12 C VCJ with Harbert Sticker

[Michael Sith]

Bacup market in the 70 s

 

[maxf]

I dont think the story is any stranger than any of the others!

Old lady who owned a toyshop kept buying things but didnt sell them very quickly - just piled them up for years. Sounds rubbish, but true.

Palitoy rep had a garage full of toys which he decided to sell in 2016, not skip in 1995. Sounds fanciful, but true.

Just the other day I heard of someone who moved into a house and found some MOCs in the garage - totally true, but sounds like rubbish.

 

[Richard_H]

The bits that get me are:

how would a kid and a market stall holder know that a VCJ was 'coming out'
how would a market holder know they were rare?

the rest I could understand.

 

[poncho]

wasnt there a guy who bought a joblot of palitoy action force figures from a newagent shop recently-ish,

 

[maxf]

The bits that get me are:

how would a kid and a market stall holder know that a VCJ was 'coming out'
how would a market holder know they were rare?

the rest I could understand.

I know what you mean, but bet it's probably just being misremembered and memories changing over time.

 

[palitoyjunky]

Absolute waffle the market trader knowing this VCJ was rare :!: As Max says could b a case of not quite fully remembering what was said. Maybe the market guy meant SW toys in general sell fast and it was a case of that figure being hard to find at the time regardless of which cape it had.

 

[Grant_C]

He could know that production had stopped on the VC Jawa as this Harbert is a 41 back. The shop owner could have seen years of replaced cloth capes before this turned up. If he is a toy enthusiast, which is possible if he has a shop- he could suggest that it was rare. But rare in those days could mean a different thing than today.

 

[SAVORY100]

But rare in those days could mean a different thing than today.

Its a fair point, an Amidala Ascension Gun was considered a rare toy in the year it was out; sorry for such a random reference, I don't keep up with modern toys to know what the rare item of the day is...

 

[edd_jedi]

A twist to the tale:

 

[Palifan]

An interesting twist to this figure but it does seem unlikely to me that someone would have mounted a different back to a moc VCJ in the hope it would make more money. Kenner carded VCJ's are worth a lot as they are so it would be a massive risk to try separating the back of it cleanly to then remount it with another card back. I could be wrong of course and there is a lot mentioned to suggest something has happened to it at some point but it would be a big gamble in my opinion.

There was another of these that sold (opened I think), so it does seem like they do exist at least. I wonder what will happen now between the seller and Vectis?

Ian

 

[newswseller]

wasnt there a guy who bought a joblot of palitoy action force figures from a newagent shop recently-ish,

ooohhh tell me more....

 

[sparkysx]

if this is a homemade hybrid then I assume Vectis will have to give a full refund!

 

[Snaketibe]

If it is a hybrid, the faker did a fantastic job of lining up the hole punch!

 

[TrisCompany]

I'd be shitting it if I read that fb post having just spend over 20k on a 'dream buy'. Nightmare! If the guy is buying it as an investment they'd struggle to sell it now into the future with that doubt cast over it. I'd want a pretty straight conversation with Vectis! Smells very dodgy to me.

 

[Joe]

I think it's unlikely that it's two cards put together. Not saying it can't be done and the amount of money it sold for at Vectis would certainly have made it worth the effort but that level of accuracy just seems like something out of a movie rather than something a toy collector/normal bloke would do.

Whatever is wrong with it, the AFA rejection has totally killed it's value now.

 

[spoons]

If it is a hybrid, the faker did a fantastic job of lining up the hole punch!

Exactly!

I also think it's unlikely to be a fake. As said above the value of a 12 back is high enough without risking addinng a Harbert sticker back

 

[Palifan]

I wonder what Vectis will do next about all of this. I've no idea how you could price this now with this shadow over it or what it would go for at auction. Probably the best thing to do would be to take it back and re-auction it with a write up of what's happened to it.

You've got to hope though that the seller hasn't spent all the money they made from it or things could get very messy......or do Vectis have to bear the cost?

Ian

 

[SAVORY100]

The FB thread(s) are now in overdrive... having read them and all the comments so far, I'm struggling to see how its a fake despite reading all the different scenarios being suggested.

There's no question that card can delaminate and could come in two separating front from back, but this is very rare (there are examples, such as Nick's Fett) where this has happened due to excessive moisture. Where I struggle is the idea that the two separate 'parent' items both came apart and were then able to be put back together as a new bastard child... The punch and edges are by all accounts seamless, thats a seriously lucky match, or some very clever trimming, that by all accounts has left no scalpel cut marks...

The risk also seems to great to be able to imagine that someone could have forcibly separated the card of two different rare items; even if you suggest that the Italian parent was a cardback only and not a MoC. The return is huge, no question, but a carded VCJ as a donor item is to me at least, a crazy notion.

I see that the two halves are considered to be different coloured card (one may of course have been affected by a repair (glue) at the edges rather than a fake creation I guess.

Either way, I'm not defending the item; I've never seen it first hand, I hope its a repair that has been missed if anything and not a fake, AFA are hardly known for being able to tell real from fake historically, so their opinion is not the be all and end all in the case as it stands. What is really concerning is that there is a possibility that this is a new level of fakery those at the high end of the hobby have to be wary of from now on...

I'm sure Vectis will come good on whatever their duty will be on it and hope that the buyer gets a resolution.

 

[edd_jedi]

What is really concerning is that there is a possibility that this is a new level of fakery those at the high end of the hobby have to be wary of from now on...

Yep this all comes back to my restoration thread a few months back. Gone are the days of ink touch ups and sellotaped bubbles, thanks to the ridiculous prices these things have been driven to by greedy dealers we are now dealing with high end fakes/restorations as the money at stake is significant.

 

[maxf]

Without seeing it in person, it's hard to say - but I'm leaning on it being a repair, rather than an outright fake. Chances of the bubble lining up AND the cardback being a rare harbert stickered variant has to be beyond slim!