Three weeks after the launch of LEGO Star Wars 75419 Death Star, here's how the newcomer has impacted the resale prices of the older versions.
Released on October 1, 75419 Death Star is the latest in a long line of brick-built Imperial war machines. It's by far the most expensive in terms of RRP at the record-breaking cost of £899.99 / $999.99 / €999.99, a price tag that broke new ground for the LEGO Group.
Not only did the LEGO Group's release of its first $1,000 set redefine the definition of expensive in LEGO terms, but the release of 75419 Death Star has also seemingly impacted the secondhand market value of older Death Star sets. After all, this is not the first brick-built Death Star, nor is it even the first UCS version of the infamous battle station.
We've taken a look at BrickLink's data for the average secondhand prices for 2005's 10143 Death Star II, 2008's 10188 Death Star, and 2016's 75159 Death Star. Each of them features the spherical design that many expected 75419 Death Star to follow as well, with each iteration of the war machine increasing in size over the years.
We're sticking only to BrickLink data here for a fair comparison between the three sets, comparing the average price in GBP for new and used versions of the sets over the last six months and currently on sale. With 75419 Death Star hitting shelves a few short weeks ago, this should give us a good idea of how the release of the latest Death Star has affected demand for the older versions.
| Set | Average price over six months | Average price currently | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10143 Death Star II (new) | £1,008.65 | £2,320.58 | 130% |
| 10143 Death Star II (used) | £677.28 | £844.99 | 25% |
| 10188 Death Star (new) | £611.24 | £661.22 | 8% |
| 10188 Death Star (used) | £380.30 | £395.10 | 4% |
| 75159 Death Star (new) | £752.84 | £979.09 | 30% |
| 75159 Death Star (used) | £443.51 | £680.03 | 53% |
Clearly, 10143 Death Star II is affected the most, and new copies of the sets have (perhaps predictably) spiked more than the used ones. No matter which copy you're looking at, however, the release of 75419 Death Star appears to have caused renewed interest in older versions of the LEGO Death Star.
Whether that's simply because a brick-built Death Star was at the forefront of people's minds, because people were holding off on buying a retired set secondhand in the hopes of a modern spherical build, or some other reason, the more demand there is for retired sets, the higher the prices go. The LEGO Group certainly won't be making any more of these long-retired models, so those who have new copies available can charge premiums for the sought-after builds.
If you're happy to buy used, you can still get any of these UCS versions of the Death Star for less than 2025's 75419 Death Star – although getting your hands on a new copy of the elusive 10143 Death Star II will set you back well over double the cost of the latest iteration. Ouch.
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