How Much is Too Much?

[DaleDVM]

This is an interesting topic. I think there is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on what you plan to do with your lego.

I have a huge collection at this time. My best guess would be somewhere around one million pieces. Most of it was purchased over the last year when I spent about $15,000.00 to obtain every castle set I missed since I went into my dark age in 1998. Recent castle sets I have many many multiples of. I got many at 50% off at the conventions this year. I purchase specialty pieces and wierd colors in volume on bricklink. I use these primarily as decorative elements on my castle creations.

My project is to make a dioramma that is 12' by 11' in my garage. It will consist of 8-10 large castles/towers seperated by a bunch of smaller structures, complete with all terrain, forests, water features, plants, thousands of figs, etc. The thing is all of these MOCs will be built and remain together at the same time. Therefore I need to have tons and tons of bricks. My light bley brick I purchase by the case. Using coupons and lego stamps I can get it for about 25% off. When it is all complete then I can start thinking about having too much lego. For now I always need more.

[Aliencat]

I have a huge collection at this time. My best guess would be somewhere around one million pieces.

A million really is a lot more than most people seem to think. If you can get a reliable count on this and it does go above a million, call Guiness, because you will have a world record, my friend.

Most of it was purchased over the last year when I spent about $15,000.00

That's a lot of cash, but in theory it only adds up to 150 000 bricks, but especially when it comes to older sets it would be even less than that.

[JoshWedin]

A million really is a lot more than most people seem to think. If you can get a reliable count on this and it does go above a million, call Guiness, because you will have a world record, my friend.

I can't vouch for Dale's collection, but a handful of people do have collections that size. Wayne Hussey, Sealug member and BrickCon coordinator, says that his collection is that big and he said he will give out "Million Brick Club" engraved bricks to anyone else who qualifies.

Here is Wayne's Brickshelf folder, though it hasn't been updated in a long time. It also doesn't show his collection, just a few of his MOCs....

But a million bricks is a lot. Really a lot. I know Wayne's house is full of brick...

Josh

[Aliencat]

Ah right, I believed to have seen on tv that the world record was 900 something thousand, but I can't find any citations, maybe that was the national record here in the Netherlands? My bad

[Maedhros]

A million really is a lot more than most people seem to think. If you can get a reliable count on this and it does go above a million, call Guiness, because you will have a world record, my friend.

I can't vouch for Dale's collection, but a handful of people do have collections that size. Wayne Hussey, Sealug member and BrickCon coordinator, says that his collection is that big and he said he will give out "Million Brick Club" engraved bricks to anyone else who qualifies.

Here is Wayne's Brickshelf folder, though it hasn't been updated in a long time. It also doesn't show his collection, just a few of his MOCs....

But a million bricks is a lot. Really a lot. I know Wayne's house is full of brick...

Josh

The guy's actually called Wayne Hussey? That's just too cool for school

And in an attempt to seem like I'm on topic I'll just say that being able to fit my current collection in a cubic foot's space makes the whole phrase "too much" pretty meaningless

[Crazylegoman]

I think the world's largest private collection* is Dan Brown's Museum. He does use the museum as a business, but it is all his.

Of course, it's much easier to have a collection that size when you have an old school building to put it all in.

David

* I suppose The Vault might be considered the world's largest private collection, if Kjeld claims it all as his own.

[Aliencat]

I think the world's largest private collection* is Dan Brown's Museum. He does use the museum as a business, but it is all his.

Yes, also according to Wikipedia his collection is the largest private Lego collection in the world, but I can't find an exact number anywhere, not on his own site or on any other site relating the subject.

[Sir Kohran]

I suppose The Vault might be considered the world's largest private collection, if Kjeld claims it all as his own.

Just out of interest, does the ominously-titled Vault contain every official Lego set ever made?

[Aliencat]

Just out of interest, does the ominously-titled Vault contain every official Lego set ever made?

Not quite, we had a talk with one of the writers of the official Lego Collectors Guide at Legoworld, and he said that all the sets of which images are missing in the Guide, were also missing from The Vault. Most of these are old sets, but they go up as recent as even some Bionicle sets.
It is without a doubt that The Vault contains by far most of the Lego sets ever made, but not 100% all.

[davee123]

It is without a doubt that The Vault contains by far most of the Lego sets ever made, but not 100% all.

I'm not quite so sure. Abner's supposedly Lego complete, and I've heard has things that the Lego Vault doesn't have. I recall Steve Barile saying that he had found a set that wasn't in Lego's Vault and offered it to Lego (so they could be complete). But when Lego wasn't interested, Abner ended up getting it.

I've got very close to a million in my house (possibly more), but they're not all mine. My collection is about 550k, my LSO Suzanne's is probably in the 200-400k range, and we're temporarily storing a collection for a friend (have been for a few months) which is in the 100-200k range. We've each got a Lego room (about 12x12 each), and the friend's collection is in the basement. A million pieces is a LOT.

DaveE

[JoshWedin]

The guy's actually called Wayne Hussey? That's just too cool for school

Yup, I've met him. He doesn't look the same though....

Josh

[Aliencat]

It is without a doubt that The Vault contains by far most of the Lego sets ever made, but not 100% all.

I'm not quite so sure. Abner's supposedly Lego complete, and I've heard has things that the Lego Vault doesn't have. I recall Steve Barile saying that he had found a set that wasn't in Lego's Vault and offered it to Lego (so they could be complete). But when Lego wasn't interested, Abner ended up getting it.

I'm sorry Dave, you misunderstood. I meant the Lego Vault has most of the sets Lego produced, I didn't mean the Lego Vault has more sets than any private collection.
I know there is a group of private collectors here in the Netherlands, named De Bouwsteen, who among them do claim to have every set ever produced, and their collection of sets is bigger than The Vault's.
So the word 'most' was meant to describe most of the sets, not the most complete collection of sets.

[Richie]

How much is too much... It depends how rich you are, of course. And if you have the space for it. If you don't eat so you can save money to buy LEGO, than is it too much.

[DaleDVM]

I would love to take a walk through the vault. That would be impressive. How do they store them? In their boxes all sealed up?

I imagine that there are a lot of collections out there that are much larger than mine. Contrary to previous remarks... I don't think many realize how fast pieces add up. Heck a decked out minifig has a dozen pieces all by itself. One thing people have seen of mine is my over 3000 minifig collection. I would guess I have a total of 50,000 pieces just in minifig parts and accessories. However, the main reason I think my collection is reaching the million piece mark is the pick a brick stuff I have picked up. My largest numbers of pieces are not brick at all but 1x1 plates and 2x2 plates. 1x1 and 1x2 Tiles and such as well. I have grabbed 6 150.00 size pick a brick boxes full of these tiles and plate pieces. It is hard to fathom how many of these type of pieces you can fit into those big pick a brick boxes. I guesstimate my 1x1 round plates of different colors to approach 50,000 pieces alone. What am I gonna do with all of them. Make cobblestone roads and use as random rocks everywhere on my layout. I likely bought way too many of these pieces and will not use them all. When you can get those tiny pieces priced in a pay "by volume" way with picka brick, you can't go wrong picking up absolutely tons of them. I'm guessing I got them at 3 hundred pieces on the dollar.

Which leads me to the conversation on how to buy brick. I find ebay the least reliable and most expensive way to buy brick unless I get lucky. I imagine it would be better for a general builder but castle stuff and grey brick seems to always be expensive on there. Bricklink is great but you have to buy a lot of brick for the shipping cost to even out. I buy a lot on bricklink but usually hard to find pieces and special colors. For anything the size of a 1x2 or smaller and special expensive modified bricks pick a brick walls are the bomb. The problem is the selection, you have to look often or get a manager to look out for good pieces for you. If you get some good coupons and with stamps at lego stores you can get some incredible deals on small pieces. If you collect figures then sets are good for the pieces as well. I never buy a set if I don't want the figures that are inside of it as well. Lego creator sets have a great price/piece count especially on clearance.

That's a lot of cash, but in theory it only adds up to 150 000 bricks, but especially when it comes to older sets it would be even less than that.

That is how I got more for my money than most get by buying sets alone. Actually I got most of the older sets. Vikings and Knights kingdom II stuff for on sale prices last fall. Some of the sets were 3 years old and still on sale at Amazon.com and toys r us .com. I found it crazy that I could get them for so cheap. When I got the sets I was glad I only payed a little for them. The KKII stuff wasn't so great. I did already own just about all of the sets previous to 1998 already.

I have 2 lego rooms. 1 where I build. My garage is where the layout is all spread out. My significant other and my family do think I am crazy at times but they are also amazed at the MOCs. I suppose I could be addicted to worse things...

[miniflea84]

Dale, after seeing your 3000 plus figs at brickfair, I'd like to see pics of the rest of your collection.

According to my (very incomplete) set inventory at peeron, I've got a total of 42,293 parts from 81 sets. Of course, a big big part of my collection comes from bricklink orders and PAB buys. Which brings up another point, and I guess Dale can answer this. How do you buy a whole box of stuff from the lego store? Do you just have to ask what they've got in the back?