What Action Figures Are Collectible?

What's Collectible? How do you know which action figures are collectible or will be collectible? Much of it is guess work or gut feeling. Part of it is an educated guess. A big part is knowing your market and target audience. So...

What added guidance and help can I give you? In short this simple guide is to help YOU make the decision based on my 15 years in the business.The simplest, easiest and biggest piece of advice I can give you is to remember:

"Today's toys are tomorrow's collectibles" Let me clarify that statement a little more. What are the kids into NOW? What drives their imagination? What games, cartoons, and comic books do they want? Which toys, games etc. will be the number one on this years Christmas lists?

These are the thing that are likely to be the collectibles of the future, the things that will be selling good money in another 10-20 years.

Why? Simply, because the collectors market is basically driven by nostalgia. Look at today's most valuable and collectible items. They're generally what were popular when we were kids (or at least when I was a kid!).

Good examples of this are they huge market for Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Chucky collectibles. All of these are huge cult movies from the 80's.

Then there are the Star Wars toys and Pokemon collectibles. G.I. Joes, Action Man, He-Man, Masters of the Universe and Thunderbirds.

It's the memories attached to these toys and programs that makes them collectible now, as well as the desire to have what we couldn't have as kids.

So, what do I think will be tomorrow's hot collectibles?

Looking at today's markets I would think that the anime/manga series Naruto and Bleach will become more popular and collectible over the coming years as well as other popular anime series such as Ghost in the Shell.

Also popular video games such as Gears of War, Warcraft, Halo and Guitar Hero have a considerable amount of merchandise available, many of which are highly collectible and are likely to remain popular for many years yet.

Oh... And I nearly forgot about Ben 10. Ben 10 is another TV animation series that seems to have become popular recently and captured kids' imaginations.

And don't forget about normal, everyday items. Many of these are likely to become highly sought after and collectible as well.

A prime example of this phenomenon is the old Robinson jam jar labels. These featured a golliwog and were on EVERY jar produced back in the 70's.Thousands upon thousands were produced every year.

Now they sell for about $500 simply because they were banned. But who saved or collected them? Virtually no-one, because they were so common, an everyday item. Again it's the nostalgia and memories associated with them that drives' the market and demand.

Do you remember any of the toys you had? Do you still have any of them? Where are they now? By our very nature, as kids we want to play with our toys, we aren't interested in keeping them safe and undamaged or even collecting them.

They were there to be played with. They were banged and bashed about, thrown around and mostly destroyed, broken and thrown out over the ensuing years. It's only now that we look back to them with the fondness of memories and a longing for our lost childhood.

So again it's often these things that become collectible and valuable. OK, so what about limited editions, low production runs or chase and variant action figures, cards, stamps, toys or whatever that are produced today?

Again these are generally targeted at today's collectors so are often based on past or vintage subjects, e.g. Star Wars, Thunderbirds, Elvis Presley, Battlestar Galactica etc.

Some will target new toys, games, current trends or popular items such as Gears of War, Halo or even movies such as Hellboy.

These items will often be highly collectible initially due to their current popularity and high demand but will general see a dip in value after a few years and as new trends take their place, but...

If they became a popular part of our culture and, or childhood experiences they will generally gain in value again in the long term.

A very good example of this is the Pokemon cards. In the mid 90's they were HUGE, so big in fact that I would say that every child in the world ever knew or had heard about them. Even kids in the poorest parts of Brazil were trading the cards.

But eventually, something else came along. The kids grew up and its popularity dwindled.

But now after ten years it is regularly back in the top 30 searches each month. Prices of the cards are selling at a brisk rate on the auction sites and the demand for the old stuff is increasing. So, if you have an old Pokemon collection tucked away, maybe its time to dust it down!

This is because the kids who collected and bought it then are now "grown up" and look back at the fun days of collecting them and maybe getting some of them back again.

I know I certainly do. At the time I was BIG on Pokemon. I had them ALL! I even had an Illustrator Pikachu and a Secret Mewto, two of THE rarest cards.

But alas, being a trader I sold them all of, but now...

I often wish I had saved a few.

Another piece of advice is to look for niche markets. A niche market is a specialist market. If you can find a small "niche" that has a loyal following then again these are likely to become highly collectible simple because although there is a lot less demand the supply or amount of product available will also be a lot scarcer and therefore more likely to become collectible or valuable.

In the long term, if you "invest" in the right things, the return in 10-20 years can be huge. Certainly better than the average return on your bank savings.

So, in order to decide what will hold it's value or increase in value you should consider:

What's popular now.
Check the top comics, cartoons, TV programmes, films etc and look for the common themes.
What are popular household items?
What games or toys do your kids and friends want and trash?
What are the popular niche markets?
What has become part of our everyday lives, a part of our culture, our language (an excellent example here would be Google, even the term "to Google" something has become common) ?
Consider the answers to these questions, these are the things that are likely to hold their prices and increase in value over the years.

Written by Colin Dorman

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World of Warcraft Collectible Action Figures - Get Ready for your Gamer's Christmas Shopping List

Just when you thought you had gotten the most out of your World of Warcraft experience, you realized that there was still more for you to enjoy. World of Warcraft may haves set new limits on PC entertainment and collectible trading card games, but the fun doesn't end there. Fans will be proud to know that DC Comics takes the hit gaming title to a whole new level with its new line of World of Warcraft collectible action figures.

With a release scheduled for this upcoming fall, these action figures will no doubt make fine additions to any World of Warcraft fanatic's library, so if you're shopping for a gamer's Christmas present, they just might top your list. A total of six models will be released in the first series, and once they hit shelves there is no question that gamers will be longing to pick up one of these collectible figures. However, it may be difficult in obtaining one of these collector's items due to the fact that they will only be carried by a select number of retailers.

World of Warcraft has been at the top of PC gaming sales since its release in November of 2004. The production of the action figures was undertaken to give fans an opportunity to make a hobby out of a virtual pastime. The first release of figures will include a Blood Elf Rogue, an Orc Shaman, an Undead Warlock, and a Dwarf Warrior. The figures will be range between 5-8 inches in size and will be sold through select toy retailers. In addition, a second release is expected that will include two more of the larger figures, a Draenei Paladin and Illidan Stormrage.

DC Unlimited, a branch of DC Comics, is projected to release the first series of action figures in November 2007, just in time for Christmas. While it is not set in stone as to how much the figures will cost when they hit the market, various sites across the web have them available for pre-order at a price of roughly $30 for the first set of four WoW collectible action figures.

If you want to get your hands on the first wave, be sure to pre-order your World of Warcraft Collectible Action Figures. The first set should be out early November. Looking for more WoW collectibles? Check out our guide to Warcraft Collectibles on Ebay.

Emma Martin reviews World of Warcraft gold and leveling guides at: http://www.wowplayersguides.com/

Collectible Action Figures - Is About Fun Memories And More Money

Superhero action figures first stormed the doors of department stores and toy stores nearly 35 years ago. Constructed of various kinds of plastic and clothed in uniforms, costumes and capes G.I. Joe, Superman, Spiderman, the Lone Ranger and others marched, flew and rode off store shelves and into our lives. After short stops under the Christmas tree or at birthday parties, these action figures found their way into toy boxes and playrooms around the world.

These action figures did their superhero work of incredible feats, saving scores of lives and neutralizing villains. They accomplished these heroic deeds on lazy summer afternoons and rainy Saturday mornings in front of the TV set. Too often, they also needed our help after school when we were supposed to be doing homework.

These superheroes were always our friends and they helped us through our childhoods. They taught us to share, to value friendships and that good will triumph over evil. Perhaps, most importantly, they stretched our imaginations and made us believe that anything was possible. These mighty action figures were invincible to everything but time. Time finally did them in. Or did it?

For more and more people, these action figures are returning to superhero status. The Star Trek crew along with Power Rangers, the Star Wars characters and transformers are popping up in offices, dens and family rooms everywhere. These action figures have become collectibles.

The most popular of these action figures include G.I. Joe, Captain Action, the Six Million Dollar Man, the Lone Ranger and the Mego line of action figures. These include characters from Super Heroes, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Happy Days, CHIPs, Monsters and others. There were literally hundreds of different action figures produced during the decades of the '70s and '80s.

The action figures come in different sizes. Just as with other collectibles, size, condition, original popularity and whether or not the figure is readily available now all come together to determine price. Prices are all over the board. Some of these figures have been known to sell for thousands of dollars. Others go for a few hundred. Most are in the $10 to $100 range.

Action Figures Make Great Collectibles

How do you know what to pay? There are a number of sources for current price information for these action figures. One important source is toy magazines such as "Toyfare" and "Lee's Action Figure News". There are also dozens of websites that have pricing information. More good sources are the online auction sites, such as eBay.

The auction websites are also great places to buy these action figures. Numbers of these toys are sold on these sites every day. You can determine the condition, see what other people are bidding and then make a bid. The top online auctions are safe places to do business.

These action figures crop up in other places as well, just waiting for the opportunity to march into your collection. You can find them in flea markets and sometimes in antique shops. You can buy them from other collectors, at garage sales and estate auctions. There are dozens of toy shows around the country where dealers and individuals buy and sell collections.

You will find these action figure toys in every conceivable condition from mint in the box condition to pieces of the original toy. There is a rating system to help collectors determine condition that runs from condition C-1 through C-10. The very best condition is mint in box or mint on card. These toys are in the original box or bubble wrap card. They are in exactly the same condition today as the day they were first packaged. They are, of course, the most valuable.

One of the first steps in collecting action figures is to decide which toys to collect. A good place to start is with your favorites when you were a kid. Collections will be more valuable if you have complete sets. For example, you might build a collection of a complete set of the Marvel Comics heroes. Part of the fun is putting these collections together - acquiring hard-to-find figures in a set.

The next step is taking care of your collection of action figures. If you are lucky enough to find a toy sealed in the original box or package, leave it in the box. Do not open it. Display your toys on a shelf or in a cabinet where they will be kept dry, out of direct sunlight. You will also need to keep these toys above the reach of your own youngsters. They will be just as tempted to play with them as you were.

Finally, enjoy your collection. Owning these action figure superheroes will bring back many of the wonderful feelings of those carefree days before mortgage payments and college tuition bills. The dollar value of your collection is likely secondary to assembling the collection and enjoying its aesthetic value. Even so, your collection will almost certainly become more valuable in time, especially if you can assemble entire sets.

These action figure superheroes are reminders of your childhood and will serve to tell your children and grandchildren a little about whom you are and how you learned that good triumphs over evil. Somehow it is comforting to know that Superman, G.I. Joe and the Lone Ranger are still fighting crime and saving lives.

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Action Figure Collectibles - Three Factors That Make a Figurine Collectible

The G.I. Joe figures were the very first set of action figures, produced by Hasbro way back in 1964. This was soon followed by figurines of characters from comic books and Star Wars. Action figures continue to be so popular that nowadays every movie, TV series, and comic book has action figures of its characters. With so many different figurines about, it's difficult to know what is collectible. In this article, I'll discuss the three main factors that make a particular figurine more prized and treasured than others.

Appeal

Action figure collectibles are a passion. What makes a figurine collectible and appealing is the same thing that made children across the world plead and beg "Please mommy! Tell Santa if he doesn't get me Hans Solo I'll chew my toes off." It's the same thing that would then make parents queue in the freezing cold to buy Hans in the hope of keeping their child quiet for five minutes. While many people collect action figures as an investment, mostly it's about nostalgia and recapturing your childhood. It's the fun and excitement of playing with action figures for hours and hours in your bedroom.

Rarity

Many vintage action figures are rare because nobody thought they would ever be worth anything. If their arms and legs weren't pulled off, they probably were thrown into the trash instead. With new figurines, so many are produced that companies now make "chase action figures", which are like the mainstream figures but slightly different, with different colored clothes, for example. A limited number are made so they are appealing to collectors. There are even "variant action figures", that are different in unexpected ways, such as a white Darth Vader, which can also be rare and sought after by collectors.

Condition

Collectors can be incredibly picky about the condition of the statuette they're buying. A figure that is still as shiny and perfect as the day it was made, is much more collectible than a worn, grimy figurine without a box. While a collector may pick up an unboxed figure from a flea market, it will probably be to play with rather than to add to their main collection. Just the fact that a box has been opened is enough to significantly lower the value of an action figure. The grading scale commonly used for action figures, ranging from C10 (mint) to C1 (very poor), is just for carded figurines; if an action figure doesn't have a card, then it's not even on the scale!

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