Lego may be better investment than GOLD as value rises by 11 per cent a year

LEGO could be a better investment than gold, art and financial securities, a study suggests.

The secondary market for old sets surges by 11 per cent annually — which is faster and less volatile than bullion, stocks and bonds on average.

Vintage sets even rose in value during the 2008 financial crash.

But returns vary from minus 50 per cent to more than 600 per cent, depending on each product.

Plastic bricks to build popular landmarks, films or seasonal holidays have the highest annual growth, the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia, found.

Unpacked sets, particularly rare ones that were limited edition or produced a long time ago, also do well.

The most expensive include Star Wars’ Millennium Falcon and Death Star II, as well as the Taj Mahal.

HSE’s Victoria Dobrynskaya said: “Sets produced 20 to 30 years ago make Lego fans nostalgic, and prices go through the roof.

“But one must be a real Lego fan to sort out market nuances and see the investment potential of a set.”

Experts analysed 2,322 sets from 1987 to 2015.