Classic Lego, Wheel Set 021

Todays post is about one of our store's most prized items, the Lego 021 Wheel Set. This is a set that will probably have a lot of parents thinking back to their own childhood days. This was one of the first Lego sets available in North America, it comes with 185 pieces, and when it went on sale in 1966 it cost $4.99 (thats $35.44 adjusted for inflation). Today as a rare collectors item it is of course worth much more, and anyone who might be interested in purchasing this item should contact us directly via email to discuss the price.

The classic Lego bricks never go out of style.

To place this item in context a brief history is in order. The company that would become Lego was founded in Denmark in 1932 and made wooden items such as step ladders, stools, and of course, toys. After World War 2 plastic began to be used to make the toys and the forerunner of the Lego brick was first made. In the 1950's Lego bricks as we know them began to be sold in Europe, and in 1954 the word Lego was officially registered in Denmark. In 1961 the Samsonite Corporation was given an exclusive lisencing agreement to sell Lego toys in North America, which lasted until 1972. This is one of the sets that was produced by Samsonite during that time.

And I thought they only made Luggage. 

After almost 50 years in the world this set is in quite good condition, never having been opened. We are very excited to have it, and it's now on prominent display in one of our glass cases.

-Allen

Sources:
Lego History
Inflation Calculator

Nanodots, magnets from the future, now.

When we went to Toy Fair up in New York City back in February we saw more cool toys than we could really take in all at once. One thing that really stood out however were a simple toy called Nanodots, small silver magnetic spheres that once you pick up are hard to put down. We were totally taken with these small building magnets, and placed our first order with the company then and there.

Nanodots come in two sizes, the original Nanodots are small 5mm diameter spheres, and the Megadots are about the size of a marble. They come in a variety of colors including black, silver, gold and the original steel. The silver and gold Nanodots are even coated in real silver and gold! For that reason those sets will cost a little more than the steel and black sets of the same size.

Now these are defiantly building toys, and like wooden blocks or Lego they have a very long replay value. The basic set comes with 64 Nanodots and that is plenty to make all kinds of cool designs, and as you add more Nanodots you will be able to build more and more complex objects. The larger 216 sets come with a storage bag to keep the Nanodots in, however I find that putting them on the front of the refrigerator is a much more convenient way to keep them close at hand.

Mixing the colors can make really interesting designs!

Nanodots make a great gift for older children and adults, but they are not intended for younger children. The recommended age from the company is 14 years and up. These are powerful magnets for their size, and should not be put on electronic devices. That being said, they are great building toys and can have a very meditative effect on the user. The smallest set retails for $14.99 and the largest set sells for $44.99. They will make a great little gift for the builder or engineer in your life!

-Allen