Surprising Lego Facts

It wouldn’t surprise us if we see a stack of Lego sets at our friends’ places. Lego, the universal game, has become probably the most popular entertainment for children and adults. Various difficulty levels, numerous collections, different theme parks around the world and many more features make this game such a great investment as a collectible.

Spider Monkey, from the Colnect catalog

Today we would like you to get familiar with some of the most impressive facts about Lego that you probably never heard of. Even if have heard those before, come and brush up your memory! :)

Let us know which fact gripped you the most in the comments below.

1. The Lego group got the patent rights for the standard brick in 1958. All 2x4 Lego bricks ever produced have been exactly the same.

2. Statistically, there are ~1140 elements made per second (!). 

 Small Pre-School Basic Set Minitalia, from the Colnect catalog

3. On average, every person has 83 Lego bricks. Crazy, no? 

4. Almost 28 Lego sets are sold each second during the Christmas season.

Three Christmas Decorations - Santa Tree and Snowman, from the Colnect catalog

5. If you lay together all Lego bricks sold in a year, the line would stretch around the Earth 20+ times. 

6. The world's tallest Lego tower is 28.7m high (made from with 465,000 bricks).

 

Sears Tower, from the Colnect catalog

7. Willing to reach the Moon? You'd need a column of around 40 billion Lego bricks!

8. Since the first Lego minifigure was made in 1978, more than 4 billion have been manufactured – making it the largest population group in the world. In addition, every minifigure is exactly 4 bricks tall (without a hat).

 

Day 1 - Minifigure & Drumstick, from the Colnect catalog 

9. The exact number of combinations you can get from connecting 6 eight-stud bricks (2x4) is 915,103,765!

10. Currently there are Lego theme parks in Denmark, The UK, The USA, Germany and Malaysia. The construction work is still ongoing for new Lego theme parks in The UAE (opening 2016), South Korea and Japan.

"LEGOLAND Picture Frame - Billund Edition", from the Colnect catalog

Colnect’s Lego sets catalog currently has more than 6.700 sets. To find out more about the history of the toy and our catalog, have a look at 80th Anniversary for the LEGO name post.

You are also welcome to participate in the Lego poll!

40004 Collectors Connect on Colnect

The 4 Elements, 4 Noble Truths, 4 Gospels, 4 Sons, 4 Books, 4 does seem to be a uniting number :)

Colnect can now thank over 40,004 collectors for their contributions to the exciting site about all things collecting! As over 333,333 people visit Colnect every month, we hope and expect more of them to join us and continue making Colnect the best community for collectors around the world.

Though the world is filled with conscientious historians and just plain old fun loving collectors, there have been few places to bring together these people with similar interests. It is true that many purchase and sell their artifacts on various sites, but the digital auction house lacks the innovation that Colnect works hard to perfect: the connection.

In the last few months New Categories were welcomed into the Colnect catalogs: Tokens, Trading Card Games, Stickers, Pocket Calendars, Sugar Packets, and Lego Sets. Many more are in the works and will join soon, categories such as Video Games and Medals.

Colnect is in a constant state of improvement, building more features and making better the existing ones. All is done to make Colnect as collectors would like to see it. Colnect is now under the process of upgrading it's system so all browsing and use of Colnect will be as smooth, quick and comfortable as possible. 

There have also been changes to services such as Finding Similar Items on eBay, so finding your preferred item would now be made easier and without hassle.

Colnect has hundreds of thousands of stamps and other beautiful collectibles on it's database. That database automatically translates languages from around the world. It allows people to exchange information and trade their collections.

40004 is a landmark number (as Colnect had 33,333 members about 6 months ago), because you, the fans of collecting, have gathered here at Colnect to meet and expand the vast online catalog of collectible treasures. As you continue to upload items onto Colnect, a world-wide treasure map is being composed for all to see and enjoy. It is the people who help to make the catalogs better that deserve to take a bow. Thank you!

33,333 Collectors Connect on Colnect

Be that the Trinity, threesomes or the first child of a new family, 3 is a fine fine fine number :)

Colnect can now thank over 33,333 collectors for their contributions to the exciting site about all things collecting! As nearly 300,003 people visit Colnect every month, we hope and expect more of them to join us and make Colnect the best community for collectors around the world.

Though the world is filled with conscientious historians and just plain old fun loving collectors, there have been few outlets to bring together these people with similar interests. It is true that many purchase and sell their rare artifacts on various sites, but the digital auction house lacks the innovation that Colnect works hard to perfect: the connection.

Colnect has hundreds of thousands of stamps and other beautiful collectibles on a database that automatically translates languages from across the earth and allows people to exchange information about and trade their collections. There are often links to the items that can be found on eBay as well.

33,333 is a landmark number (as Colnect had 30,003 members about 3 months ago), because you, the fans of collecting, have gathered here at Colnect to meet and expand the vast online catalog of collectible treasures in order to help each other to further enjoy the thrill of collecting. As you continue to upload the prestigious post cards, tea bags, beer coasters, coins, and more onto Colnect, a world-wide treasure map is being composed for all of its inhabitants to see and enjoy. It is also the people who help to make the catalogs better that deserve to take a bow. Thank you!

Great Britain Collection of Car History Stamps from Jaguar On to the Model T - Colnect Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors collect are in fact associated with certain collections that have corroborated over time. To commemorate these specially themed collections, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information that are relevant to them.

Through our “Colnect Collectibles” series we will highlight special collections by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with organized collectibles of related issue.

The 1982 Cars stamp collection in Great Britain featured an astounding array of world renowned British motor car royalty.



The special Cars stamps collection is a popular one on Colnect, and the catalog shows how these were issued with both an antique automobile and a more modern vehicle on each individual stamp.

The first stamp featured has a vintage 1920's SS1 and an emerald green Jaguar XJ6 amidst a lighter green backdrop. Jaguar has been one of England's premier car companies, though Ford has purchased them in recent years. The stamp was a twenty-six penny issue.



Rolls Royce makes a showing with an early twentieth century open air Silver Ghost in white, and the squared off 1980's Silver Spirit in maroon; the contrast between the cars is amazing in this twenty-nine penny stamp, and the its violet background creates a historic allure to the beautiful Car collection of English stamps.



The inventor of all things mechanized automobile and assembly line was Henry Ford, and so the Cars collection proudly showcases the original Model T, and a ruby red 1982 Ford Escort to round out the past and the present of the innovator's company. Unlike the other stamps in the set, this one has a grey background, which brings out the two cars beautifully and it was a nineteen and a half penny issue.



Colnect brings a culmination of various themed stamps and other artifacts together with its many thousands of collectors and their rare collectibles, and more are added incessantly.

Best Matches - Colnect's New Kick-Ass Feature!

We're so very happy to announce a unique and unrivaled feature on Colnect called "Best Matches".

Find swap partners in seconds using Best Matches, a POWERFUL feature offered exclusively on Colnect! Colnect sophisticatedly suggests who you are most likely to have a good exchange with. The suggestions are based on your own Personal Collection and those of all active members of Colnect. The algorithm automatically tries to find collectors who have many items that you want and, at the same time, want items you can offer.

This feature has long been requested and awaited by many collectors and its implementation will definitely revolutionize the way collectors exchange. With Colnect's unique auto-match feature, collectors could already easily see what they can exchange with another member but they still had to check other members profiles to see who it is they are likely to find a good match with. Now even this tedious part shall be done automatically.

Using "Best Matches" is extremely simple and only takes a single click.



Happy matching :)

Five Star System of Contribution Implemented

Here at Colnect there is a new way to recognize the great collaborators that have made our catalogs as amazing as they are: there is now a Five Star Contribution attribution for dedicated Colnectors!



Recommendations for stars come from the Colnect coordinators and are awarded by our community manager iflvico and by our translations manager BrunosapiJens.

Though the Star System is hard to give guidelines for, it can be defined as a rewards system that attempts to estimate the amount of assistance given by volunteers on Colnect. If a member adds 1000 items with little information and another adds 100 items with excellent details, then they might get the same star treatment.

The general guidelines for the three star system were based on an estimate of how many hours the collector gave in helping Colnect (or how many hours the coordinator would estimate the contribution to be worth):
1 star > 5 hours
2 stars > 50
3 stars > 200

Since achieving the last of the the previous Three Stars for recognition of contributions, Colnect has seen fit to expand the field to Five Star ratings, which can be seen on the many interesting collectors' profile pages. This should result in more stars being rewarded.




Colnect continues to grow because of the many dedicated members that arduously donate their time and energy to bolster the organization of the vast array of collectibles on our catalogs. There are numerous Colnectors that continue to organize, correct, and contribute to the many wondrous artifacts on Colnect, from the Cozel bottle cap's sheik red coloring of the Czech Republic top, to the evil Darth Maul's Star Wars gift card from Toys-R-us.




You can tune in to the ongoing forum about the Five Star Contribution system, and as always, please continue to collect and to revel in Colnecting!

30,003 Collectors Colnecting and Climbing!

The numbers are in, and the rapidly expanding archives at Colnect can now thank over
30,003 collectors for their contributions to the exciting site about all things collecting!



Though the world is filled with conscientious historians and just plain old fun loving collectors, there have been few outlets to bring together these people with similar interests. It is true that many purchase and sell their rare artifacts on various sites, but the digital auction house lacks the innovation that Colnect works hard to perfect: the connection.

Colnect has hundreds of thousands of stamps and other beautiful collectibles on a database that automatically translates languages from across the earth and allows people to exchange information about and trade their collections. There are often links to the items that can be found on eBay as well.

30,003 is a landmark number (as Colnect had 10,000 members in March of 2010), because you, the fans of collecting, have gathered here at Colnect to meet and expand the vast online catalog of collectible treasures in order to help each other to further enjoy the thrill of collecting. As you continue to upload the prestigious post cards, tea bags, beer coasters, coins, and more onto Colnect, a world-wide treasure map is being composed for all of its inhabitants to see and enjoy. It is also the people who help to make the catalogs better that deserve to take a bow. Thank you!

Postcard Recalls the First British Parliament Meeting of January 20 - Today in History Through Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

On January 20, 1265, the very first Parliament met in England's tremendous Palace of Westminster, as the people of the nation began to vie with the monarch for representation. The eighth Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, called a meeting labeled "Parliament" to negotiate peace terms with the king, Henry III, who had lost a war to Montfort.



Colnect and its many collectors harbor many treasures of history in its vaults of iconic collectibles, and the gorgeous British post card of Parliament Square is no exception.

This iconic date, January twentieth, is seen as the first mention of the word "Parliament" and also the first semblance of what would become the modern government House of Parliament, as there were representatives from each county and burgesses from the cities and towns.

The postcard captures the amazing architecture of the buildings making up the Palace of Westminster - that are now also known as the Houses of Parliament or the Parliament building - that were to become home to Parliament from this date in 1265 up to the present day.

Note the unique and regal buttresses and the great tower featuring the Big Ben clock that was added on in the nineteenth century. The rich color and detail of the photograph that is used really emanates warmth and the glory of the locale in London.

There are myriad postcards featured on Colnect's vast catalog, and this is a prime example of a rare beauty that can culminate history, tourism, politics, and artwork in one special item.

January 13 Marks Simon Bolivar as El Libertador - Today in History Through Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

Latin America's chief liberator, Simon Bolivar, successfully administered political and military leadership in order to free the nations that would become Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Panama from the rule of the Spanish Empire by January of 1825, and the beautiful depiction of El Libertador's legend is immortalized on the Angel Zeballos Simon Bolivar postcard.



Colnect's vast array of collectibles features this gorgeous Venezuelan postcard that reproduces the artist Angel Zeballos's famous portrait of Simon Bolivar. He is often shown with the sword, as he fought alongside soldiers in Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela against the Spaniards on his way to uniting the region, albeit for a short time, in the Pan-American Republic of Colombia.

The actual man was not just a military strategist, but also a fierce politician who used his intellect and belief to instill democratic ideologies and free the heart of Latin America from the colonial power of Spain, which is why he is also depicted in the postcard's portrait as writing at a desk.



Bolivar's letters are widely considered to be insights into his thoughts of republican values, including the "Carta de Jamaica" letter, and his adept use of the Spanish language marked him as a military hero that was also a learned man of education.

Though the united region of the Republic of Colombia disintegrated after Bolivar's resignation of the presidency on January 29, 1830, the legacy of El Libertador who instilled Latin American pride and freedom in the people of the Americas is a highly regarded one to this day. This postcard is one of numerous highlights that grace the Colnect Catalogs.

January 8 Celebration of "with The Beatles" Stamp - Today in History Through Collectibles

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

On the 8th of January in 1966 the Beatles single "We Can Work it Out" went Number One on the pop charts, and forty one years later Great Britain issued a British penny stamp titled "with The Beatles" to commemorate one of the greatest musical outfits of the twentieth century in print.



Colnect's rare catalog of collectibles features the January 7, 1997 issued British Beatles stamp in all of its historic glory. The band's single remained atop the charts for another three weeks beyond January 8, but the legend that came to surround the brilliant quartet, beginning with their early work, would capture their genius and project them as timeless.

The stamp itself is highly decorative and unusual in its uneven perforation that gives the effect of there being a stack of infamous Beatles records. The top album is an early one in black and white, but there is a gorgeous smattering of color above and behind the record, and these others are perfect representations of the LPs that changed the world.

The Beatles continue to influence and shape the musical universe in the twenty first century, and their history of sensuous melodies and innovative ventures is surely a welcome addition to any collection. This stamp captures a moment in time, and there are myriad moments of similar fortitude that grace Colnect's collectibles.

Rarity Score - Unique New Feature on Colnect

Colnect is currently implementing a system for rating the rarity of actual items featured by attributed collectors on the site. Rarity Scores would harness the ability to determine just how rare an item actually is amidst the expert Colnect collectors.



This score stands to weigh the Colnect inventory of collectors who have said items against how many are also seeking them. In this way, the more common items would appear as such, with appropriate values given them.

Should the Score take into account the fact that a particular item's condition is listed as Mint or as Used? A feature like this could differentiate the rarest of the rare. Should the credibility of the Collectors that are on Colnect be a factor? New Colnect users should almost certainly have to be marked as such, as current users get great feedback for their work, trading, and collections over time.

Colnect already features an intuitive Collector Ratings system, so that collectors are proven by their activity and collection sharing to be honest and upstanding.

One of the goals of the Rarity Score at Colnect is to provide collectors with a go-to reference guide that can help place value on collectibles. Colnect's adept use of Collector Ratings, the way that Collectibles are featured, and the way in which desired items are placed in a Wish List and collectors' items that are available are placed in a Swap category already makes for an extremely useful guide, while continuing to connect the world's brilliant collectors and their collections in the ultimate networking experience.

The Rarity Score can greatly bolster Colnect.

Anyone that has any input or suggestions as to how Colnect can make the transition from the already well organized catalog system to one that is also including Rarity Scores would be appreciated. There is an ongoing forum on the Rarity here.

100,000 Phone Cards! Meet Jorge Pablo and his Phone Card Collection

Jorge Pablo Villegas [Jorgepablo2005] is the first Colnect member to have more than 100,000 items marked on his personal collection on Colnect. He has been a Colnect member since 2005, when Colnect was still a website only catering to phone card collectors and was called Islands Phonecards Database.

Jorge has been contributing a lot to Colnect and has been awarded the prestigious 3 stars of contribution award which is given to collectors who have spent hundreds of hours helping Colnect become better for the benefit of the entire collectors community.

We've asked Mr. Villegas a few questions, to learn a little about how he got this far as a collector.



Where do you store all your phone cards?

I have almost an entire room 2 x 2.5 meters, which used to be the study room, but is now my phone cards storage room. It always looks messy.







How did you start collecting?

My entire life, since I was a boy, I have been collecting many items like coins, stamps, calendars, cigarette packs, wine labels, box matches. I really had a lot of stamps and cigarette packs.
By the time I was ~20 years old, my mother threw away my collections when cleaning our home (he laughs) and I didn't collect anymore for nearly 20 years.
In 1997 I couldn't take it anymore and started my phone card collection, because it was a relatively new item to collect.



What is the main focus of your collection?

First, I started with my own country, Argentina. I later expanded to South America, then Europe and one day decided to go with all the world. I like all phone cards, except the prepaid and refill GSM cards.

How did you first learn about Colnect?

I learned about Colnect when it was still called Islands Phonecards Database, from a friend here in Buenos Aires. In the year 2005 not many catalogs were available on line, and Islands had that terrific feature that allowed automatic matching with other collectors.
I remember how the site kept growing week after week. Very exciting!




How many hours a week do you spend on Colnect and on your collection?


I would like to say that I enjoy the hours on Colnect, and don't spend my time. With other things I "spend" time, but on Colnect, it's almost an investment of my time. As for my job I log in to Colnect several times a day. It may seem that I'm always connected, but the reason is that Colnect is my initial page, and I check it in at morning, in the evening and in the night. I guess I invest 3 hours per day on Colnect and my collection.


Why are you contributing to Colnect's phone cards catalog?

I think that the best way to get phone cards is to add missing cards, because when a card appears, it is no longer a ghost but a real card. Then one person marks that he has it, another marks that she wants it. The more people marking the card on Colnect, the easier it becomes to get that card.
When a phone card appears only on a seller listing in the market, it may have a high price. But when it becomes listed on Colnect, you can easily see who has this card and it becomes more easily available. More importantly, my contribution and the contribution the many collectors is different than that of sellers because collectors only collect, and are not trying to make a profit.

Which are the things you like best about Colnect?
The automatic matching system and the great possibilities that any collector can add more things, is a very modern and open concept.

Which is the most important improvement that you would like to see on Colnect?

It is not easy to ask more from Colnect. Maybe a faster site and more items on the catalog? Perhaps a photos section about a collector's life, methods and goals of collecting, an open market, etc.

Do you have a message to collectors out there?


I would like to thanks Amir, founder of Colnect, for Colnect and the possibilities it brings. Your work is great, and while others just talk, you do things. I would also like to thank the collectors, without whom life will be a little boring :)


Thank you Jorge for this interview and we hope to see your collection grow even bigger with Colnect. Happy collecting :)

18,888 Collectors Collect and Connect with Colnect

The New Year has welcomed us with the exciting news that the Colnect community is continuing to grow rapidly.  Just over a month and a half ago we announced that we have 17,171 collectors on Colnect.  The holidays and festive season ensured a surge in new collectors visiting Colnect and today we are proud to announce that we now have 18,888 Collectors who are Collecting and Connecting on COLNECT.  That is a remarkable addition of 1,717 new collectors in just over a month!

18,888 COLLECTORS COLLECT AND CONNECT WITH COLNECT!
By reaching this milestone it is evident that more and more people are being hit by the “collector bug” and they are all joining in on the fun at Colnect.  We welcome our new additions to the Colnect family and we wish you all an enjoyable journey collecting and connecting with our global community on Colnect.

With a continuously growing membership base it is guaranteed that there are a larger number of collectibles available for trade and just as our numbers of collectors is increasing, so are our catalogs of collectibles growing in size.  No doubt that there’s something for everyone!

It is with our deepest gratitude that we acknowledge each and every one of you who has supported and contributed to our community in any way and who continues to ensure that we are able to offer the best service available to everyone.

If you have not yet joined in on the fun and become a member, don’t delay any further – joining Colnect is free.  Click here to sign-up today!

We also challenge and urge all our collectors to invite and recruit more collector friends to join Colnect. It’s all about sharing the experience and expanding the Colnect community.

May your collection grow during 2011 and may you meet many new collector friends while having fun on Colnect. . .

Happy collecting :)

14,141 Collectors Connect and Collect with Colnect

Colnect reached a new milestone - a huge union of collectors now 14,141! Colnect is, with no doubt, an inevitable fever around the planet. Join the craze of collecting and connecting only with Colnect. We announced last July about having 13,131 collectors. We've grown a thousand more collectors in just a month time. Colnect is looking forward to grow a bigger number of collectors. Together, we'll reach higher milestones.



By reaching this mark, swapping and trading your collections are more fun. More collectors joining means more collectibles available. We are certain that we will grow bigger fractions in the months to come. Are you a collector? This is your chance to try and experience Colnect. Know why more and more people join our community.

Not a member? Click here to sign up.

With Colnect's never ending promise to bring you only the best service, we're proud to say that this will not be possible without you, our precious collectors. Tell your friends to collect and connect with us. Only from your best collections' manager, Colnect. :)