In 1976 LEGO released 4 Hobby Set sets. The largest Hobby Set set from 1976 was
396 Thatcher Perkins Locomotive with a piece count of 438 and a retail price of $19.99. The current estimated value of all these Hobby Set sets from this year is about $2,057.86 which represents a 3922.7% growth.
The Hobby Sets theme was an effort by LEGO to capture the attention of hobby shop buyers in the mind 1970s. Each of the Hobby Shop sets included enough pieces to build a miniture replica of each set. The initial run of the theme included 8 sets between 1975 and 1978 with one last set released in 2003. The first wave in 1975 was based on iconic cars, while the 1976 line included a train and two motorcycles including one past car.
1976 LEGO Sets
In 1976, LEGO released several new sets and themes, including the LEGO Police theme, which introduced models of police cars, motorcycles, and police stations. 1976 was also the year that LEGO introduced the LEGO Basic Building Set, which included a selection of basic bricks in various colors and shapes, as well as instruction booklets with ideas for building projects. Other notable sets and themes released by LEGO in 1976 included the LEGO Space theme, which expanded upon the Space sets released in previous years, and the LEGO Trains theme, which introduced new electric train models.