Inside the Collection: Meet Chris Lee
Take a look at this collection, built brick by brick!
Sep. 22, 2024
As a collector, builder, and LEGO Masters champion, Chris Lee has built his one-of-a-kind collection brick by brick!
His passion is to someday open a LEGO museum to educate and showcase some of his iconic items. Until then, Collector's Call was lucky enough to tour his large LEGO collection.
His collection features everything from the iconic Galaxy Explorer and his beloved Airport Shuttle to his truly one-of-a-kind Prototype Factory Bricks.
Chris has about 8,500 finished LEGO pieces in his own version of a LEGO Land. He has been collecting since he was 8 or 9 years old and now wants to share his lifelong passion with the world.
Take a look, but watch out for loose LEGO pieces!
1. LEGO Galaxy Explorer
This vintage piece from the 1970s is an icon of the LEGO brand.
According to Chris, it’s the very first spaceship LEGO made for purchase. It defined the look and feel of how LEGO spaceships would be going forward.
Chris received this item as a gift for his birthday from his mom, who handwashed each LEGO piece to make it feel brand new.
He even has the original box, which, as all Collector’s Call fans know, can be just as important as the piece itself.
This is considered a holy grail item for many LEGO collectors because it’s rare to find. And as LEGO fans know, pieces go missing easily (and hurt to step on!), but Chris, with the help of his mom, has every piece accounted for.
According to our expert, this item retailed for $79 in 1979. Today, he values it at around $600 with the box included. Chris's goal is to open a LEGO museum someday, and this is a great item to start with. It's truly a piece of LEGO history.
2. 10th Anniversary Golden Mini-Doll
This is probably the single rarest item Chris has in his collection. It's a specially produced golden mini doll made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the LEGO Friends theme.
This mini figure was given to members of the team in 2022. Chris was in Denmark for a media day where YouTubers and others got to see an early look at next year's sets.
Chris received this item from someone he had just met, but because of the kindness Chris showed him during the event, he gave it to him. He said he would remember that moment for the rest of his life!
This mini doll is similar in scale to a mini figure, but it has slightly more realistic proportions, and the gold color is special.
According to our expert, you can't put an exact price tag on it because of its rarity, and he doesn't know how many are out there. He said there are only two in the possession of current LEGO employees. It's truly a one-of-a-kind item.
He valued this piece at $100,000. For us, what makes it even more special is its eerie resemblance to Lisa Whelchel.
3. LEGO Airport Shuttle
This is the famous LEGO Airport Shuttle. It is one of Chris's favorite LEGO sets ever because back in the '80s, they were experimenting with a monorail track system, but they only ever made three main monorail sets.
It's the largest version of it, and it's motorized. It's the first set he bought after raising money for his startup. He treated himself, and now it's a piece of LEGO history.
The Airport Monorail is the rarest and most sought after, and it includes the box and instructions. It's about 750 pieces, and he is the best master builder around! He can even do it blindfolded!
He got it in 2019 and paid $300 to $400 for it. Today, according to our expert, this item would be worth around $1,100, with the box included, of course.
4. Black Suit Superman
Chris's collection is literally built on rare and unique mini figures! This is the black suit Superman, which was exclusive to San Diego Comic-Con in 2013.
This is one of the most sought-after figures because only a few of them were made, especially with the tie-in to Zack Snyder's Justice League.
The seller was a former employee who was selling this mini figure, but without the packaging. No one wanted it without the packaging—except for Chris.
Originally, it was less than $1,000, but today you’d never see it for that cheap! According to our expert, usually 500 San Diego Comic-Con exclusives are made, but for this one, there were only 200, making it even more rare.
Our expert valued this piece at $5,000.
5. LEGO Truck Show Set
Every year, LEGO runs the LEGO Inside Tour, which gives fans a chance to visit their headquarters in Denmark to witness LEGO bricks being made.
Although Chris has never had the chance to go on the tour, this item was given to him by a prominent member of the LEGO community, who sold it to him for a great price.
There are only about 80 of these sets given to the LEGO fans who are lucky enough to be picked for the tour each year.
The Truck Show was something LEGO did in the 1990s, where they would drive the truck around to advertise LEGO products.
According to our expert, the Inside Tour sets are very rare, and this one is in excellent condition. Today, it would be worth around $3,000.
Chris bought it new in the box and built it because he always wants to build. You can't match a price to the fun that comes with the item.
6. Factory Test Bricks
This item isn't just another brick in the wall!
This is a collection of antique factory misprints, molds, and test bricks from the very early days of LEGO, when they were experimenting with how to make their bricks.
Not a single one of these bricks is produced in a color that LEGO uses for modern bricks today. Many of them are marked with certain letters like "A," "B," and "C" as test subjects for each piece.
He was given this as a gift from a fan of his YouTube channel. Each one was labeled with the factory they were made in and the date they were produced.
Chris said he never thought he’d own something like this because they rarely pop up today.
Our expert said he’s bought millions of dollars' worth of LEGOs, but he’s never seen anything like this before. He valued this piece at $125,000.
What a perfect piece to add to Chris's future Lego museum! We can't wait to be the first to visit!
7. The total value of Chris Lee's LEGO collection:
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