Plenty of updates today, thanks to BJC Live Show and Coffeezilla.
2028-06-11: Update: GoFundMe is back up. Added reports of U-Haul moving Lego, the amount GiveSendGo has raised so far, Legally Mine shady renaming, BAM details from the lawsuit against Daniel McNeff, AFPD review dates, and the date when Bryan’s payment was due. A new section for the value of the collection and how much was owed.
A large US company, Bricks & Minifigs, is having its reputation destroyed on social media over a $200k Lego collection. Most of it was stolen from the owner, a dying grandfather wanting to sell the Lego and give the money to his grandchildren. The story takes a left turn, showing clear police corruption on video as officers protect store owners who won't return the Lego. I've been hooked on the story and have written a detailed recap (which I'll continue to update) of this complex debacle.
Absolutely not defending BAM or the police behaviour, but something that bothers me in the whole ordeal is that there is almost never any fact checking towards the other side.
1. The $200k figure seems is not grounded in reality. The entire collection is probably worth much less, BAM claim it was $100k[1] and then with some stuff being sold before the drama and payed out plus what was already returned it is very unclear how much BAM really kept. And yes even if it is just $100 it should be investigated but $200k is just accepted as fact everywhere.
2. I am really interested in how much at fault the previous owners are. They are portrayed as victims but I bet they share a lot of the blame in this whole mess and should be investigated.
I don't care if the previous franchise owners pooped in Lego boxes and sold them as solid gold. As soon as BAM corporate revoked their franchise, the property and liabilities of the franchise reverted to BAM and BAM needs to honor them. All BAM needed to do was professionally handle the transfer of the franchise and they would have avoided all of this. If they discovered there was a consignment agreement in place that was allegedly in violation of policies, the correct next step would have been to contact the consignee and say "We can't sell your Legos, come and pick them up."
"The $200k figure seems is not grounded in reality"
That is something I've been trying to investigate. I used the Salem Business Journal value because they seemed to be the only ones who had looked at it (at the time).
As with any collectible, people on either side will choose the number that suits their goals. People with no skin in the game will probably use the more impressive number and understand that's the top end. I think you are interpreting the latter as "accepted as fact".
Interestingly, the total dollar value of the controversy has blown way past both numbers.
Basis of the valuation is in the first link on the blog. If you have an alternative based on the inventory, feel free to share it.
And I find it really interesting how quickly you transition from challenging pretty much everything (the value, the "not sure how much BAM really kept") to....
... Why do you say the VICTIM of the theft and harassment should be investigated?
You explicitly say they "share a lot of blame" -- for what, being swindled, refused their property, repeatedly harassed and targeted?
Plenty of updates today, thanks to BJC Live Show and Coffeezilla. 2028-06-11: Update: GoFundMe is back up. Added reports of U-Haul moving Lego, the amount GiveSendGo has raised so far, Legally Mine shady renaming, BAM details from the lawsuit against Daniel McNeff, AFPD review dates, and the date when Bryan’s payment was due. A new section for the value of the collection and how much was owed.
A large US company, Bricks & Minifigs, is having its reputation destroyed on social media over a $200k Lego collection. Most of it was stolen from the owner, a dying grandfather wanting to sell the Lego and give the money to his grandchildren. The story takes a left turn, showing clear police corruption on video as officers protect store owners who won't return the Lego. I've been hooked on the story and have written a detailed recap (which I'll continue to update) of this complex debacle.
Thanks for linking to Legally Mine; the executives in common with Bricks & Minifigs, and franchises put up as collateral with Legally Mine.
Absolutely not defending BAM or the police behaviour, but something that bothers me in the whole ordeal is that there is almost never any fact checking towards the other side.
1. The $200k figure seems is not grounded in reality. The entire collection is probably worth much less, BAM claim it was $100k[1] and then with some stuff being sold before the drama and payed out plus what was already returned it is very unclear how much BAM really kept. And yes even if it is just $100 it should be investigated but $200k is just accepted as fact everywhere.
2. I am really interested in how much at fault the previous owners are. They are portrayed as victims but I bet they share a lot of the blame in this whole mess and should be investigated.
[1] https://bricksandminifigs.com/blog/blog/2026/06/04/bricks-an...
I don't care if the previous franchise owners pooped in Lego boxes and sold them as solid gold. As soon as BAM corporate revoked their franchise, the property and liabilities of the franchise reverted to BAM and BAM needs to honor them. All BAM needed to do was professionally handle the transfer of the franchise and they would have avoided all of this. If they discovered there was a consignment agreement in place that was allegedly in violation of policies, the correct next step would have been to contact the consignee and say "We can't sell your Legos, come and pick them up."
"The $200k figure seems is not grounded in reality" That is something I've been trying to investigate. I used the Salem Business Journal value because they seemed to be the only ones who had looked at it (at the time).
Now Coffeezilla has given a value of 107K, but it's unclear if he's counting minifigs. I've written a post here, trying to get to the bottom of it: https://www.reddit.com/r/RecklessBen/comments/1u2lg9v/does_c...
As with any collectible, people on either side will choose the number that suits their goals. People with no skin in the game will probably use the more impressive number and understand that's the top end. I think you are interpreting the latter as "accepted as fact".
Interestingly, the total dollar value of the controversy has blown way past both numbers.
Basis of the valuation is in the first link on the blog. If you have an alternative based on the inventory, feel free to share it.
And I find it really interesting how quickly you transition from challenging pretty much everything (the value, the "not sure how much BAM really kept") to....
... Why do you say the VICTIM of the theft and harassment should be investigated?
You explicitly say they "share a lot of blame" -- for what, being swindled, refused their property, repeatedly harassed and targeted?
Sir, you with the thieves too?
Discussions on previous developments: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48404439
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48391430
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48314136