This Toy From Your Childhood Might Just Be The Best Investment Plan Ever

If you're looking to save some green, you may want to bypass the stock market and invest in Legos instead.

According to a new study, the colorful building pieces often have a higher rate of return than the stock market and bank accounts.

The Telegraph analyzed annual return rates of stock, gold and cash investments over the past 15 years. It then compared the returns with the annual average price of secondhand Lego sets kept in excellent condition.

The analysis found while the London Stock Exchange earned an average of 4.1 percent in returns per year (and traditional savings accounts just 2.8 percent), the value of Lego sets increased by 12 percent each year, meaning you could potentially earn some serious dough off your childhood Lego set if it's in good condition.

The researchers used sites like eBay to gather data on the prices of old Lego sets. The most expensive sets tend to be branded or themed — "Star Wars" sets are particularly popular — but any discontinued Lego set has the potential to earn the owner money.

Ed Maciorowski, cofounder of Brickpicker.com, a Lego investment site, explained,

The neat thing is that all sets are retired at some point, and several hundred are retired each year a movie run ends, a [license] expires or the Lego company wants to refresh its range. That means anyone with a set at home — large or small, it doesn't matter — could have quite an investment on their hands if it's in good condition, as this stuff appreciates very well in value.

Currently, the highest-valued Lego set is the "Star Wars"-themed Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon, worth nearly $4,000. The second and third highest-valued sets are the Café Corner set from 2007, valued around $3,000, and the 2008 Taj Mahal set, which fetches around $2,700.

Citations: Lego a 'better investment than shares and gold' (The Telegraph)