2001

In 2001 LEGO proved once again to be a fantastic year for collectors with the release of 346 sets, many highly sought after. This included 52 promotional and special released sets in addition to the 294 retail sets released through LEGO.com, the LEGO store and various other retail channels.

Based on the 346 sets released for that year, the retail value was $5,756.30 with a current value of $31,539.50 for the combined new/factory sealed sets. As of present, the best performing theme for 2001 is currently Basic which has seen an average annual growth of upwards of 15% to date. With the 56 sets that year, the Duplo theme had the most released sets.

2001 was another interesting year for LEGO collecting. LEGO introduced a few very iconic and highly collectable sets which help drive LEGO investments to date, these include the Bionicle theme, Harry Potter, LEGO Racers and Alpha Team. Also introduced in 2001 as well as retired was the Life on Mars theme. We also saw the release of Islanders and Imperial Armada as subthemes of LEGO Pirates. LEGO also expanded its retail footprint in 2001 with brand stores opening in England, Germany, and Russia as well as expansions in the United States. The 2001 notable sets include the Star Wars Darth Maul bust (10018-1), Star Wars Ultimate Collector Series Rebel Blockade Runner (10019-1) and of course the LEGO Dragon sculpture (3724-1).