Lego has brought back into production a couple of extremely popular sets, but as new and improved better models. One was the Millennium Falcon UCS set, another

Lego has brought back into production a couple of extremely popular sets, but as new and improved better models. One was the Millennium Falcon UCS set, another is the Imperial Star Destroyer UCS which is the first example the article gives. The article notes the Star Destroyer sold for $280 and is now going for $1500. But it's not selling for $1500 if you look carefully at the listings. Since the new version was released the bottom has fallen out of the market for the older version. Also, the high prices tend to be for unopened sealed boxes, stored somewhere for many years. Obviously there is a very small number of those brand new old stock and with each sale and opening the number decreases. Obviously unopened sealed new sets of long out of print and highly desirable models are going to be expensive. For someone that just wants the set, desirable used sets sell for considerably less than new sealed ones. Also most sets don't really appreciate that much. The ones that do tend to be the very large sets that cost a lot, in particular modular buildings and certain Star Wars sets. The people that speculate on these stockpile them when Lego is still selling them. Lego makes more of each set until sales slow down enough, then they discontinue the set. Most sets are sold for at least 2 years before retiring. No one is deprived of any sets because the speculators are buying new sets. There's not a limited supply of sets during the time the sets are in production. The speculation mostly goes to Lego's bottom line and profitability. Most speculators don't make money because it's hard to guess what rare set will be one of the few that becomes worth a lot more than you paid for it. For the others, you might be able to sell for what you paid, but then you may have to cover the cost of shipping a big heavy box far away, and if it arrives damaged or bent yet was advertised new, they'll file a return. In short, this is not really a great way to get rich and these sets are not really investments.