day would come when I would actually want to buy a Dump Truck! Heh.) These are very well designed. I wouldn't invest that much into the City series, only cause it's market and appeal is limited (again, compared to all the other unique themes). The kind of people that would be willing to pay for a mint Off-Road Command Centre (4205) or Recycling Truck (4206-2) are ones that REALLY like everything City/Town related, and ones that love building MOC's. Also, there will always be new Police or Fire Fighter sets to replace the ones from last year, so we can expect sets 'unique' to that year to increase in value (and collectability) much better than "that cop car we see in every run". It's not a bad idea to select some City sets and buy atleast one (maybe two?) of each, but It isn't something that I would put much stock into.

Compared to all the other unique series, the City theme(s) can seem rather general overall. (It is city life after all.) Between a Garbage Truck and a Sith-Class Interceptor spaceship, there's no competition. For myself it was only a few years ago (2009, maybe 2008) that the City series actually caught my attention.

Now first & foremost, I've ALWAYS been a Space fan. Anything Space related, I gotta have it! (I have other favorites too, but that's besides the point) I've never really been a fan of the Town/City themes. They just never caught my attention or didn't seem to have as much creativity as the Space themes did.

However, when I look at what the City series is now, I'm actually impressed. The designs have a nice smooth flow to them, some really good parts (even in the small $5-$10 sets), and the minifigs are just great. I bought quite a few these for myself. Heck, I even bought the Tipper Truck (4434)! (I never thought the day would come when I would actually want to buy a Dump Truck! Heh.) These are very well designed.

I wouldn't invest that much into the City series, only cause it's market and appeal is limited (again, compared to all the other unique themes). The kind of people that would be willing to pay for a mint Off-Road Command Centre (4205) or Recycling Truck (4206-2) are ones that REALLY like everything City/Town related, and ones that love building MOC's. Also, there will always be new Police or Fire Fighter sets to replace the ones from last year, so we can expect sets 'unique' to that year to increase in value (and collectability) much better than "that cop car we see in every run".

It's not a bad idea to select some City sets and buy atleast one (maybe two?) of each, but It isn't something that I would put much stock into.

Maybe you should rethink your investing scheme. The CITY theme on average beats out the STAR WARS theme by 3% on an annual basis.

http://www.brickpicker.com/bpms/cagrbytheme.cfm

Maybe you should rethink your investing scheme. The CITY theme on average beats out the STAR WARS theme by 3% on an annual basis.

That is true, but the CITY sets are a wierd game of hit-n-miss and (atleast in the secondary market) appeal to Adult Lego fans.

Whereas STAR WARS sets appeal to a broader range of people.

You have people that collect space toys, Star Wars-related items, or even movie memorabilia.

STAR WARS sets also seem to not take very long before they gain in value.

(THE LORD OF THE RINGS & upcoming THE HOBBIT sets will probably follow suit.)

I did not say it would be a bad investment to buy some CITY sets, all I'm saying is to be abit picky about the ones you choose.

That is true, but the CITY sets are a wierd game of hit-n-miss and (atleast in the secondary market) appeal to Adult Lego fans.

Whereas STAR WARS sets appeal to a broader range of people.

You have people that collect space toys, Star Wars-related items, or even movie memorabilia.

STAR WARS sets also seem to not take very long before they gain in value.

(THE LORD OF THE RINGS & upcoming THE HOBBIT sets will probably follow suit.)

I did not say it would be a bad investment to buy some CITY sets, all I'm saying is to be abit picky about the ones you choose.

The strength of the CITY theme doesn't surprise me, it's the overall average appreciation of the STAR WARS theme that surprises...and disappoints me.

The strength of the CITY theme doesn't surprise me, it's the overall average appreciation of the STAR WARS theme that surprises...and disappoints me.

Same here. Typically, you would think that STAR WARS should do about the same as CITY, if not better.

But I suppose STAR WARS can be considered more a nich, while CITY can be related to by a broader audience.

Honestly, I'm surprised that WORLD RACERS and ATLANTIS are SO LOW on the list. (TIME CRUISERS, now that I get) Course they are considered 'fairly new' and some of these can still be bought from Amazon.

Hey Guys, Any thoughts on lego mining? These sets look pretty cool. Dump truck is retired and the mine looks really cool. 93 at amazon.

Wait, do you mean Power Miners or the City mining sets?

city mining sets