1969 Sears Christmas Catalog Lego Pages

MooreFX

My husband saved this catalog from his childhood.  It is part of our Christmas decor.  I thought you all might enjoy seeing the prices and pieces of these old sets. It is hard to acknowledge how old we are getting. :)  

drdavewatford

Nice - thanks for sharing!

Fizyx

536 pieces for $9.99?  Sign me up!

prevere

According to inflation calculations, that's about $66 today. Not surprised as Lego is cheaper today than decades gone by.

Istokg

Ah yes... the USA/Canada Department Store Exclusive LEGO Set.  I have an entire chapter of my collectors guide devoted to these sets unique to USA and Canada from Samsonite (1961-73).

That 536 piece set is the '536 Designer Set'.  It was exclusive to both FAO Schwarz as an in store set (with outer colorful box), and also to Sear's, as a mail order set with outer shipping box (no regular box inside).

Here is the FAO Schwarz version....




And here (bottom set) is the (shown in the catalog in the first image on this thread) Sear's mail-order version....



The Sear's Catalog shows 49-4419... which shows on the side of the box.  When you look at the MFG. NO. (on the box top)... the 6 character number has '536' within the 6 digits.  This is often the only way to identify a set.  In this instance the inner box tray also shows '536', but that is not always the case.

Images... from my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide.

Aanchir

prevere said:

According to inflation calculations, that's about $66 today. Not surprised as Lego is cheaper today than decades gone by.

Not a totally outrageous price for that piece count, but higher than you'd pay for that quantity of mostly basic bricks today…

I have to admit these sorts of vintage catalog pages often fascinate me, though! I especially like some vintage catalogs from the UK that will actually list both the RRP and the specific retailer's reduced price. It's neat to see not only how the sets were priced, but how they were described/advertised. Sometimes it's very different from what you'd see today… case in point, ads from the 60s like this had to advertise aspects of the toy that nowadays are taken for granted, like "pieces fit securely, yet can easily be taken apart".

This one had a lot of fun surprises: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29934333@N02/albums/72157677626472222 I love the sort of pleading insistence that "girls love it too!", the many efforts to upsell it as "the extraordinary new building toy from Europe", the 10 day free trial offer (probably to compensate for how even for its time it was pricier than similarly-sized toys), etc. People joke about The Man Upstairs' "sophisticated, interlocking brick system", but even that feels concise compared to this flyer's "extraordinary new system of precision-made, interlocking 'building units'". XD And then there's the one 5-year-old kid testimonial describing one of their siblings as "15¾", and the general cultural artifacts like women going by their husbands' full names (i.e. "Mrs. William Sprengel"). I have to admit, I will never know for myself know what it was like to live during that decade. But looking at it through a modern lens really shows how much things have changed on so many levels.

Istokg

The Motorized Truck Set in the 2nd catalog image was only sold as a Sear's mail-order set, and therefore only found in a brown shipping box.

Here is the outer box.... showing the mail-order catalog item number on the side.  And on top the MFG. NO. shows 371 within the numbers....



And of course... the contents as well as the Instructions sheet that identifies the set number...

Istokg

Aanchir said:

<SNIP>

This one had a lot of fun surprises: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29934333@N02/albums/72157677626472222 I love the sort of pleading insistence that "girls love it too!", the many efforts to upsell it as "the extraordinary new building toy from Europe", the 10 day free trial offer (probably to compensate for how even for its time it was pricier than similarly-sized toys), etc. People joke about The Man Upstairs' "sophisticated, interlocking brick system", but even that feels concise compared to this flyer's "extraordinary new system of precision-made, interlocking 'building units'". XD And then there's the one 5-year-old kid testimonial describing one of their siblings as "15¾", and the general cultural artifacts like women going by their husbands' full names (i.e. "Mrs. William Sprengel"). I have to admit, I will never know for myself know what it was like to live during that decade. But looking at it through a modern lens really shows how much things have changed on so many levels.

That set mentioned in the Flickr pages is the FAO Schwarz 005 Discovery Set exclusive (seen in this 1968 Schwarz catalog page in the lower left.  Unlike Sear's, FAO Schwarz always had colorful box designs.  And the 10 day trial offer was also exclusive to FAO Schwarz... a USA luxury toy store chain (now sadly gone).  Other LEGO retailes and even Samsonite LEGO themselves never offered any free trial period... only FAO Schwarz did that.




Here is the 005 Discovery Set....



The FAO Schwarz exclusive Samsonite LEGO sets always had fancy names... and usually (but not always) the set number was also the parts count.  Here are some FAO Schwarz exclusive set numbers/names....

223 Adventurer Set
326 Suburban Set
066 Governor Set
080 Ambassador Set
630 Diplomat Set

oldtodd33

As an off topic side note, my brother and I had item H orange table and chairs as kids. I still own them and all of my kids played at that table also. 

Istokg

In 1970 TLG started litigation against USA Samsonite... because LEGO sales (never more than $5 million a year) were underperforming.  So 1972 ended up being the last year that USA Samsonite was allowed to sell LEGO before the license reverted back to the TLG Denmark.

This 1972 J. C. Penney Catalog page on LEGO sets, shows several reasons why Samsonite LEGO sales were ending in the USA (but not Canada).




First of all, the set sizes were huge...... Samsonite was emptying it's LEGO parts inventory this way.  Also, no more yellow LEGO parts (except the gears, which were European produced.  Samsonite had stopped the ordering of yellow ABS pellets from Borg-Warner's Washington West Virginia plant by late 1970... and the blue, red and white ABS pellet ordering was stopped soon after.  This explains the dominance of those 3 colors.

Like Sear's, J.C. Penney catalog sales involved brown boxes.  Here is the very large 857 piece box as seen mentioned in the Penney catalog....



Again, you need both the mail-order catalog in order to help identify which set you have in a plain brown box.


Many of these J.C. Penney mail-order sets were the same sets as the regular 1972 Samsonitte LEGO sets sold in a colorful box to regular retailers.  And others have additional pieces added to bring the part count to over 1000 parts....



Notice how large "SAMSONITE" lettering is, as compared to "LEGO".  USA Samsonite knew their time was almost up, so they no longer cared about TLGs wishes for packaging!

M1J0E

Thanks guys for sharing all this!  Really neat to see.  & it does seem to confirm what I’ve often believed, LEGO in adjusted dollars is cheaper, and/or a better value nowadays than when I was a kid.  It used to be a set with <500 pieces was a big set, and it might cost $40 or $60.  Not in today’s dollars, but 30 years ago when that was real money!  Nowadays it’s amazing what modern design & packaging has done for being able to offer more pieces for a lower adjusted cost.

Cyberdragon

I'm having nerdgasms just looking at those sets. I want those gears and motors and vehical sets so bad.

I was about to wonder why my favorite set wasn't listed, but then I remebered it was a year earlier. 1969 would be the rerelease as an updated version, but I don't see that either. I don't know why I hate the rerelease so much, it's basically the same set just slightly different. I guess I just don't like rereleases, I'll just have to get over my prejudice. I could always get the original to keep original and get the rerelease to do vintage MOCs.

What set(s) you say? I'll let you guys guess. I've already given a few small hints.

Fizyx

prevere said:

According to inflation calculations, that's about $66 today. Not surprised as Lego is cheaper today than decades gone by.

Fine then, just rain on my parade! ;_;

Fizyx

Istokg said:

In 1970 TLG started litigation against USA Samsonite... because LEGO sales (never more than $5 million a year) were underperforming.  So 1972 ended up being the last year that USA Samsonite was allowed to sell LEGO before the license reverted back to the TLG Denmark.

This 1972 J. C. Penney Catalog page on LEGO sets, shows several reasons why Samsonite LEGO sales were ending in the USA (but not Canada).




First of all, the set sizes were huge...... Samsonite was emptying it's LEGO parts inventory this way.  Also, no more yellow LEGO parts (except the gears, which were European produced.  Samsonite had stopped the ordering of yellow ABS pellets from Borg-Warner's Washington West Virginia plant by late 1970... and the blue, red and white ABS pellet ordering was stopped soon after.  This explains the dominance of those 3 colors.

Considering the restricted brick range they had at the time, I feel like the brick-built people and animals that I've seen are pretty impressive.  The sets are usually pretty good too, but it's the animals and people that really jump out at me.  (Although I will admit I still like the modern minifig more!)

Istokg

@Cyberdragon ..... 

Well ordinarily I would say 003 Master Mechanic Set....  which has both gears and a motor... but it was not re-released.






So his is a difficult question, because I don't always agree with the Samsonite dates in all the online databases.... but my guess would be the fall 1965 releas of the 671 piece...

004 Master Builder Set....



And the (a little later) 704 Master Discovery Set... which had 704 pieces (33 extra pieces)....

 
The extra 33 parts to the 704 were mainly older style trees/bushes and Esso signs/pumps, as well as an extra blue large gear.  There were a few other extra items (possibly early road signs) but they are covered over in the 2 green panels (intended to block part of the image) from this 704 set FAO Schwarz ad closeup (above).

These are the largest size Samsonite sets that had 2 versions.

bookmum

I love all the pictures in this thread and the history too. Interesting reading!! 

monstblitz

The first thing I thought looking at this was factoring in the period, inflation and all that, Lego was really expensive in the 60s! 

2nd thing - what ever happened to poor Tog'l? 

Cyberdragon

@Istokg

Those are nice sets, but nope...cold. Yes, they're electric, but unrelated to those. Original release date was 1968 and released 1969 under a different set number. They both contain under 200 pieces, but the rerelease has a few more. After doing some research, I think I have to cave and say the rerelease may be superior. I still want both though.

Astrobricks

monstblitz said:

The first thing I thought looking at this was factoring in the period, inflation and all that, Lego was really expensive in the 60s! 

2nd thing - what ever happened to poor Tog'l? 

Wow. I just experienced a recovered memory. I vaguely recall those Tog’l pieces. I think I may have found a few pieces as a kid. I don’t think we ever had a whole set.

datsunrobbie

I find Tog'l blocks mixed in with thrift-store LEGO occasionally, was wondering what they were. I've never seen a whole set of them, just random bits that get tossed in the "that's not LEGO" bag.

LusiferSam

Cyberdragon said:

@Istokg

Those are nice sets, but nope...cold. Yes, they're electric, but unrelated to those. Original release date was 1968 and released 1969 under a different set number. They both contain under 200 pieces, but the rerelease has a few more. After doing some research, I think I have to cave and say the rerelease may be superior. I still want both though.

Ok, you've got me stumped.  The only sets I can think of that come close to matching that description are 310 or one of the early locomotives.  There just aren't that many sets under 200 pieces from either year that are electric.

Back to the catalogs.  The JC Penney's brown box is mine.  It's a photo I took for Istokg, so glad to see it getting used.  :D  I'm actively looking for more of these late Samsonite catalog sets.  I have a theory about the numbering on the boxes, but need more of them to prove this out.  I have all but one of the Sears boxes, but need more of the JC Penney boxes. 

Another set I'm interested in is 842 Town Plan.  A loose incomplete one popped up on eBay recently.  Really what one would have been buying is the instructions.  I thought about it, but for what it was that's too much for me.  I'm sure a better one will come along at some point.

Cyberdragon

The modern equivalent of Tog'l seems to be Fischertechnik. They have a similar system of connecting blocks. They also use the same wiring as the old 60s Lego sets, which, from experience with Fischertechnik, is very fiddly and fragile. That's one thing that worries me about getting old electric Lego is that the wiring could snap off at the connector. They seem to have screws so they can be stripped and reattached on the connectors, or just replaced. But, that would be quite annoying. Does anyone know from experience how fragile vintage Lego wiring is?

LusiferSam

Vintage wires are like vintage tires.  Some fall apart if you look at them.  Some you'd swear just came off the factory line.  There is nothing truly special about the wires themselves, it's common gauge that's easy to find.  If you're looking to simply make a vintage set work, the plugs can rewire with little work.  It's only with the 12 V trains do I think wires start to become specialized. 

Cyberdragon

Well that's good, my favorite sets are not 12V (another hint). I wonder if vintage Lego is compatable with Fischertechnik, so I could use those wires, maybe even connect the systems together (I'm not a purist, this doesn't bother me).

1974

There was some debate on LUGnet if that blue motorized truck was a fake or not. Rather interesting building details and a very poorly made instruction sheet promted some folks to think so

Cyberdragon

1974 said:

There was some debate on LUGnet if that blue motorized truck was a fake or not. Rather interesting building details and a very poorly made instruction sheet promted some folks to think so

Seriously? LOL! Those people know nothing about vintage Lego then. I looked up it's instructions and that's exactly what vintage instructions look like. They were crude with very few steps that basically told you to slap it together like shown. The instructions for the sets I'm talking about are no different.

Istokg

I remember those comments on LUGNET about the 371 Motorized Truck Set, since I added to them.  What those comments don't tell us is that they are 17 years old.  Back circa 2000 folks weren't aware that many of the mail-order LEGO sets, especially Sear's Sets were often sold in a brown box that gave little information on the box top, unless you had the mail-order catalog image to help you out.

So online set/part inventories were of no help, since they weren't around back then.

Istokg

There are 2 other sets who's identity has bee shrouded in mystery.  The 367 Samsonite Airport set was sold with one of those early 70s large 50x50 roadplates.  Some people have the set... with instructions... but no box... in fact, no one online has the box.

Is this a Mail-Order set that we haven't found the matching order catalog image for?  No, this is an entire different genre of LEGO set.... the promotional set.  The 367 was a Kraft Velveeta USA/Canada promotional set... available with about 8 other sets with 2 Velveeta labels and money to be mailed in.

The 1970-71 Kraft Velveeta offering (there were earlier 1967 and 1968-69 Kraft mini-catalog offerings of different items).....






These mini promo catalogs came in boxes of Kraft Velveeta Cheese... 2 of them shown here with the ordered set boxed in the middle....



Now getting back to that 367 Airport Set that nobody seems to know the origin of.  Well it came in a 1970-71 Kraft Velveet Cheese brochure shown above.  Except.. the 371 set isn't shown as a set by that number.  It is shown as Set #5.



... with another set #4 below it using the same large 50x50 Samsonite roadplate (of 1970-71).  So how do we make the connectivity between the #5 set and the #367 set that we know about?   Well actually we don't.  These 2 (#4 and #5) sets are sort of odd.  They each come with instructions... but not for sets #4 and #5......





They are sets 271 House with Vehicle Set (very obscure set) and 367 Mini-Airport Set, which is more common.  But the origins of all the 367 Airport sets are all from Kraft mail-order promos.


I discovered the origins of these sets last year... and both were mail-order items... with each coming as 2 separate packages.... 1) the LEGO elements, and 2) the large 50x50 baseplate shipped separately... in a brown shipping box and shipping envelope.


Here's an example of how the Kraft promos wer shipped.  Set #1 (from the 1968-69 version of the Kraft promo order sheet)... including the outer box and contents.....



Generally these promotional "brown box" sets were USA/Canada exclusive in that method of packing... but not always.  The 1970 unnumbered Weetabix Castle set was sold similarly in the UK/Ireland....




So early LEGO catalog and promo sets are much more complex than we've ever been led to believe!  ;-)

All images from my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide chapter on LEGO Promotional Sets.

LusiferSam

I have a new twist to add to the Kraft Velveeta promotional sets.  Hopefully the package arrives early next week.  As a preview, it a appears to be a previously unknown Kraft Velveeta promotional set with more secrets to share.  As to how I get this set, it's also a twisted tale.  I share what I know once the set arrives.

Fizyx

LusiferSam said:

I have a new twist to add to the Kraft Velveeta promotional sets.  Hopefully the package arrives early next week.  As a preview, it a appears to be a previously unknown Kraft Velveeta promotional set with more secrets to share.  As to how I get this set, it's also a twisted tale.  I share what I know once the set arrives.

I never thought I would be so excited to hear about something related to Kraft Velveeta...

Istokg

Cyberdragon said:

I'm having nerdgasms just looking at those sets. I want those gears and motors and vehical sets so bad.

I was about to wonder why my favorite set wasn't listed, but then I remebered it was a year earlier. 1969 would be the rerelease as an updated version, but I don't see that either. I don't know why I hate the rerelease so much, it's basically the same set just slightly different. I guess I just don't like rereleases, I'll just have to get over my prejudice. I could always get the original to keep original and get the rerelease to do vintage MOCs.

What set(s) you say? I'll let you guys guess. I've already given a few small hints.

I'm not sure what your criteria of a "re-release" is... and if it matches what I consider a re-release.  I grew up in the Samsonite years, and have all their catalogs (including Canada)... and I cannot think of a single set that was a true re-release.  Many had parts changes along the way, to update to the newest LEGO parts (train couplings wheel versions, etc).... and some had a few box upgrades... but a true re-release... I can't think of any.

Cyberdragon

Istokg said:

Cyberdragon said:

I'm having nerdgasms just looking at those sets. I want those gears and motors and vehical sets so bad.

I was about to wonder why my favorite set wasn't listed, but then I remebered it was a year earlier. 1969 would be the rerelease as an updated version, but I don't see that either. I don't know why I hate the rerelease so much, it's basically the same set just slightly different. I guess I just don't like rereleases, I'll just have to get over my prejudice. I could always get the original to keep original and get the rerelease to do vintage MOCs.

What set(s) you say? I'll let you guys guess. I've already given a few small hints.

I'm not sure what your criteria of a "re-release" is... and if it matches what I consider a re-release.  I grew up in the Samsonite years, and have all their catalogs (including Canada)... and I cannot think of a single set that was a true re-release.  Many had parts changes along the way, to update to the newest LEGO parts (train couplings wheel versions, etc).... and some had a few box upgrades... but a true re-release... I can't think of any.

Well, the new set is almost identical the old set but with added features and a new number. It's basically the same set but they changed the number with only a few minor changes to the set and box (like you said they did back then). In fact, the sets are so similar, that I've actually made a complaint on this forum that Brickset actually has the pictures swapped (or did, maybe they fixed it).

datsunrobbie

^Much cooler looking set once I found a few pictures of it assembled.

#118

Cyberdragon

YYYYYAAAAASSS! Plus of course it's updated version which is starting to grow on me. I wonder what the extra pieces in the revised set are (checking Bricklink). Ah, the new set does not have any 3002 bricks, has an extra 3001, 2 extra of 3024, an extra 3023, 4 extra of 3022, 1 less 3021, and 2 less of 3020. The red wire connectors are also different, they are two pin in the new one.
EDIT: The Brickset image for the new one is correct now, but the original is still wrong. 

#138

Istokg

Well yeah.... lol.... this whole thread has been about USA/Canada Samsonite sets... and the 2 variations on the set you described were never made by Samsonite, nor ever sold in USA/Canada.

And ironically the earlier of the 2 sets you described (the single directional one).... Samsonite used that same set number to sell a Sear's exclusive set.... (seen in the original post)....





 In Europe they sold this set, but in a colorful box (not a brown box as the Samsonite one)... and they added 1 digit to the set number for Europe....  ;-)

Cyberdragon

Well...you learn something new everyday. *giant box made of lego with a bunch of tiny wheels appears* *hides inside and rolls away*

Istokg

Well I guess it all depends on which functionality you like......

The earlier one....




Or the one year later one....

Istokg

@LusiferSam ... nearly forgot about this 6 year old related thead conversation we had 6 years ago!!  

http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/2425/sears-catalog-sets

Good Lord.... we're still talking about these.... :-D

Istokg

I can't think of any parts packs that are as expensive as those for the electronic trains.

The one for the 1969 (forward/backward) 138 Electronic Train Set is numbered 139...




The one for the 1968 (forward only) 118 Electronic Train Set is numbered 139A...



I've seen these in MISB sell for $500.

The train whisles are different....





Also, the control units are different (for one way versus two way)....




Here is a Belgian paper contents of a 138... includes literature in either French or Dutch, while the instructions are universal...

Cyberdragon

They are not interchangable either, the motor connections are on opposite ends. I'm also a vintage electronics guy, so if anyone has one of these that broke down, message me and I'll try to help you fix it.

LusiferSam

Istokg said:

@LusiferSam ... nearly forgot about this 6 year old related thead conversation we had 6 years ago!!  

http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/2425/sears-catalog-sets

Good Lord.... we're still talking about these.... :-D

Wow!  It really has been that long hasn't it.  It just doesn't feel the number of unknowns is decreasing with time.  It seems like for every step forward there's one back.  To borrow your quote, "Lego Madness".

Well to add to the madness, my package arrived today. This is a bit of a convoluted story. And there are several parts that I don’t know. So this summer I spotted an auction on eBay for what appeared to be a Kraft promotional set. This was not one I was familiar with and was hoping to acquire it. I wound up losing the auction and thought that was the end of it. Turns out it was not. The buyer either was not happy or had buyer's remorse with their purchase. So at some point this set changed hands and came to a new seller. This new seller contacted me in late November. After some back-and-forth we came to an agreement on price and it was sold to me. There are several questions I have about what happened between July and November that my seller either doesn’t know or cannot answer.  Whatever the case this is great news for me.

So the set arrived today. It sealed in a bag that is very similar to the Samsonite bags that were used in the cube boxes. I’m going to see if I can perform an inventory without opening the bag. I believe I can lay the pieces out flat enough in the bag to be able to do this. It comes with a single 10 x 20 blue plate. I originally assumed the box was oversized, but upon inspection that is not the case. There is a little bit of extra room once the bag is placed in the box, but not much.






The boxes stamped with the number 1258. This is very curious to me. It’s a four digit number similar to what is shown on the brown boxes from Sears and JCPenney’s sets of that era. It’s my theory that if you drop the last number from the manufacturers number on those boxes you get the set number. The Sears boxes all end in a 1. The JCPenney’s boxes would appear to end in a 2, although we’ve not seen enough of those boxes to verify that. This one ends an 8. This has me wondering if 8 is unique to Kraft or all promotional sets or if what I’m proposing is simply a lot of hot air.



The most interesting feature is a flyer that came with the set. It shows this set containing 125 pieces, and three additional sets. They contain 156, 426, and 917 pieces. Based on the small photos with each of the sets I suspect this offer is from 1971 or 1972. Style of model and the color selection is consistent with very late era Samsonite sets.  The color selection is mostly red and white with some blue elements and a few clear.  No Yellow.  I will see if I can get a better image of the flyer. I seem to be getting a lot of glare while using my camera. I may need to try scanning it instead.  And there is another thread about this set from this summer if you want to see the eBay images of the flyer.

LusiferSam

While googling images of Velveeta box, I came up with several clearly related to this set.  The PO Box is same as on the return address of my box.  This wasn't exactly hard to find, which makes me wonder why this set wasn't already known.


I've also got the flyer scanned.  Not sure why scanner/software has clip the pages the way they have been.  I may need to adjust the settings and try again and see if I can get the first one straight.  Interesting the models shown on the Velveeta box are some of those shown on set 2 rather the set 1.  The flyer shows wheels with set 1, four small and 2 large.  My set doesn't have any wheels or wheel holders.  The Velveeta box doesn't show any wheels either.  So I'm not sure what's up with that.  Is it a missing bag, slightly different offer, Samsonite just being Samsonite, etc?





And there's more madness.  While looking for the Velveeta boxes, I was reminded of the Del Monte special offer set.  The flyer shows many of the same models and boxes have the same number stamped on them.  Stranger yet, the inventories are very nearly identical.  When I flatten out the pieces in the bag and try to count, I get a very similar inventory.  There are some clear differences, some that are 100% unmistakable and others might be my counting error.  Currently I'm only getting a 121 pieces.  I'm going to wait a few days and try counting again.  This mystery continues to get weirder and weirder.  It's madness!

Istokg

@LusiferSam By 1972 USA Samsonite was dumping all their LEGO inventory (almost all red, white and blue parts)... and you will find the same sets in different packages for different promos.

The Samsonite LEGO 102 Basic Set (for regular retailers) has 426 parts, and is basically the same set sold (in brown boxes) as Sear's, Penney's, Kraft Velveeta, and as you just mentioned Del Monte.

Ditto for the Samsonite LEGO 105 Master Set... which has 917 parts and follows the same pattern as the 102 Basic Set.

The 125 and 156 piece Kraft sets are likely found elsewhere in other promos...  although they could be just miscellaneous sets put together to get rid of leftover parts before the license went back to TLG.

I do believe that the very last USA Samsonite set produced was the 695 Bulk Parts pack in 1972.  It used up all the leftover Samsonite LEGO parts inventory... and likely no two sets contain the same contents.   Here are 3 of the same sets....







Samsonite LEGO Mayhem!!  :-)

Legoloverman

I love you, Gary.

Cyberdragon

Oops, looks like my previous image broke, oh well, you get the idea. But I found this at the back of the 138 manual. MOC suggestions! If I ever get both a 118 and a 138, I'm MOCing the 118 (with period parts of course), since trains can get too standard. Can anyone identify what the device below the windmill is supposed to be?   

And now for...What on Earth are these? "Jumbo Bricks"?


As shown, they were between Duplo and Quatro, but have oddly large studs. Apparently, 6 sets were sold by Samsonite ( #041 #042 #044 #060 #105 and #300 ) and three in Europe ( #501 #502 and #503 ).

LusiferSam

Jumbo Bricks are basically Duplo before Duplo.  They were an early (but not the first) attempt at creating a building set for younger kids.  I don't think Lego had thought of the idea of making the larger bricks compatible with smaller bricks until have these had been produced.  

They have tubs, but the don't really fit together like standard Lego bricks (that or ones I've seen were worn out).  The plastic also seems different, may not be ABS.

drdesignz

I buy these old 1960s sets whenever I happen to find them at local antique/thrift stores.  I think they're neat.  My latest find today has something I hadn't found before.  And they don't appear to be on Bricklink (I might be doing it wrong).  These are 2x4 green plates with the '60s version of the stud logo and "pat pend" on the bottom.  I thought everything came in red, yellow, blue, white, and black, like their old logo shows, with some green baseplates (the flat kind, with round corners and maybe stud patterns). 



Are they unusual, or not really?  Included in the 120 piece set from 1966.  It appears to be complete and in nearly unused condition, with these and a few extra pieces. 

LusiferSam

Many sites are very incomplete or lack details with info for stuff from the 50s or 60s.  These aren't super common, but their not super rare either.  I've sometime found 60s Samsonite sets with extras mixed in.  A couple of times I've found complete parts packs mixed with another sets. 

Early on the US and Canada got green plates in every shape available at the time, not just the 10x20 baseplate. 1961-1966, I think.  After that green became super rare out baseplates and trees. I know these came in the USA version of 518, but not sure if they came in some other set.  Istokg likely knows more than me.

Istokg

Here's a thread on the relatively rare early (1963-67) small green plates only sold by Samsonite in USA/Canada....

http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/23451/rare-color-samsonite-parts

These were produced in the 1960s Samsonite "open O" LEGO font, as seen in this closeup of a 1x1 blue plate....




The only LEGO sets (besides the Samsonite LEGO 518-521/2 plates spare parts packs) was the 905 Doll Set... which had a 2x2 and a 2x3 green plate.

https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=905-1

Cyberdragon

Those small plates on that other thread don't really look green, they look turquoise.

Istokg

Cyberdragon said:

Those small plates on that other thread don't really look green, they look turquoise.

Yes, the lighting on that one pic with the 1x2 plates does look off.... but the light and dark turquoise bricks weren't introduced until 1998.  Those small plates have that "pip" on the underside between the stud holes, during the early green plate era.  They were only made that way for a few years before they switched to a round stump instead.