A MAJOR Whitchurch auction house is urging households to search for their childhood Lego after items of the classic children's toy sold for hundreds of pounds last week.

Trevanion Auction House, in Station Road and owned by TV star Christina Trevanion, held the auction on Wednesday, January 11 and a boxed Lego 7730 electric goods train set sold for £280 with a buyer's premium.

Interest in vintage Lego sets has been growing since the 1980s with some research suggesting Lego sets are providing a higher return on investment than some traditional items like fine art, antiques and even gold.

Christina believes the demand for Lego will continue to grow.

She added: "The vintage toy market is driven by nostalgia and rarity.

"A growing number of brick-obsessed kids are maturing into sentimental collectors, perhaps seeking iconic models from their youth or looking for the set that Santa always forgot to put under the tree.

"As a result, the Lego market is going from strength to strength.

"Recent studies suggest that the average price of an unopened standard Lego set on the secondary market can grow by as much as 11 percent annually and it certainly shows no signs of slowing down."

People interested in vintage Lego sets have been reminded of the importance of doing research, as a negative return on investment is possible if the wrong set is bought at the wrong price.

Specialist Charlie Whittingham explained many items are rare.

He added: "The most valuable sets are those relating to movies, especially Star Wars.

"Sets of famous or notable buildings can also perform well, such as 1980s medieval castle models in yellow boxes, as can very early 1950s garages and filling stations.

"Rarity is also a factor.

"Larger and more specialist Lego sets are produced in limited numbers and after these sets are retired, the number available on the secondary market is fairly small which drives up their value.

"And as always, condition is everything.

"It is important that sets have all their bricks, original instructions and boxes, ideally with the brick bags unopened."

Trevanion Auctioneers next auction will be held on Wednesday, February 15.

The deadline for entries is Friday, January 27.

Call 01948 800202 or email info@trevanion.com to book an appointment