35 replies to this topic

[DarrylWestley]

Hello everyone

Please see attached photograph of a set of Series 3 figures

On behalf of Federico he is wondering through discussion (taking into account the crazy price of individual figures) -
What is the maximum value of all these figures? What would you be prepared to pay?

Breakdown of cost including price of certain figures would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Darryl

Attached Files

•  Complete_3rd_series.jpg   605.72K   87 downloads

[KungFuMan]

All at once, or at a time?

If all at once...god that'd be nice but a bank breaker. $120 I'd go for before bailing out. I know there are people that would probably pay a lot more than that too, which sucks but what can you do?

Edited by KungFuMan, 27 January 2010 - 03:16 PM.

[DarrylWestley]

I will draw attention to this: "On behalf of Federico"

Federico asked me this query before and requested I help with the post because
of his concern that his English would not be legible. Plus I could not give a
pricing for the figures.

Each to their own, I am aware my moral code is not that of others.
I personally will not be making any predictions on price.

Oh and welcome back 'the mixer' Brojo

Edited by DarrylWestley, 27 January 2010 - 04:56 PM.

[KungFuMan]

Just curious Darryl, will the bidding be in American dollars, British pounds or Euros? Because that's going to end up factoring a lot on who ends up bidding hands down too :\

[jack cambrian]

How much would that lot go for? My prediction: a $hitload. Here's my more detailed (and very off-the-top-of-my-head) analysis - leaving out the Blemmyea which seem to have been fetching higher prices than the other S3 figures, I would say that your average S3 will sell for a minimum of US$30. The Blemmyeas have been selling for around US$50-100 in the last six-twelve months or so, but let's say they sell for a minimum of $50 each. This conservative estimate adds up to US$1160.
But with big lots like these, you won't necessarily get that sort of sum, because the capital is too much. For example, I personally am aware that if I bought that lot for $1160 I could almost certainly sell the individual figures and make a not insignificant profit. However, I am a deadbeat and I don't have a grand to spend on them and the profit would not be received until after I've listed and sold all the figures on eBay which is time consuming. Maybe individual sales is the way to go? Or by colour or figure? I don't know. I'm not sure if I've ever witnessed a S3 sale of this magnitude before.

[DarrylWestley]

Just curious Darryl, will the bidding be in American dollars, British pounds or Euros? Because that's going to end up factoring a lot on who ends up bidding hands down too :\

"GormTransMonsters" is Italian so I presume he is interested in Euros.
Although predictions in any currency are valid.

[Strontium Dog]

How much would that lot go for? My prediction: a $hitload. Here's my more detailed (and very off-the-top-of-my-head) analysis - leaving out the Blemmyea which seem to have been fetching higher prices than the other S3 figures, I would say that your average S3 will sell for a minimum of US$30. The Blemmyeas have been selling for around US$50-100 in the last six-twelve months or so...

Hmm, I think your view of market prices is somewhat under-estimating the current situation. The last three Blemmyeas I've seen have all gone for more than $100, with one fetching $190. I also haven't seen any S3 going as low as $30, not outside of stuff that has been mislisted anyway.

I would put the average current price of S3 figures at between $100-120, with huge variation depending on sculpt and colour.

[GoreVidalMeaty]

That is one amazing collection! I would love to own ANY of these guys. In any color! Unfortunately, there is NO WAY I would ever spend even $30 for a single MIMP figure, let alone $100 or more.

It all comes down to how much do you really want it...

Still... I am green with envy.

[jack cambrian]

How much would that lot go for? My prediction: a $hitload. Here's my more detailed (and very off-the-top-of-my-head) analysis - leaving out the Blemmyea which seem to have been fetching higher prices than the other S3 figures, I would say that your average S3 will sell for a minimum of US$30. The Blemmyeas have been selling for around US$50-100 in the last six-twelve months or so...

Hmm, I think your view of market prices is somewhat under-estimating the current situation. The last three Blemmyeas I've seen have all gone for more than $100, with one fetching $190. I also haven't seen any S3 going as low as $30, not outside of stuff that has been mislisted anyway.

I would put the average current price of S3 figures at between $100-120, with huge variation depending on sculpt and colour.

Yeah, it most definately was an an underestimate. I was trying to posit the absolute minimum price the figures would go for - especially in the case of Blemmyea, which has been selling at closer to the $100 mark recently. I guess the $30 mark has been my low-end benchmark for a long time and that maybe an update is needed in these mental times. Even then I'd put the minimum at $50-$60 maybe. And, of course, there is a massive range in prices related to sculpt and colour and a combination of the two.

I'm a scientist. I try to be extremely conservative in any predictions I make.

[jack cambrian]

You might be right.
However, "Jack Cambrian" is the only person I know who actually makes CHARTS of Series-3 prices. His studious method is above reproach. Aside from his methodology, though, there are two possible problems with Jack's chart(s): [1] his sample size - the number of sales he's actually documented (is it large enough?), and [2] whether or not "Jack" has been recording the prices of the most recent Series-3 eBay sales. Have you, "Jack"?

Why not share a copy of your chart with other MIMPers, "Jack", if you haven't already?

Well, my laptop died recently and I tried to transfer all my stuff to another computer (a G3 iMac from c.1999!). I just checked my 'Monster Stuff' folder to grab the S3 spreadsheet and for some reason half the files in that folder seem to be absent. So, I have no idea how to retrieve that information. I couldn't tell you if the sample size is large enough but I have been a bit lax with recording S3 sales lately, so maybe I'm not getting the most recent trends. I'm pretty sure I posted some stats in a post a while ago which could give us some idea of what prices were six months ago. Not sure how helpful that is.

[jack cambrian]

Here it is, stats from April of last year. The prices have definitely gone up since then.

I've actually been keeping track of series 3 single sales at the moment, as I have only recently decided I want to (try) to collect them. Between 3/02 and 6/04 of this year I recorded 34 sales with a mean price of $42.06 (although this mean doesn't include a sealed MIMP Nintendo game w/ Blemmyea [$138.05] or a green Centaur still sealed in the original package [$102.37]). The range spanned from $29.17 for a pink Anubis up to $81.59 for a purple Amphisbaena. In practice, there really aren't any obvious trends in the amount paid for particular sculpts/colours, although I suspect that purple and yellow figures will generally go for a higher price than the other colours.

[andy53600]

Anyone know what this guy does for a livin'? and does he require a new apprentice by any chance?

[Rick]

Hello everyone

Please see attached photograph of a set of Series 3 figures

On behalf of Federico he is wondering through discussion (taking into account the crazy price of individual figures) -
What is the maximum value of all these figures? What would you be prepared to pay?

Breakdown of cost including price of certain figures would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Darryl

I'd go $300 right now.

[Rick]

Hello everyone

Please see attached photograph of a set of Series 3 figures

On behalf of Federico he is wondering through discussion (taking into account the crazy price of individual figures) -
What is the maximum value of all these figures? What would you be prepared to pay?

Breakdown of cost including price of certain figures would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Darryl

I'd go $300 right now.

$300 for ALL of them?!

I've seen these figures sometimes sell for more than $300 APIECE!

I'm not trying to give you a hard time; I'm just shocked.
Welcome to MIMP collecting, Rick. It's a jungle out there

My $300 is pretty good compaired to post #2, he would bail out at $120???!!!

[KungFuMan]

Because spending more than that on a small piece of plastic is nuts to me? They just don't strike me as worth that much, though I'm not going to look at someone and go "haha!" because they feel they are.

Looking at those, and looking at what even just $120 can get you in comparison...yeah, you really have to want the set. I'm happy with series 1 & 2, I'll chase after 3 when the market dies down a lot.

[OmegaTraf]

they don't look that "rare" in big sets like that
seems more like hoarding to corner a small market.
a better question might be how much did frederico pay for them all?

[andy53600]

they don't look that "rare" in big sets like that
seems more like hoarding to corner a small market.
a better question might be how much did frederico pay for them all?

And that's a question I have the answer to. But not for all of 'em though. First off, the Blue Blemmyea sold for $191, The Blue Leviathan went for $162.50, and finally the Blue Orobas went for around $152 I believe? So just take a wild guess at how I know all this!

[DarrylWestley]

"a better question might be how much did frederico pay for them all?"

I agree, I have asked this before without answer. I presumed that as
these were collected over a vast amount of time the values were
probably not recorded?!

Perhaps Federico will come forward with this information?

[Strontium Dog]

I find that people who assembled their collections some years ago paid lower prices; it seems to be only recent that the price of S3 figures has skyrocketed. If you check the early MIMP Yahoo Group messages, you'll see S3s going for chump change. Indeed, it's times like this that I really regret not collecting toys for much of the past decade and a half (including that year I actually lived in the USA 97-98 ). Ho hum.

[Aikola]

If I had a time machine, I'd go back and join the MIMP "Collectors Club", buy every Big Boy restaurants' "Secret Monster Pack" I could find, and drive across the border into Canada to buy every box of MIMP "Shreddies" cereal that I could afford. Sadly, I don't have a time machine yet. Anyone else have one I could borrow?

Unfortunatley time machines dont exist Brojo, also its a bad thing to regret I wish I still had my old collection but I dont and anyway half of the fun is the chase in the figure and wondering about/hunting that next big score or great deal on ebay and car boot sales

[KungFuMan]

What exactly drove the market up like this though? Given this is apparently a recent thing I'm presuming something was said and done to spark a nostalgic craze in the little guys.

[OmegaTraf]

What exactly drove the market up like this though?

I think its Giant piles like the one in the first picture and The owners that won't part with them for less than the highest market value ever advertised. The few breaks in price I'm convinced are the minor collectors that happened to find or have 1 or 2 in their old school collections.

[Strontium Dog]

I would put the average current price of S3 figures at between $100-120, with huge variation depending on sculpt and colour.

For the record: three auctions finished today, the prices: $102.60, $105 and $113.50.

[jack cambrian]

Broadly speaking, the reason these prices have risen is because people know that these particular figures are 'rare'. Any eBay seller doing even the most perfunctory research on the figure they've found is going to find a website saying 'OMG Series 3 is teh rarez!!!!!111' (Or something to that effect ) As some have already mentioned there are other figures which are far less abundant than series 3 as a whole, but not many people know about them. This cult of rarity is probably also helped by the story attached to these figures - they're the lost series that was never released commercially , oh, my stars - it certainly interested me when I first started collecting again. (And then I found out how much they cost.)

By the way, I remember looking at some old posts on the yahoo group from all the way back in the late nineties and the prices for series 3 figures back then would bring a tear to your eye.

...And here are some examples:

I came this close ( . ) to winning some ( 8 ) series three monsters and
an empty package of Nabisco Shreddies ( yes, Shreddies, not Frosted
Wheat Squares ) cereal with the ad for a free one inside but I decided
that it wasn't worth more than $35.00. But I do have the picture from
the guy! It doesn't show anything that the other picture of them
doesn't except for the box... I've attached it below. Well, I hope this
information was helpful ( ?! ).

Hello,
Here is what I have left and what I am asking:
1. MIMP Board game (excllent condition) $10
2. Trading Cards - 48 plus 24 piece sticker puzzle (all in 9 card
plastic binders) -like new $10
3. Series I - all 48 (set only) $25
4. Series III - all 24 (97-120) (set only) $15
5. Series I duplicates:
25,26,31,32,33,35,36,37,38,39,41,42,44,45,46,47,48
-- will sell individually or all for $10
6. Series II figures: 49,55,57,58,59,69,70,71,72 -- will sell
individually or all for $ 5
7. Series III duplicates: 101,106,108,111,115,117 -- will sell
individually or all for $ 5
Postage will be extra depending on how you want it shipped. Take
everything for $75 and I will pay postage (US).

Edited by jack cambrian, 02 February 2010 - 08:01 PM.

[KungFuMan]

There's some very understandable confusion in terminology here. The term "Series-3" was coined by collectors like ourselves. What we collectors call "Series-4" is what M.E.G. actually called "Series III"/"Series 3". The term "Series III" is used within at least one newsletter from the MIMP "Collectors Club", and the term "Series 3" is used on the Series-2 "Battle Cards". My own theory is that what we call "Series-3" was actually intended to be part of Series-2.

That explains a lot, since I remember the "Super Scaries" being series III in Britain, though back then we noticed the gap between it and 2 and always assumed the single color series III's were meant to be those missing numbers.

What really bugs me the most about these though is...other than Abominable Snowman and Blemmyea, these just...seem to be rather ugly in comparison. There's not that same allure the first series had, to the point I wonder if they hadn't been "promo items" and "uber rare" if they'd be cared about as much. Anyone else have the same reaction?