Is this a fake Lego brick?

dansuri

Hello. Was wondering if someone could help me please? My sister has handed my a box of Lego - it's a mix old (1970s bricks) that were mine and something she bought from eBay. There are some bricks that have a Lego logo on them, but don't quite look right to me - attached is a photo and the yellow brick is real Lego, but tje white brick has a slightly different logo. Is is this also real? Any ideas? Thanks, Dan

Jay37

Yes, it's an older brick, probably from the 1950s/60s. That is the older logo. The plastic is likely (but not always) Cellulose Acetate and has a slightly more translucent look compared to modern ABS bricks. This also means it could have warped slightly and may not have as good a clutch power. The underside could have 'Pat pend' too. Probably not worth a huge amount (there's loads out there), but a curio nonetheless.

dansuri

Thanks. The brick does have a slightly more translucent look to it and clutch power is variable. The slight oddity is that the bricks look newer than some of the 1970s bricks which I know to have been mine. I guess they were played with less (mine were played with daily for years!). And you're right, it does say 'pat pend' now that I've looked more closely! Thanks @Jay37

Jay37

The ones I have often seem to be more shiny, especially the stud surface, but I suspect this is much to do with the type of plastic and mix. Bricks I have from the 70s can seem quite dull in comparison, but clearly production techniques have improved as modern bricks are also shinier.