My brother (Stone Goblin) says keeping records like this is definitely not for everyone, but if you're really fastidious, then I suppose it can be fun. The tools required are simple: paper, pencil, and spreadsheets! Paper acts as a backup, and is good for set inventories. Stoney keeps a notebook of garage sale acquisitions, including drawings of each piece. The real magic happens in the computer, where spreadsheets and graphs can help to sort and visualize the nuances and trends of your collection.
When Goblin gets a garage sale collection, he sorts and separates, removing non-lego, then starts to reconstruct sets that the previous owner probably purchased by identifying rare pieces or figures that come from a handful of sets, and using instruction booklets from the sale, or ones he already has. He puts all the pieces into one bag, notes any missing parts, and logs it as complete/incomplete. After completing the sort, the data for sets and loose pieces that can't be fully verified can then go into the computer.
Some snapshots of the catalog process. The first is a spreadsheet and graph screen, the second is an incoming item manifest, and the last one is a want ad/garage sale scribble:
Onto the meat and potatoes of the collection:
These first few numbers are from what we know to be accurate:
Sets: 1104
Unique Sets: 404
Piece total: 142,258 (not including loose pieces)
Loose Pieces (unknown sets, incomplete sets): 34,172
Pieces considered 'Extra' in a set total: 931
Minifigs: 1899 (not including loose minifigs)
Loose Minifigs (unknown sets, incomplete sets): 896
Missing Minifigs: 8
Collection Value (based on retail price of sets): $14,454.84
Here are the estimated totals for the entire collection (this is current, but is partly based on estimates prior to regular record keeping):
Sets: 1209
Pieces: 192,434
Minifigures: 2975
Estimated Collection Value (based on all known data): $18,349.37
He has six generalized themes which he uses, they are Castle, Space, Town, Pirate, Technic, and Brick. Here is the rundown, which is admittedly not perfect, but it gets the job done.
Castle: Legoland Castle, Harry Potter, Fright Knights, Lions, KK, Vikings, Ninjas, etc..
Space: Classic Space, Exo Force, Rock Raiders, Mission to Mars, Dino Attack, Star Wars, Alpha Team, Deep Sea, etc..
Town: Police, Fire, Soccer, ResQ, Shuttle, Spiderman, Studio, Racers, Airport, Batman, Western, Adventurers, etc...
Pirate: Pirate, Islanders, Armada...
Technic: Mindstorms, Technic, Bionicle..
Brick: Creator, Designer, Tubs, X-Pods, Bulk, generally non-fig sets that defy categorization. Figs in tubs categorize as town.
He doesn't catalog Duplo, but we have a bit.
Here are some stats based on the theme categories:
Percentage of collection by sets:
Castle: 36%,
Space: 21.4%
Town: 13.5%
Pirate: 2.3%
Bricks: 26.2%
Technic: 0.7%
Set totals for each theme:
Castle: 397
Space: 236
Town: 149
Pirate: 125
Bricks: 289
Technic: 8
Percentages of collection by minifigs from complete sets:
Castle: 52.5%,
Space: 25.1%
Town: 16.5%
Pirate: 5.9%
Number of minifigs from complete sets (count from torso):
Castle: 1002
Space: 478
Town: 315
Pirate: 112
Number of minifigs total (count from torso):
Castle: 1256
Space: 613
Town: 731
Pirate: 174
Unknown: 21
Here are some records and 'fun facts' about the collection (most of the information is based on records that began after June, 2001):
Most purchased set: #4806 Axe Cart (Bulls), 58 sets.
Most sets purchased in a month: 37 sets in July 2004.
Most minifigs acquired in a month: 73 minifigs in July 2004, tied with January 2002
Most pieces acquired in a month: 7,141 pieces in September 2005
Most sets, figures, and pieces in a year: 168 sets, 306 figures, 31,413 pieces, all in 2005
Average minifigs acquired per month: 19.85 minifigs.
Average sets acquired per month: 11.85 sets.
Average pieces acquired per month: 1610.82 pieces.
Most castle sets purchased in a month: 32, November 2001.
Most castle figures acquired in a month: 68, January 2002
Most purchased Viking set: #7015 Fenris Wolf, 17 sets.
Most purchased Ninja set: #4805 Ninja Knights, 17 sets.
Most purchased Harry Potter set: #4731 Dobby's Release, 15 sets.
Most purchased Knight's Kingdom II set: #8777 Vladek Encounter, 20 sets.
Most purchased Star Wars set: #4476 Jabba's Prize, 17 sets.
Most purchased bulk item: #10066 Castle Accessories, 30 sets.
Most purchased Adventurers set: #7416 Emperor's Ship, 11 sets.
Love to hear your 'fun facts' if you have any.
