OT: Anyone collect AFA graded vintage Star Wars figures?

[mintcollector]

Just curious if anyone else collects vintage Star Wars figures graded by AFA? I don't know how many toy collectors and/or Star Wars enthusiasts are on these forums. I apologize is this has already been asked, but I could not find this question by using the 'search' function.

 

I love vintage carded figures (pre 21-back) in AFA 85 or higher.

 

 

[Wally's Comics]

You should post what you have.

 

I haven't gone this graded route, but I have all these figures loose

in the infamous Vader case.

 

 

I always loved the package design of this Kenner line.

 

 

 

 

[Magneto]

I just got back into comics a few years ago and thought that maybe someday I might look at getting some old toys.

 

I would love to get a couple of Star Wars figures (Han Solo, Darth Vader, R2D2) but also a few Transformers (Megatron) and even GI Joe to a lesser extent (I still have some action figures). I still regret getting rid of my USS Flagg aircraft carrier when I was a teenager.

 

Perhaps one day I'll look into a few of these. If anyone has any thought or advice I would love to hear it.

 

Martin

[ComicConnoisseur]

Just curious if anyone else collects vintage Star Wars figures graded by AFA? I don't know how many toy collectors and/or Star Wars enthusiasts are on these forums. I apologize is this has already been asked, but I could not find this question by using the 'search' function.

 

I love vintage carded figures (pre 21-back) in AFA 85 or higher.

 

Hi "Mint"

Fellow CGC board member comicwiz is very knowledgeable in this field.

You might want to pm him.

I just started getting back into it.

Here is a great site that you might find useful.

http://www.collector-actionfigures.com/dash/home/

[Wrightson fan]

I would like to see some scans/pics as well. I love looking at vintage toys.

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

You should post what you have.

 

I haven't gone this graded route, but I have all these figures loose

in the infamous Vader case.

 

 

I always loved the package design of this Kenner line.

 

 

 

After getting a ASM 1 to 50 set completed I would love to get a Star Wars 12 back set.

[graffix13]

I would like to see some scans/pics as well. I love looking at vintage toys.

 

 

+1

 

Also would be interesting to see what the grading system looks like.

[comicwiz]

I'll post some pics as I'm gearing-up with organizing a virtual toy/comic con on the RS boards.

 

The mildest way I could put the perception towards AFA is that plastic intimidates collectors. Old guard collectors disagree with the fundamentals of grading toys, have practically everything already, and are very patient regarding filling holes in their collecting and/or charting new focuses.

 

New guard don't have the savvy, and generally are worried about the pitfalls of buying restored/reproduction toys.

 

The common thread between old and new is they don't want to be caught overspending on something, and certification does tend to carry along with it a hefty premium.

 

As far as production toys are concerned, 12 Backs remain one of the most popular. Foreign line, bootlegs, prototypes and first shots are some of the hottest markets, however they are also the ones that attract the greatest amount of risk and fraudulent activity.

 

My suggestion to anyone considering spending a chunk of their hard-earned money towards buying rare, regularly faked pieces, to consider buying AFA graded with COA.

 

The same goes for any sealed/carded pieces.

 

I'm at a stage where I feel comfortable buying MOC, MIB, MISB and loose figures ungraded, but like any collectible category, there are certain things you must learn about being able to detect fakes and restoration.

 

In the last year, I've discovered so many attic fresh finds that it's made this secondary hobby a lot more fun and interesting than collecting comics.

 

Tap me by PM if you're thinking about dabbling or going hip-deep into it. If it's something I can't help with, I'll know someone that will.

 

The one thing I will forewarn people about regarding the Star Wars hobby. While there are a lot of informed and knowledgeable people, there exists an opportunistic history that has used this information and knowledge to take advantage of the uninformed, and the fallout from all of this is that openly sharing knowledge and detection methods is often met with significant resistance.

[comicwiz]

Just curious if anyone else collects vintage Star Wars figures graded by AFA? I don't know how many toy collectors and/or Star Wars enthusiasts are on these forums. I apologize is this has already been asked, but I could not find this question by using the 'search' function.

 

I love vintage carded figures (pre 21-back) in AFA 85 or higher.

 

 

Just wanted to throw out a suggestion to your pre-21 back collecting.

 

I found with 12 backs, you need to be especially careful with spend on 85 and higher grades.

 

While I can appreciate the quest to get them in primo shape, you are fighting gravity, age and physics.

 

For instance, finding the weapon loose from the blister, either due to transit handling or degradation, would automatically drop it to an 80. On a 12 back, especially a scarcer variation or figure, the cost difference could mean thousands of dollars.

 

For this reason (and a few others), if I buy AFA, I find 80 to be the sweet spot, but with 12 backs and carded focuses, I'd much rather buy ungraded.

[Mister Freeze-migration]

Forget about stocks, precious metals, oil, etc. One of the greatest all time rates of returns with respect to the toy collectible universe comes from the Star Wars 12-back release.

 

Hot off your toy shelf, back in the late 1970's at an MSRP of only $1.99 at your local K-Mart or toy store. Over the last 5-8 years as the plastic coffin toy grading methodology prescribed by the Action Figure Authority obtained critical mass with heavy hitter caliber collectors, a slabbed certified C10 12-back easily fetched as much as 700X to 1000X original retail price. And that is not including any of the fancy unique variants like the DT Vader/Skywalker/Kenobi or Jawa plastic cape that comicwiz could eloquently break down. Having these variants sealed would be the equivalent of winning a mini-lottery.

 

What is really interesting and I am sure comicwiz knows this, back in the mid early mid 1970's, if you bought any action toy figure it was most likely a Mego product. Mego actually had first dibs on the Star Wars toy line license, but they passed on it. Kenner would eventually pick it up and the rest is history.

 

I think my own personal grail from this entire line would be a sealed Death Star Space Station. You might want to check out this site for reference purposes. There is some info here regarding variants, lingo on various cards, when certain and specific characters were realeased, etc.

 

http://www.12back.com/figures/figures.php3

 

 

[brendanb438]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

[Mister Freeze-migration]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

Absolutely. I used to hit allot of toy shows in the early mid 1990's. I remember passing on allot of SW MOSC figures because I thought that they were already so expensive and everything was priced in.

 

Then ebay and then AFA came along and you know the rest. I definitely think though that the pricing has calmed down now significantly as far as the slabbed graded marketplace goes. Although still much higher than raw 90's pricing. And there were specific items that you kind of missed the boat on now to sell because maybe say back in 2004, no one saw a particular sealed version of something and just went on a bidding rampage when it popped up.

 

I was just asking comicwiz some questions about the original 1st & 2nd series STar WArs cards. The pricing on a complete new wax pack box has really come down in price from years ago.

 

Some of it is cyclical, and some of it is we will never see certain previous high prices come back again. But of course, there is always that one auction with one unique item and all bets are off.

[comicwiz]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

 

The Revenge proofs are around. The Fett is the one everyone wants. I've had opportunities to pick them up and was close to doing a deal on one not long ago, but I'm not at the point yet where I can really appreciate proofs, prototypes and first shots because they are often a tiny (albeit historically important) glimmer of the overall enjoyment that was meant to be achieved through the full-blow production piece.

 

In other words, I'd far sooner have a 48 Back-C Fett than a Revenge of the Jedi proof card, but that's just me.

[brendanb438]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

 

The Revenge proofs are around. The Fett is the one everyone wants. I've had opportunities to pick them up and was close to doing a deal on one not long ago, but I'm not at the point yet where I can really appreciate proofs, prototypes and first shots because they are often a tiny (albeit historically important) glimmer of the overall enjoyment that was meant to be achieved through the full-blow production piece.

 

In other words, I'd far sooner have a 48 Back-C Fett than a Revenge of the Jedi proof card, but that's just me.

 

What sort of pricing do you normally see on these Revenge proofs these days? Back in the early 90s I picked up around 35 different ones from a woman out of Cincinnati who said she was a former Kenner employee. I paid around US $1100 for them. Had a Fett, didn't have a Vader, Luke or Han Solo (Well not the base versions). I tried to put the set together of them and quit at 41 I believe. I sold most of them for around $80 to $130 when I unloaded them quickly to buy a used car in college.

 

This woman had some cool prototypes and other proof stuff and a ton of loose and carded figures that I ended up buying off her over about a 2 year period.

[The Troll King]

If you want to get extra picky try collecting all of the variations in figures. Never mind "Green Haired Madine" I'm talking about 7 different Stormtroopers, 4 different Biker Scouts, etc.

 

At first glance they all look the same but they are indeed not.

[brendanb438]

If you want to get extra picky try collecting all of the variations in figures. Never mind "Green Haired Madine" I'm talking about 7 different Stormtroopers, 4 different Biker Scouts, etc.

 

At first glance they all look the same but they are indeed not.

 

Are you talking about the mid 90s junk or the vintage stuff?

[comicwiz]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

Absolutely. I used to hit allot of toy shows in the early mid 1990's. I remember passing on allot of SW MOSC figures because I thought that they were already so expensive and everything was priced in.

 

Then ebay and then AFA came along and you know the rest. I definitely think though that the pricing has calmed down now significantly as far as the slabbed graded marketplace goes. Although still much higher than raw 90's pricing. And there were specific items that you kind of missed the boat on now to sell because maybe say back in 2004, no one saw a particular sealed version of something and just went on a bidding rampage when it popped up.

 

I was just asking comicwiz some questions about the original 1st & 2nd series STar WArs cards. The pricing on a complete new wax pack box has really come down in price from years ago.

 

Some of it is cyclical, and some of it is we will never see certain previous high prices come back again. But of course, there is always that one auction with one unique item and all bets are off.

 

AFA gets a lot of the unwelcome vibe from the old guard. Some of it is deserving, and some of it is a little excessive and unwarranted.

 

What AFA represents is a selling tool for the action figure and toy hobby, and in this regard it does reasonably well.

 

Where you are going to get mixed reactions and feedback is the service and grading.

 

Ultimately, it's very much like CGC, with respect to buying the piece, and not the grade.

 

It seems that there is a regular tirade against AFA missing things and getting things wrong. To some extent, this is a useful and needed response to make sure the collecting community is aware of issues, and hopefully for the company to address the concerns.

 

I am one of those types of collectors, and contacted AFA and Tom (CIB) just today regarding an issue I had with their grading.

 

Where the ranting goes off the rails is when people complain that AFA items are selling while ungraded stuff doesn't.

 

Personally, I have no problem accepting AFA as a selling tool.

 

I wouldn't use it for every piece, but overlooking the benefits of using it means leaving money on the table.

 

[comicwiz]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

 

The Revenge proofs are around. The Fett is the one everyone wants. I've had opportunities to pick them up and was close to doing a deal on one not long ago, but I'm not at the point yet where I can really appreciate proofs, prototypes and first shots because they are often a tiny (albeit historically important) glimmer of the overall enjoyment that was meant to be achieved through the full-blow production piece.

 

In other words, I'd far sooner have a 48 Back-C Fett than a Revenge of the Jedi proof card, but that's just me.

 

What sort of pricing do you normally see on these Revenge proofs these days? Back in the early 90s I picked up around 35 different ones from a woman out of Cincinnati who said she was a former Kenner employee. I paid around US $1100 for them. Had a Fett, didn't have a Vader, Luke or Han Solo (Well not the base versions). I tried to put the set together of them and quit at 41 I believe. I sold most of them for around $80 to $130 when I unloaded them quickly to buy a used car in college.

 

This woman had some cool prototypes and other proof stuff and a ton of loose and carded figures that I ended up buying off her over about a 2 year period.

 

I don't even want to say because it hurts me to think you sold them for that much, I can't begin to imagine how you would feel if I told you.

[comicwiz]

If you want to get extra picky try collecting all of the variations in figures. Never mind "Green Haired Madine" I'm talking about 7 different Stormtroopers, 4 different Biker Scouts, etc.

 

At first glance they all look the same but they are indeed not.

 

I do that for my focuses. Fett, Jawa, Yoda, army builders (Stromies, Snowtroopers, TIE Pilots), and Tusken Raiders.

 

I just got pulled away but I'll see if I can post some of the stuff tmrw.

[brendanb438]

I have heard a lot of complaints about AFA grading. When I used to collect these SW figures back in the day I had a lot of fun but this was way before grading.

 

I won't mention some of the crazy stuff I found thanks to growing up outside of Cincinnati when it came to prototypes, proof cards and other stuff that managed to walk out the back door at Kenner. Not too long ago I was pricing out some of the proof cards I had and sold 10+ years ago and it makes me cry with what they are now worth.

 

Back in the late 90s I was a part of the Ohio Star Wars Collectible Club and some of the stuff that the older members had from knowing employees at Kenner was simply amazing.

 

I wouldn't mind picking up 1 or 2 of the cheap ones like the proofs for Revenge for the figures but dang even those are way more expensive than 10 years ago and they seem to never come up for sale anymore.

 

 

The Revenge proofs are around. The Fett is the one everyone wants. I've had opportunities to pick them up and was close to doing a deal on one not long ago, but I'm not at the point yet where I can really appreciate proofs, prototypes and first shots because they are often a tiny (albeit historically important) glimmer of the overall enjoyment that was meant to be achieved through the full-blow production piece.

 

In other words, I'd far sooner have a 48 Back-C Fett than a Revenge of the Jedi proof card, but that's just me.

 

What sort of pricing do you normally see on these Revenge proofs these days? Back in the early 90s I picked up around 35 different ones from a woman out of Cincinnati who said she was a former Kenner employee. I paid around US $1100 for them. Had a Fett, didn't have a Vader, Luke or Han Solo (Well not the base versions). I tried to put the set together of them and quit at 41 I believe. I sold most of them for around $80 to $130 when I unloaded them quickly to buy a used car in college.

 

This woman had some cool prototypes and other proof stuff and a ton of loose and carded figures that I ended up buying off her over about a 2 year period.

 

I don't even want to say because it hurts me to think you sold them for that much, I can't begin to imagine how you would feel if I told you.

 

 

. I see a random one come up for sale every now and again on eBay and they seem to go for $300+. I guess the only good thing is I made some decent money off the stuff. I just sold it all way too early.