Most people think that collecting is just about spending money and puting stuff on shelves. Obviously we know different.
Today I am going to talk about a recent purchase I made, I was pretty excited by it and I am going to use it as a lesson. Let’s call this our introduction to Collecting 101.
So what did I get? Well how about this for starters?
As you can see it is Draco from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. This is a 12″ figure made by Mego and was released thirty years ago in 1979, has it really been that long?
I love these figures, they are just like full size G.I. Joes, fully poseable and have clothing made of fabric. The set is made up of seven of the characters from the TV series: Buck Rogers, Twiki, Dr. Huer, Killer Kane, Draco, Tiger Man and the Draconian Guard. Surprisingly Mego never made a Wilma Deering figure (at least in the 12″ line) or Hawk… what a total bummer.
Buck was the first of these figures that I was able to get my paws on… and if I had to guess that would have been about a dozen years ago. Believe it or not my set is still not complete. What gives?
Well class today I am going to introduce you to the #1 rule of how to collect like a pro…
Patience.
Simple as that. Sure, with resources like eBay at our fingertips it is possible to get hold of even the rarest of items with a level of ease that never existed even ten years ago. Rare now means something you will only see a few times a year versus the old definition which was something that you will probably never see. As a result, given the funds, you can amass a huge collection of items in a very short period of time. The key here though is the given the funds bit.
As a serious collector it is important to set yourself a budget. How much are you willing to spend altogether? How much a week or a month? How much are you willing to spend on a particular item? Answering these questions, and then most importantly sticking to what you decide will allow you stay in the hobby for the long run and not burn out or worse… end up broke.
So back to my Buck Rogers figures, they are notorious for being subject to wild fluctuations in price and condition. You can get them loose but with just as much ease you can get them in the box. Not only are they fairly easy to get in the package unlike many other toys of a similar vintage the premium for the box is quite reasonable. For example a carded Star Wars figure from the same period might be 5-10 times the price of a loose example. These Mego dolls can be found packaged for maybe double the loose price, a bargain.
I decided that I was willing to pay the little extra for boxed ones. Next came a little of the all important research. Most of the figures from this line could be found for an average of $50-70 a piece. So after asking myself the how much am I willing to pay question I came up with a number that was much lower. Failure right? Hell no… now it is time to engage my pro-level collector skills. Basically look around in as many places as you can and of course… be patient. This strategy is not a 100% sure thing I mean it does have to have a dose of reality thrown in there at the begining. If I had set myself a budget of $5 a piece is it possible that I could have found them for that? Sure. Was it likely to ever happen? More than likely not. Based on my research though I believed that $25-30 each was doable… not easy but possible. Sure Killer Kane and Draco can be had, even in the box, on occasions for as low as $15. Even Buck can be found relatively easily for $25 you just have to make sure that his head isn’t to faded (or grayed as it is usually referred to). The other four members of the set are a much more difficult prospect with Tiger Man and the Draconian Guard seeming an almost impossibility, typically costing $70-100 each.
Patience.
Here is the Dr. Huer I just got. As you can see he is not the coolest looking toy you ever saw but hey I loved that show as a kid (and if truth be known even as an adult… even the laughable disco scene - see below). Not so cool but could easily set you back $50-60. Hmmm, not within my budget yet here he is.
My recent haul was rounded out with this little gem.
The awesome Draconian Guard.
You may remember a while back in June I wrote about this guy (click here to see what I said). Anyway that one sold for an unbelieveable $230, a stratospheric price even for this guy but someone did pay it. My entire budget for all seven figures, even at a high of $30 each was $210! Yikes.
So with six of the seven crossed off my list how am I doing so far? Check this out:
I got Buck first, like I said twelve years ago for $20. Killer Kane was next for the pricely sum of $15. Tiger Man was a major coup for the almost unbelieveable price of $17.50. Yes he is the one that loose goes for an easy $50 all day long and my one is in a box. So far I am in for a total of $52.50 or just $17.50 each… that is even less than the budget I allowed myself. You should always try to be in that position because inevitably you are going to have to go higher on some pieces. Tiger Man was an amazing deal, but lightning was not likely to strike in the same spot twice.
The last three I got, which you see above, came from one seller so I was able to save on the shipping ($12 total). That saved me a few bucks but how much were the figures I hear you ask.
Draco was $14.38! Dr. Huer another $36 and the Draconian Guard a paltry $36.25! Lightning confounds the odds and indeed does strike in the same place twice.
My running tally is an impressive $151.13 or just $25 each… right on budget. I now have almost $60 to throw at a Twiki so as to stay within my targeted goal. I tell you now that is just not going to happen. With time I am certain I can find one for $25-30 just like all the others… once again the key being patience.
At the end of the day I will spend about $180 on my set compared to the $400-450 it would cost if you weren’t willing to show some restraint. That is way more than double the price. Hopefully you will see that being willing to pull back on the reigns a bit can save you some significant dollars, and who today couldn’t use as many of them as they can get their hands on?
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Excellent tutorial Dave. I wish that I had your patience. I would also add be diligent when collecting. For my Bobby Orr collection, I check in with my main dealers every few weeks to see if they got in anything new. I also check the new listings on Ebay every night. A few times I have been able to find Orr items just listed as a Buy it Now for reasonable prices.
Yup, patience is the way to go. That’s how I’ve been collecting comics lately and I’ve been doing very well. Of course it helps that the comics I’ve been looking for, for the most part, aren’t major titles, but I’ve been coming in at or under budget so it’s all a win.
I loved those Buck Rogers figures. I only owned the Twiki figure (with Dr. Theopolis around his neck!) when it came out and I wonder what I paid for it then. I might’ve bought the Wilma Deering or Princess Ardala ones if they sold them. After all, Erin Gray & Pamela Hensley were the two main reasons I watched the show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IleYqqW-xms
Patience is indeed a virtue for any collector. I’ve paid more than I should have for items just because they’re so rare I was worried I’d never get another chance to own it. I once almost paid $20 (including S&H) for a Burger King Captain America toy. I thought it was too much and decided to wait until one came up for a lower price. That one sold for $30 at the end of the auction. Within one week 20 of them popped up on eBay for less than $5 each (including S&H). I was able to get one for just $3 (including S&H). Then a week after that my friend Rich gave me one for free! Oops, I should have been more patient.
The disco scene you posted is priceless. I have been to many shows in my life, but none of them were that good. Not even close.