The Extraordinary Tourist
The Lego Man - He's got all that!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
 Who would have thought that owning one of the worlds largest, private Lego collections could take you so far. Tom Lucieer of Angaston, South Australia, not only has met the Queen (of England) but is a frequent guest of her majesty and family when they are in Australia. He's also met Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Camila Parker-Bowles. Not only that, he grew up with TV Vet, Dr Harry, and is a friend of the Irwin family (yes, that's Steve Irwin's family).
Tom will happily tell you all this as part of the guided tour of his collection, which, aside from Lego, includes much railway memorabilia and colourful anecdotes about days gone by, his achievements and more. Frequently he will finish each particular monologue with the phrase, "Have you got that?", just to check that he hasn't confused you because, as he points out, his display and the stories behind it are a lot to take in at once.
In the photo you can see Tom holding a special award, which I think is for being the toy retailer of the year for 2004 (I'm not entirely sure, too much to take in). He explains he owns the Toyworld store in Nuriootpa - adding it's a great place to buy Lego. Obviously he is very proud of this award as it was by his prompting that I took this particular photo.
 Tom's Lego collection is vast going right back to the days when Lego sold wooden toys (before they invented the plastic bricks). If you have followed my site for a number of years you will know that I'm something of a collector of Lego. I still have the very first sets I was bought from as early as 1974. Based on what Tom told us about the value of some sets, from periods later than this, I reckon I could be sitting on a collectors gold mine.
For example, Tom has a complete set of 'Fabuland' characters. These came out in the early to mid nineteen eighties and are no longer available. Tom's set is valued at around $4000 dollars. I've got a few Fabuland sets, still in very good condition.
One of the first sets I was ever bought was Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's 'Spirit of Saint Lewis' aeroplane which is in Tom's collection. I think it was released in 1974 but I'm not quite sure.
Aside from early Lego sets, Tom has all the latest sets too. He gets them even before they are released in the stores including all the latest Star Wars, Harry Potter and Batman sets. There is also has a good collection of working Lego trains, based on actual trains, which he demonstrates for you.
If you're a Lego collector of any level, Tom's display will be of great interest. Be sure to look him up. His details can be easily tracked down through local tourist guides or from one of the regions visitor information centres. It's probably a good idea to call him first, just to let him know you're coming. Set aside about an hour for the complete tour.Labels: people, toys, travel
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