City retirements: a small list, with only a few clear standouts
There are 14 LEGO City sets scheduled to retire in October 2026. That is not a huge retirement wave, and the market data reflects it. Most of the ranked sets are still trading very close to retail, several are below retail, and only a handful show any real premium before retirement.
That matters. In a stronger retirement class, you often see broader price separation before sets leave shelves. Here, the field is narrower. One set already has a meaningful lead, a couple more have decent post-retirement setups, and the rest look more dependent on scarcity arriving after retirement rather than on current momentum.
Because this is a City list, the usual pattern also applies: demand tends to be practical rather than hype-driven. Buyers come back for trains, civic buildings, work vehicles, and the occasional unusual subtheme. Sets with broad display appeal or hard-to-replace play patterns usually age better than standard police-and-fire releases. The ranking reflects that. Current value matters, but so does how easy a set will be to substitute once it is gone.
Ranked sets
This is the clear leader in the group. The City Tower already trades at $279.30 against a retail price of $209.99, a 33.0% premium. No other set in this ranking is close to that level of pre-retirement separation.
The reason it stands out is simple: City does not get many large centerpiece sets that try to act as an all-in-one urban play and display model. At 1,941 pieces with 7 minifigures, it has scale that most City releases do not. That makes it easier to remember and harder to replace. A standard police station or work truck can be swapped with the next version. A large city hub has fewer direct substitutes.
The annual price change is also the strongest on the list at 23.9%. That kind of movement before retirement usually means demand already found the set, rather than waiting for shelves to clear. The two-year projection of $292.21 is not dramatically above the current value, which suggests a lot of the easy gain may already be priced in. Even so, relative to the rest of this retirement class, this is the set with the strongest evidence behind it today, not just the best story.
The 4.80 rating helps the case, but the premium matters more. In this batch, most sets still need retirement to unlock scarcity. This one already has scarcity working in its favor.
Second place goes to the Arctic train, and this ranking says more about category strength than current price momentum. The set is only slightly above retail today, with a current value of $212.14 versus a retail price of $209.99, a 1.0% premium. That is modest. Still, trains have a habit of staying relevant because they fill a specific role in City layouts that later sets do not always match.
This set has several features that help it stand out inside City. It combines the train format with the Arctic subtheme, which is less common than urban passenger or freight trains. That gives it a narrower identity and a better chance of being remembered after retirement. At 1,517 pieces and 6 minifigures, it also has enough substance to feel like a major release rather than a side model.
The weak point is the market data right now. The yearly price change is just 0.8%, and the two-year projection is $215.52. Those numbers do not point to fast appreciation. What they do suggest is a set that has held its level and may rely on post-retirement scarcity more than current demand. In City, trains often get more attention once buyers realize the exact model is gone.
If you compare it with the rest of the list, the Arctic train gets this spot because its format is harder to replace than most vehicles and police sets, even though the current premium is thin.
This set is below retail today, but it still ranks high because the setup is better than the current price suggests. Arctic Explorer Science Lab Truck has a retail price of $119.99 and a current value of $116.10, which puts it at a -3.2% premium. The two-year projection rises to $129.48.
Why rank a below-retail set this high? Because City Arctic releases do not come around every year in the same form, and this one is more distinctive than a generic truck. The science-lab angle gives it a more specific identity, and that matters in the secondary market. Buyers looking for a broad City vehicle can choose many alternatives. Buyers who want an Arctic research vehicle with a lab concept have fewer options.
The set also has solid scale for its price point, with 1,057 pieces and 5 minifigures. That gives it more presence than the average mid-tier City release. Its 4.80 rating is in line with the stronger entries here, which helps support collector interest even if the market has not moved yet.
The zero annual price change is a reminder that the market is not rushing into it. This is not a momentum story. It is a scarcity-and-niche story. In a City retirement group where many standard releases blend together, that can be enough to push a set higher in the ranking.
This is one of the more interesting sets in the whole group because the concept is stronger than the current price. The LEGO Delivery Truck sells at a current value of $93.00 against a retail price of $99.99, a -7.0% premium, with a two-year projection of $107.90.
The appeal is easy to understand. A branded LEGO delivery vehicle is more self-referential than a normal City truck, and those sets often attract buyers outside the usual City audience. It works as a City model, but it also works as a LEGO-themed collectible. That extra layer matters because it widens the buyer pool beyond people who are just building streets and traffic scenes.
At 1,061 pieces and 4 minifigures, it is also fairly substantial for the price. The 4.80 rating suggests the set landed well with fans. The current discount to retail is not ideal, but it may say more about shelf availability than long-term appeal. In retirement classes like this one, unusual concepts often age better than standard execution. A normal cargo truck can be replaced. A LEGO-branded delivery truck is more specific.
That specificity is why it edges into the upper half of the ranking despite weak current pricing.
This set has the weakest current premium among the top five, but it also has one of the clearest crossover angles. Retail is $99.99, current value is $88.05, and the premium sits at -11.9%. The two-year projection is $104.38.
The case here depends less on current market strength and more on licensed subject matter inside a City framework. Formula 1 carries an audience that standard City traffic sets do not. The inclusion of RB20 and AMR24 gives the set a more time-specific identity, which can help after retirement because fans often want the exact team and season tie-in rather than a generic race transporter.
There is also some protection in the format. A truck carrying F1 cars is more displayable than many City releases, and it can appeal to motorsport fans who do not collect the theme broadly. That said, the current value shows the market has not rewarded it yet. A set sitting nearly twelve percent below retail this close to retirement does not have the same support as the top-ranked entries.
So why place it fifth? Because the downside in the current data is balanced by a more specialized audience than the average City vehicle gets. It is not a proven winner today, but it has a more memorable identity than several sets ranked below it.
Some City sets do well simply because people like big service vehicles, and this is one of them. Heavy-Duty Recovery Tow Truck with Crane has a retail price of $89.99, a current value of $84.99, and a premium of -5.6%. Its two-year projection reaches $97.11.
This is not a flashy set, but it has a practical advantage. Tow trucks and recovery vehicles fit almost any City layout, and they are less overproduced than police stations or patrol cars. That gives the set a steady, utility-based appeal. Buyers who missed it at retail may still want it later because it fills a recognizable gap in a city scene.
The numbers are middle-of-the-road. 793 pieces and 3 minifigures are respectable, though not exceptional. The 4.70 rating is solid. What keeps it in the middle of the ranking is that the market has not shown any urgency. There is no annual price growth, and the set remains below retail.
Still, among the more ordinary City releases, this one has better staying power than a basic patrol or construction outpost because the subject is broadly useful and not tied to a short-lived gimmick.
This is the most neutral data profile on the list. Retail is $89.99, current value is $90.00, premium is 0.0%, and the two-year projection is $90.01. On paper, that is almost perfect flatness.
Even so, the set is more interesting than the projection suggests. Streetcars are less common than standard trains in LEGO City, and transit infrastructure often has a longer shelf life with collectors than the market initially gives it. A streetcar is also easier to display in a compact layout than a full train system, which can make it attractive to city builders with limited space.
The set includes 811 pieces and 6 minifigures, a good minifigure count for the price. The 4.70 rating is healthy. The issue is simple: the market sees it as a stable utility set rather than a scarce collectible. That is why it sits below the tow truck despite the more unusual subject. The projection barely moves.
If the ranking were based only on collector charm, it could place higher. Based on the actual pricing data, it belongs in the lower half because almost none of that charm has translated into value yet.
Police stations are a City staple, but that cuts both ways. This set has a retail price of $69.99, a current value of $68.59, and a -2.0% premium, with a two-year projection of $72.96.
The positive case is straightforward. A police station is always relevant to City collectors, and this one offers a decent entry point with 668 pieces and 5 minifigures. The 4.60 rating is lower than most other sets in this ranking, but still respectable.
The problem is replacement risk. LEGO revisits police stations constantly. That makes it harder for any single version to stand out unless it has a special design or a major nostalgia factor. The data here does not show that kind of differentiation. The set is slightly below retail now and only modestly above retail in the two-year projection.
That does not make it weak in absolute terms. It makes it ordinary, and ordinary City police releases usually need time rather than excitement to build value.
This is a compact example of how a simple construction vehicle can quietly outperform more elaborate sets. Yellow Bulldozer retailed at $64.99 and currently sits at $66.94, a 3.0% premium. The yearly price change is 2.2%, and the two-year projection is $69.95.
Those are not big numbers, but they are real numbers. In this retirement class, that counts for something. The set already trades above retail, and it does so without relying on a license, a flagship price point, or a rare subtheme.
At 682 pieces with 3 minifigures, it has enough substance to feel complete while staying affordable. Construction equipment also tends to have broad appeal. Kids, city builders, and vehicle collectors all understand what a bulldozer is for. That can support steady aftermarket demand.
Why is it only ninth, then? Because the upside looks limited. A current premium of three percent and a projection of $69.95 point to stability more than acceleration. It is one of the cleaner data profiles on the list, but not one of the most ambitious.
The last ranked set has some life in the data, but it also runs into the same issue that affects many police releases. Retail is $54.99, current value is $56.64, premium is 3.0%, yearly price change is 2.6%, and the two-year projection is $59.55.
The garage concept is more distinctive than a plain police car set, which helps. A customization angle gives the set a little more personality, and at this lower price point it may stay accessible to casual buyers after retirement. It includes 489 pieces and 4 minifigures, which is respectable for the size.
Still, the ceiling looks modest. Police remains one of the most replaceable corners of City, and the projection does not suggest a breakout. The current premium is positive, which is better than several sets ranked above it, but the absolute dollar movement is small. Going from $54.99 to a projected $59.55 is not the kind of spread that changes the overall picture.
That leaves it in tenth place: decent, slightly above retail, but with limited separation from the crowd.
What the data says across this retirement class
The biggest pattern is concentration. Out of these ten ranked City sets, only The City Tower already shows a strong premium at 33.0%. After that, the market drops off quickly. Two sets sit at 3.0%, one at 1.0%, one at 0.0%, and the rest are below retail.
That tells you this is not a broad-based retirement wave where everything is moving together. The market is picking favorites, and it is rewarding distinctiveness more than theme loyalty. Large centerpiece builds, unusual subthemes, trains, and self-referential concepts like the LEGO Delivery Truck rank better than standard police releases because they are harder to replace once gone.
The other useful point is that projected gains are generally narrow. Several sets are expected to move only a few dollars above retail even two years out. In practical terms, this City class looks selective rather than deep. If you are comparing these retirements, the gap between the top few and the rest is the main story, and The City Tower is the set that defines that gap.
Data as of October 11, 2026.
Based on historical market data from BrickEconomy's pricing models. Past performance does not guarantee future appreciation. Prices reflect estimated secondary market values and may vary by condition and seller.