In 1972 LEGO released 1 Universal Building Set sets. The largest Universal Building Set set from 1972 was
803-2 Gears, Bricks and Heavy Tires with a piece count of 163. The current estimated value of all these Universal Building Set sets from this year is about $109.18.
LEGO's Universal Building Sets theme was released as early as 1966 but it was not until 1973 that the Basic LEGO sets became known as Universal Building Sets. These sets were produced in two set version numbers, the first was for sets that were sold in the UK, Europe, Canada and Australia. The other version numbers, but for the same exact set with the same box artwork was released in the United States. Most, but not all sets between 1973 and 1981 were sold in both regions.
1972 LEGO Sets
In 1972 The LEGO Group officially expanded to the United States. After a licensing disagreement with the Samsonite Corporation, LEGO USA was established in Brookfield, Connecticut and Samsonite ended production of LEGO products in the United States but continued production in Canada. As far as new parts and production, 1972 saw the release of the first boat hull, wing, propeller and helicopter rotor parts as well as new parts including the 1x6 arches. The train theme continued to grow and a number of notable train sets of 1972 included set 181 Train Set with Motor, 180 4.5V Train with 5 Wagons and 724 12V Diesel Locomotive.