2x4 Lego block with manufacturing defect questions

Comments

• bobabricks Vancouver, BC, CanadaMember Posts: 1,842

  August 2017

  @Istokg

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• CCC UKMember Posts: 20,192

  August 2017

  I doubt they are worth very much - they look like plain white 2x4s. They are not that interesting compared to many other test bricks / parts. Having handwritten words on them doesn't really make them collectable (can you prove it was lego that wrote on them as part of testing?). As for the circle, if you can find out why this was done, maybe they are worth more. Otherwise, they look damaged rather than anything else.
  

  

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• paul_merton UKMember Posts: 2,967

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  I don't think these are manufacturing defects. 2x4 bricks are injection moulded in a 2-part mould, so the side faces cannot possibly harbour recessed details like that even if the mould were to be damaged.
  
  I suspect the marks were left after the parts had been made, possibly as part of a testing process. Not very interesting I'm afraid.
  
  Where did you "find" them? That could shed some light :)
  

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• Huw Brickset Towers, Hampshire, UKAdministrator Posts: 7,001

  August 2017

  I wonder why so many people think that defective parts are collectable and valuable, be it moulding or printing errors. Sure, they are rare but not really of interest to anyone.
  
  
  

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• drdavewatford Hertfordshire, UKAdministrator Posts: 6,734

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  The bricks don't have cross-supports so are presumably fairly old (certainly pre-1985, according to Bricklink).
  
  Other than that I'd have to agree with the comments above - unless there's a genuinely interesting story behind the defects (which isn't likely IMHO) and there's a niche collector out there who's interested as a result, they're just damaged 2 x 4 white bricks probably worth £0.01 each.

  

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• davee123 USAMember Posts: 832

  August 2017

  Hm, given that it says "test", and has the consistent marking-- could these perhaps be bricks that were part of, say, stress or heat testing?  Granted, no idea if that would indicate it was done by LEGO or not.  And yeah, probably most useful to learn more about their origin.
  
  Given that it's written in English, and the bricks are probably ... 60s or 70s? Maybe early 80s?  I would doubt that Danish manufacturers would have written "Test" on them.  Did Samsonite ever make ABS bricks? (These don't look warped to indicate that they'd be CA)  So if they were tested by LEGO, I would imagine that they were probably made in the US between 1973-1985ish?  Was manufacturing ever done in other English speaking places in that timeframe? (Samsonite in Canada perhaps?)
  
  DaveE
  

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• paul_merton UKMember Posts: 2,967

  August 2017

  Something I would really like is some of the "marbled" bricks that are made (but are never supposed to leave the factory) when the injection moulder is transitioning from one colour to another.

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• CCC UKMember Posts: 20,192

  August 2017

  ^ Yeah, these are collectable (and expensive). As are prints on the wrong colour parts. Genuine short shots also have their collectors. But other defect or badly printed parts tend not to be so collectable.
  
  There are test parts that are collectable - test parts in red, for example (as in the red Darth Vader helmet),
  
  
  
  and there are some nice ones with "targets" printed on, to test positioning and colours on minifigure parts.
  
  
  

  

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• Shib UKMember Posts: 5,465

  August 2017

  Huw said:

  I wonder why so many people think that defective parts are collectable and valuable, be it moulding or printing errors. Sure, they are rare but not really of interest to anyone.
  
  
  

  I think a lot of it is to do with other collectors markets like coins or stamps where an error will generally hold more value because it is rarer and the only value in these things is their perceived rarity.
  
  Of course LEGO is a very different market, but anyone who has seen a "rare production error coin" sell for 20x what a normal one would they generally assume the same is true of all collectors markets.
  
  
  

  

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• paul_merton UKMember Posts: 2,967

  August 2017

  I'd also like a short shot brick, but they seem pretty rare in modern sets.
  
  Thank goodness Lepin has stepped in to provide an affordable alternative!
  

  

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• CCC UKMember Posts: 20,192

  August 2017

  There is a similar thread here, where i recently posted some defect print parts:
  http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/528309#Comment_528309
  
  Some people think misprints are rare, but they escape the Chinese factory in their 1000s these days.
  

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• CCC UKMember Posts: 20,192

  August 2017 edited August 2017

  And here are some unprinted examples, in this case Theoden's helmet from LOTR.
  
  
  
  These have value, as they are useable. They give some variety to people building Rohan armies, as they are a plain part in a colour not released by lego. They can sell for more than double the cost of the plain grey one from the official Rohan soldier.
  

  

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• TheFew EnglandMember Posts: 1,728

  August 2017

  If anyone want broken Lego parts let me know, i can break them to order...

  

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• Bobflip Member Posts: 658

  August 2017

  CCC said:

  ^ Yeah, these are collectable (and expensive). As are prints on the wrong colour parts. Genuine short shots also have their collectors. But other defect or badly printed parts tend not to be so collectable.
  
  There are test parts that are collectable - test parts in red, for example (as in the red Darth Vader helmet),
  
  
  
  and there are some nice ones with "targets" printed on, to test positioning and colours on minifigure parts.
  
  
  

  I'm still waiting for the day when I have spare cash and a set of these legs come up for sale! Dying to see what the test print torso looks like when one finally gets snuck out of the factory.

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• maojon NYMember Posts: 3

  August 2017

  thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated!

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• maojon NYMember Posts: 3

  August 2017

  I listed this lot: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-475-Pieces-Pcs-Genuine-2x4-White-Lego-Blocks-Bricks-w-o-Cross-supports-/222608260112?
  
  I am asking $60, which might be a bit high, but i usually drop my prices a little til it sells.

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