OT: Action Figure/Toy Price Guides

[TomG]

Since there was a recent conversation regarding AFA and Action Figure grading does anyone have any input regarding Action Figure price guides either online or in print. I know Wizard used to produce one as did a number of other companies. Are any still in existence and are any seen as the "bible" of that hobby?

 

Thanks!

[comicwiz]

Tom, the short answer to this question is there is no go-to toy guide comparable to the coverage of Overstreet on mainstream comics. I have been very active in the action figure and toy hobby for several years now. I had also approached George Panatela of GPA with the suggestion of developing something online.

 

The problem as I saw it was developing a schema for such a wide variety and range of toys. The best that could come together from adopting a barebones framework would be similar to the way the late Jerry Weist covered underground comix in his Comic Art Guide.

 

Decent, but not comprehensive in breadth, especially when compared to the breadth and early pioneering research of the late Jay Kennedy. Anything comprehensive would be extremely involved and I did have some ideas on how to approach it, one being developing a framework on the model of strictly tracking the sales of certified examples.

 

Things got busy and I never developed the idea further. The idea of producing a price guide is of great interest to me so if you're question pertains to developing something, I'd love to be involved. If it's just to inquire about values on specific items, drop me a PM as I do keep a database of past sales records. Most people are simply monitoring past sales data from online auctions and online marketplaces, and the idea of centralizing this info would be of interest as I constantly see "price help" threads appearing in numerous online forums I frequent.

[Amazing Spidey]

I would love to see a definitive price guide for toys as well. Why this hasn't come together yet always surprises me. There are more and more reputable toy dealers, collectors as well as historians out there as well. It would be great to pull a small group together for price data and market reports and have each addition grow year to year like the overstreet guide did since 1970. I too would love to be part of this. I think the suggestion by comic wiz to start with graded price data would be a great framework to get things started--then go from there.

 

[Jeffro.]

I believe this one is still being published. I used it a lot when I was collecting action figures about 15-20 years ago.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Since there was a recent conversation regarding AFA and Action Figure grading does anyone have any input regarding Action Figure price guides either online or in print. I know Wizard used to produce one as did a number of other companies. Are any still in existence and are any seen as the "bible" of that hobby?

 

Thanks!

Your best bet is EBay completed search.

Right now the Star Wars 12 backs have taken big jumps in price since the Disney announcement.

[comicwiz]

I would love to see a definitive price guide for toys as well. Why this hasn't come together yet always surprises me

 

There are a number of reasons. But I'll just stick to just the data aspect. Below is a screenshot of AFA's (toygrader.com) population report advanced search (similar to CGC's census). When you're doing a search on the CGC census, you simply type in the title and enter the issue number. Most of the time, the results are organized in a manner that allows you to quickly identify the inquired issue.

 

On AFA's population report, you need to select from 6 datasets/categories, of which there are sometimes 40 or more values to choose from. Refining your search helps you drill-down to the specific item, but because of all these layers of data, it makes it difficult to automate the pairing of results from an auction when all it says is 12 Back Darth Vader AFA. No mention of company (Kenner), year (1978) or AFA serial number.

 

There would need to be an inordinate amount of human review and manual massaging of data to make sure the information is precise and relevant to the inquiry:

 

 

[The Kaptain]

I believe this one is still being published. I used it a lot when I was collecting action figures about 15-20 years ago.

 

It is unclear if Lee's Toy Review is still in publication.

 

See the website: Lee's Toy Review

[ComicConnoisseur]

I believe this one is still being published. I used it a lot when I was collecting action figures about 15-20 years ago.

 

It is unclear if Lee's Toy Review is still in publication.

 

See the website: Lee's Toy Review

What I remember hearing was the owner of the website had major back surgery. He had planned to comeback, but those plans have been derailed.

 

If anybody can update. Please chime in.

[mintcollector]

Tom, the short answer to this question is there is no go-to toy guide comparable to the coverage of Overstreet on mainstream comics. I have been very active in the action figure and toy hobby for several years now. I had also approached George Panatela of GPA with the suggestion of developing something online.

 

The problem as I saw it was developing a schema for such a wide variety and range of toys. The best that could come together from adopting a barebones framework would be similar to the way the late Jerry Weist covered underground comix in his Comic Art Guide.

 

Decent, but not comprehensive in breadth, especially when compared to the breadth and early pioneering research of the late Jay Kennedy. Anything comprehensive would be extremely involved and I did have some ideas on how to approach it, one being developing a framework on the model of strictly tracking the sales of certified examples.

 

Things got busy and I never developed the idea further. The idea of producing a price guide is of great interest to me so if you're question pertains to developing something, I'd love to be involved. If it's just to inquire about values on specific items, drop me a PM as I do keep a database of past sales records. Most people are simply monitoring past sales data from online auctions and online marketplaces, and the idea of centralizing this info would be of interest as I constantly see "price help" threads appearing in numerous online forums I frequent.

 

Hello,

 

I would venture to say that this would be massive undertaking. I do like certain guides that have ben published, but none (unfortunately) cater to the specific AFA market that I adhere to.

 

Toys & Prices by Mark Bellomo is a massive guide well worth the admission price. The author is very knowledgeable in his chosen fields, but one complaint I have about the book is how to find listings for certain toys.

 

I am generally 'bearish' when it comes to most vintage toy lines (aside from vintage Star Wars), but I see mass enthusiasm building for the original carded TMNT line. I would love to see more guides published on this and the Jurassic Park toy line of the 90's.

 

Kind Regards,

 

mint