326 Suburban Set
General Information
The following information has been collected from original newspapers, catalogs, and magazines, some of which are freely available for reference below. The rest can be found in the site’s gallery. No aggregate catalogs (BrickLink, Brickset, etc.) were used.
Instructions: H-2417
Advertised Part Count(s): 326 pieces
First Year Confirmed Available: 1968(USA)
1968 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog
Colorful box exclusive to Jordan Marsh and Pogue's ONLY for 1969, included a book discussed below.
USA Only.
Most Likely Retirement Date: 1971(USA)
Appears consistently in Montgomery Ward catalogs from 1968-71(with appearances at Jordan Marsh and Pogue's in 1969).
Last Year Seen Available: 1971
1971 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog
Aliases: Suburban Set, 48 15557
Retail Price(s): $8.88-$10.00(USA)
Discounted Example(s): $6.99(1971)
Rarity Score(Index): 6/7
Known Box/Packing Variants
There are a few known versions of the 326's box. There are the plain box catalog versions, only known from Montgomery Ward:
The stamped number will differ between copies, but neither of the examples have manufacturer numbers that would be typical with Sears exclusive catalog sets:
The 326 also had a colorful box version(which I discuss the timeframe/availability below) that was only available in 1969 from at least Jordan Marsh and Pogue's(but not Wards):
Box/Overview
The 326 Suburban Set was a basic set with the average parts assortment. Not really much to say in that regard, the more interesting part is its story.
As with other exclusives, its colorful box is a reuse of the 285 Basic Set's box, similar to how the 244 Explorer Set (which was a 1967-71 Sears exclusive) reuses the 205 Basic Set's box. We have an issue here, however, in that the colorful box may not have ever been sold at Montgomery Ward and there is compelling evidence indicating such.
While the colorful box version is very scarce, it is pictured at Jordan Marsh and Pogue's ONLY in 1969 and ALWAYS with a "The Wonderful Birthday" book, first published in 1969:
This 1969 event is the only appearance of the 326 outside of Montgomery Ward. In addition, Wards never refers to the "Suburban Set" name of the set, which to me is a clear indication it never sold there with a colorful box. You might point out that Sears never used the set names in their catalogs, always using a set's piece count. Which is true, but in 1969 Wards just calls it "Lego Set", in 1970 its "Beginner Set", and in 1971 its "Basic Set". Wards was different in that they used names for the set, it is interesting that the "Suburban Set" name would never be used but instead random, amorphous names across catalogs. They had the opportunity if it was true, but instead we see just made up names.
Originally, when I was only interested in LEGO Samsonite history, I assumed "Suburban" was thematically related to the book. However, it seems to have been a deeper reference, as Samsonite actually used the name "Suburban" for their Signat cases starting in 1967. The Signat line also carried names like "Diplomat" (used in 1970 for the 630 Diplomat Set) or both "Envoy" and "Statesman" (which relate to either the 066 Governor Set or the 080 Ambassador Set). Absolutely fascinating.
The below images of the set's front is the only known variant. If it was produced from 1968-71 in a colorful box, it would have "Some parts...manufactured in Denmark" and a tabbed box variant for ~1969-1970 (as seen with other exclusives like the 244 Explorer Set). Instead, this is the only known variant that exists, which fits a 1969 production perfectly:
Another thing I should mention, as it supports the above limited production theory, is that the font for "FOR ALL AGES" only matches the font for the 079 Green Baseplate, which was also new for 1969. No other Samsonite set, to my knowledge, used that font.
Contents
As mentioned above, the 326 contained an assortment of regular LEGO elements including windows, doors, and wheels. No specialty elements such as trees.