Are LEGO Advent Calendar Minifigures Worth Collecting?

15th December 2022

It's that time of year when AFOLs are swapping chocolate for LEGO and looking forward to opening their advent calendars each morning to see what minifigure or build is behind the little door. While some advent calendar minifigures are fairly standard, some contain unique and charming festively decorated parts. But have you ever considered whether any of them are likely to be collectible in the future and worth looking after, instead of neglecting them come Boxing Day? To answer that question, we take a look at the top 10 most valuable LEGO advent calendar minifigures, based on new condition sales from the past 6 months.

10. Santa Yoda (sw0358)

Just scraping into the top ten is Santa Yoda from the 2011 Star Wars Advent Calendar, who was behind the final door on Christmas Eve. The 2011 advent calendar was the first from the Star Wars theme, so given its relative old age and the popularity of the galactic franchise, it's no surprise that many minifigures from this calendar are in this top ten list.

This minifigure features the Jedi Master in a classic Santa outfit and was exclusive to the 2011 advent calendar.

9. Evil Witch (cas397)

2008 saw LEGO start to diversify its advent calendar offering, which beforehand had been primarily City based. Currently this is one of only two Castle-themed calendars, the other coming in 2010, as sadly for us, licensed themes soon began to dominate the Christmas run-up.

Magicians and witches have always been popular Castle minifigures, and this one is a very nice example that would be a useful addition to any castle or medieval build. If it hadn't also appeared in the Castle Giant Chess set (852293-1) it might be higher up this list.

8. Clone Pilot (sw0355)

The Clone Pilot is the second minifigure in the top ten from the 2011 Star Wars Advent Calendar, appearing behind door 16. Clone troopers are a useful minifigure for building an army and troopers of special rank or role are always going to be more desirable than regular clone troopers. Surprisingly, this minifigure has not featured in any other sets, which also contributes to its price.

7. Imperial Death Trooper (sw0807)

The Imperial Death Trooper is one of the coolest minifigures to feature in a LEGO advent calendar. Death troopers are elite variants of Stormtroopers specialising in stealth and espionage, so are sought after additions to a Stormtrooper army. This death trooper was behind door 15 of the 2018 Star Wars calendar and also appeared in the Imperial Trooper Battle Pack from 2017.

6. Clone Trooper with Santa Hat (sw0596)

The second clone trooper on this list came from the 2014 Star Wars Advent Calendar. This one has a rather cute appearance thanks to the bright red Santa hat. Despite the distinctive look, all the parts of this minifigure can be found in a multitude of other sets. If there was some unique printing on either the head, torso, or legs, this minifigure would be worth a lot more.

5. Maid with Broom and Rat (cas404)

This minifigure was another one appearing in the 2008 Castle Advent Calendar and depicts a maid in cleaning attire. The popularity of the Castle theme and the great useability of this minifigure in MOCs explains its entry into the top ten. She was also later included in the Medieval Market Village (10193) set in 2009, but the advent calendar was a much cheaper way to acquire her.

4. Santa Jango Fett (sw0506)

Star Wars fans have a thing for bounty hunters, so minifigures of Jango Fett and his son Boba Fett are among the most expensive LEGO Star Wars minifigures you can buy. The novelty of his Santa outfit and its rather uninspiring printing don't do anything for this minifigure's value, but the popularity of the character is enough for it to make this list. He was behind the last door of the 2013 Star Wars Advent Calendar.

3. Sabine Wren (sw0742)

Sabine Wren is a human female Mandalorian warrior and revolutionary leader who is known to Star Wars fans through the Rebels TV series. She has only appeared twice in minifigure form, this one being in the 2017 Star Wars Advent Calendar. Being a rarely seen character is certainly a large factor behind this minifigure's value, but it's also the result of her good quality printing and distinctive colours.

2. Santa Darth Vader (sw0599)

Two festively themed Darth Vaders take the top two spots on the podium. This one was the jewel in the 2014 Star Wars Advent Calendar and is a great looking minifigure. Getting a minifigure with a cloak in an advent calendar is a rarity and must have been a very pleasant surprise for people when they opened the Christmas Eve door.

The details on the torso are adorably charming and feature his bright red Santa cloak and a couple of presents strapped to his belt. It's a shame the red printing of the cloak on his legs doesn't match the shade used for his torso, which detracts from the overall quality somewhat. If it wasn't for this, his price might be substantially higher.

1. Festive Darth Vader (sw1121)

Surprisingly, the most expensive LEGO advent calendar minifigure is also one of the most recent, as the Festive Darth Vader appeared in the 2020 Star Wars Advent Calendar. Darth Vader being such an iconic character is one of the reasons for the decent value of this minifigure. However, it's also because of the nice, clean leg printing and the fantastic Death Star Christmas jumper, which was an inspired addition. Having a cloak is a bonus and tops off a very attractive and original minifigure.

So to answer our question, don't discard your advent calendar minifigures as they might give you a decent profit in the years to come!

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