What is the number printed under the barcode of a Lego set?

Question

I’ve got two sets of Lego Ideas #025 (steamboat Willie). They have the same barcode. Underneath the barcode there are some small numbers: one box has 118789 970, but the other box has 118789 017.

A still from an unboxing video of that set shows 118789 907:

What are these numbers? Should they be the same for all boxes of a set?

Does this answer your question? What does the 4 digit number embossed on my LEGO set represent? — RSchulz, Feb 01 '22 at 23:24
It looks like I only got an answer for embossed digits but not the barcode number. — Ambo100, Feb 02 '22 at 01:30
From a sampling of 17 sets from the last few years, I find the first number to be either 118789, 123372, 124957, and likely others (I haven't found what they mean, nor have I found a correlation with any of the other identifiers for those sets). — Sander De Dycker, Feb 02 '22 at 09:04
I've got a couple of boxes with 118789 112 and 124957-110 (different typefaces, one with space and the other with a hyphen). Speculation: factory ID, lot ID. — IvanSanchez, Feb 02 '22 at 12:38
@IvanSanchez : in my sample set, it doesn't match up with the plant id from the manufacturing code though. Also, these two numbers are printed onto the box, not stamped, embossed or stickered, so they're probably not production run specific. Maybe it refers to the factory where the boxes were printed - assuming that happens elsewhere ? — Sander De Dycker, Feb 02 '22 at 14:04
@Sander I tend to agree with your speculation. I wonder if sets without cardboard boxes have those numbers as well: polybags, collectible minifigs, and so on. — IvanSanchez, Feb 02 '22 at 20:00
I have one polybag lying around, and it just has 132405 near the barcode. A google image search confirms that many polybags have that number on them (example). Collectible minifigs appear to have that same number only if it's a polybag style bag (example), otherwise no such number is apparent (example). — Sander De Dycker, Feb 03 '22 at 06:35

What is the number printed under the barcode of a Lego set?

0 Answers0