Editor’s note (2 October). Thousands of Lego fans will descend upon the BRICK fairs in Birmingham and London in October and December, respectively, to meet, play in pits filled with millions of Lego bricks and find vintage treasures. To help them and other Lego obsessives find the best collectable items, a brick-loving story from our archives.

When Tony De Marzio was a boy, he loved acting out stories about King Arthur and his sword Excalibur with his King’s Castle Lego set. Thanks to his grandmother — who saved the box, bricks and instructions — Tony, now 38, has the joy of seeing his 5-year-old son, Anthony, play with the very same fort, horses and soldiers.

“I have great memories of my grandfather watching me build… helping me when I needed it,” said De Marzio, a software project manager in Philadelphia. “The set was difficult to build and I liked the accomplishment when I had finished building and could play with it.”

De Marzio’s decision to get his childhood bricks from his grandmother came after he bought a Lego spaceship as a mobile for Anthony’s nursery, and then an aeroplane. “When I built them I thought: ‘Wow! That brings me back to my childhood.’”

Today, he and Anthony own about 172 sets of Lego. Daughter Natalie, age 2, plays with Duplo bricks, the beginner’s version of the toy.

While the De Marzios appreciate the Danish-made creations for the fun they bring, many sets now have monetary value well in excess of the original purchase price. Some change hands for thousands of dollars.