LEGO has released a lot of themes over the years. Some were very short lived, while others have been consistently producing sets for 20+ years. We wanted to look at all the themes and determine which ones produced the most valuable and sought after LEGO minifigures. It should come as no surprise that licensed themes produce higher value minifigures due to their larger appeal, but some original themes have managed to gain their own devoted collector base that has increased their value quite a bit.
How do you measure a themes minifigure value?
“Value” can be determined several ways. We decided to measure the value of minifigures from a theme two ways:
All prices are based on sales data pulled from BrickLink, eBay, and Brick Economy as of August 2024.
The 5 most valuable minifigure themes by total cost:
If you were to buy every minifigure in a theme, which would cost the most? Some of these themes have been running since before the internet. The LEGO City theme has been around since the 1970s and LEGO Star Wars has been around since 1999. Will they make the cut? Let’s find out.
#5: Ninjago
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Total cost to buy all figs: $7,106
Total number of figs: 859
Years included: 2011-2024
Ninjago is one of the most successful original LEGO themes. So much so that it got it’s own theatrical movie released back in 2017. This theme has been consistently adding new characters and amazing sets that has created what might be the strongest fanbase for an original theme. Sometimes when a character gets a bunch of releases (Lloyd has 84 minifigures) you run into issues with the theme or character being less desirable. However, Ninjago fans embrace this larger release and attempt to collect all versions of their favorite character. That is no easy feat on this large theme.
#4: Collectible Minifigure Series
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Total cost to buy all figs: $10,030
Total number of figs: 717
Years included: 2010-2024
The Collectible Minifigure Series (CMF) was introduced with series one in 2010 and this theme really began catering to adult and collector audiences. This theme has brought many unique characters that simply wouldn’t exist in standard LEGO themes and as such has some of the best minifigures available.
This theme is very interesting in how it has molded the LEGO company. When LEGO series ten was released in 2013 the theme included a very limited and rare minifigure: Mr. Gold. This character was limited to a production run of 5000 and was randomly included with the blind box packages. Collectors went crazy for this minifigure and now sells for upwards of $5000 if you have the certificate that came with it. This limited run isn’t something that pairs well with the LEGO brands core values. They want their toys accessible to all and this limited run didn’t abide by that value. So, we haven’t seen a limited-edition character since then which only brings the value of Mr. Gold higher. If Mr. Gold wasn’t included in this theme, then it wouldn’t make this top 5 list.
#3: Castle
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Total cost to buy all figs: $10,349
Total number of figs: 481
Years included: 1978-2016
There are two reasons why the castle theme is number three on this list.
- It has a lot of minifigures during its long lifespan
- People didn’t collect figs until the 2000s. So, most minifigures in new condition are lost. The few remaining now attract a lot of value due to rarity.
A possible third reason is that people that grew up on this theme are now older and can afford to throw around larger amounts of money for the nostalgia value of owning them again.
#2: Star Wars
Image copyright: Disney
Total cost to buy all figs: $42,509
Total number of figs: 1407
Years included: 1999-2024
The Star Wars universe seems to have an endless supply of characters and a rabid fanbase base that buys anything Star Wars branded. This theme is the first TV-based license from LEGO which was a smashing success and opened the door to much more licensed themes. Many characters and special versions of characters had limited runs which drives up the price for this theme. Coming in at nearly 4x the price of our third spot should come as no surprise with many minifigures selling for hundreds to thousands of dollars each.
#1: Super Heroes
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Total cost to buy all figs: $46,067
Total number of figs: 986
Years included: 2011-2024
Super Heroes was the primary recipient of Comic-Con exclusive minifigures. While LEGO said they would no longer release chase minifigures like Mr. Gold for sale, giveaway and promotional minifigures were a different story. Of course, this tactic ended up going the same way as Mr. Gold with LEGO ending its exclusive Comic-Con minifigures which continues to drive up their price. Just a small percent of the 986 minifigures in this theme contribute to the bulk of its value thanks to Comic-Con exclusives which puts it at the top-spot.
The 5 most valuable minifigure themes by average cost:
Of course, long-running themes with hundreds or thousands of minifigures should cost the most… but these themes also have plenty of low-value figs that people simply aren’t buying.
In our opinion value is based on the average cost per minifigure which really indicates their desirability across an entire theme. Which theme are users willing to consistently pay the most per fig on average? Below are the 5 most valuable LEGO minifigure themes by average cost per minifigure (themes with at least 30 minifigures).
#5: Castle
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Average cost per fig: $21.52
Total number of figs: 481
Years included: 1978-2016
The Castle theme was a very long running theme going back to the 1970s. What makes this theme particularly valuable is the fact that these minifigures were around before collecting was even a thing. The vast majority have been lost in time and the remaining minifigures in new condition are few and far between. This is paired with the desirability of certain sub-themes such as the Forestman theme and it makes sense why they’ve made it to the top 5 most valuable themes by average price.
#4: Pirates of the Caribbean
Image copyright: Disney
Average cost per fig: $24.79
Total number of figs: 43
Years included: 2011-2017
This theme might come as a surprise given the downfall of this franchise. However, this theme still does have a large fan base (the 5 movies nearly grossed 1.5 billion dollars) and this theme was very short lived. If you exclude Captain Jack Sparrow, most of the characters from this theme only have one minifigure and several are brag-worthy to have in your collection like Davey Jones.
#3: Star Wars
Image copyright: Disney
Average cost per fig: $30.21
Total number of figs: 1407
Years included: 1999-2024
The Star Wars universe seems to have an endless supply of characters and a rabid fanbase base that buys anything Star Wars branded. This theme is the first TV-based license from LEGO which was a smashing success and opened the door to much more licensed themes. Many characters and special versions of characters had limited runs which drives up the price for this theme. Coming in at nearly 4x the price of our third spot should come as no surprise with many minifigures selling for hundreds to thousands of dollars each.
#2: The Lord of the Rings
Image copyright: Embracer Group
Average cost per fig: $30.48
Total number of figs: 140
Years included: 2012-2024
The Lord of the Rings product line doesn’t have any rare Comic-Con exclusives, but it does have a hardcore fanbase and a limited number of sets. Even newer figs from 2022 and 2024 are highly valuable given we get less than one set per year, and they cost more than $300 each. Even with 140 minifigures, this theme hasn’t watered down their lineup and many popular characters from this theme only have one minifigure. While this isn’t number one on the list for average value, if you exclude Comic-Con minifigures from our number one spot, then this theme would undoubtedly be the most valuable.
This average price includes The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings minifigures from the new “Icons” theme.
#1: Super Heroes
Image copyright: The LEGO Group
Average cost per fig: $46.72
Total number of figs: 986
Years included: 2011-2024
The Super Heroes theme includes both the DC and Marvel sub-themes. The average pricing for this theme is highly distorted by a handful of Comic-Con figs that easily command $1000 or more. Now that Comic-Con exclusive minifigures are a thing of the past, we expect the average value of this theme to go down since most figs typically price around $10-20 each. With that being said, this lineup does feature a number of amazing licensed minifigures and draws a large external audience to the LEGO brand. There is no shortage of collectors that will buy anything DC or Marvel. Fortunately, LEGO licensed both.
Closing thoughts:
We will revisit LEGO minifigure values in a few years to see where things have changed. Some of our predictions until then include:
- Lord of the Rings minifigures will slightly go down in price as they continue to release sets, but not by much since they will remain exclusive to very high-priced sets
- Super Heroes will lose a bit of value as Comic-Con exclusives are discontinued and more regular prices figs bring down the average price. However, the value of these Comic-Con figs will continue to climb. Will we find the ceiling price? Will they exceed $10k?
- Ninjago will continue to remain steady for many years. They are designed to be accessible and affordable. However, if LEGO ever discontinues the Ninjago theme, expect prices to climb considerably.
- Within the next couple of years, some new theme will come along that will replace one of these top 5 most valuable themes by average cost per fig. This will undoubtedly be a licensed theme.
One a side note, we personally wish that LEGO brings back exclusives and chase minifigures.
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