POP's missing and nameplates cut on carded figures

[SublevelStudios]

I'm amazed to see the amount of otherwise mint carded figures that have POP's missing or in Palitoys case, the nameplates cut out. Does anyone else think it's odd that these examples exist?

Was it a case of shop staff or sly customers cutting them out for the offers without having to purchase the figures? Or did some children already have the figure and just wanted the special offer figure. Any theories as to why these things exist at all?

 

[Mr-shifter]

Don't know mate. I quite like them though. I have had some cracking deals. I have a 20 back Han where the pop has been removed by a surgeon and an esb boba fett with the corner missing. No way I would have paid market value for it.

Both look fantastic on display.

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah same here I have a 20 back Luke x-wing which is mint apart from neatly removed POP. Probably wouldn't have been able to afford it without this.

 

[ChallengerFox]

Got any pics of what you mean ?

 

[Mr-shifter]

This is a not great pic of the front of my Han moc and the fett. Look at the bottom left hand of the fett.



And this is the back of my Han 20 back

 

[Jediknight3263827]

offer extended until 3/31/80 love it if only we could go back

 

[Fishtalk]

These have always puzzled me also. Whoever was saving these unopened back in the day hoping they would be worth something one day, must of known that removing the POP or nameplate would devalue them.
And that's why in many cases the POP is neatly sliced off without affecting the front of the card, they wanted to cause as little damage as possible. Why not just buy another figure and keep one fully intact?

 

[sith-smith]

in absence of finding a nice complete sealed one, I have a few in my collection.

Obviously prefer a complete one, these are ok as they are sealed.

Very odd though

 

[edd_jedi]

Yep cardbacks with missing POPs etc obviously make sense, I don't see why anybody would do it to a sealed figure though, especially when you can tell they've gone to a lot of trouble to do it carefully! I guess these things were so cheap back then if you wanted the offer it was economical to buy the figure and discard it. It's easy to forget these things were once readily available on every street for next to nothing.

 

[Robstyley]

Love that 20 back card back, so cool 8)

 

[naughtyjedi]

I don't see why anybody would do it to a sealed figure though.

i'm always staggered at that. There must be a reason for it. There must be somebody out there who performed this heinous act..

All i can come up with is:
1. collectors held carded figures captive and tortured them
2. warehouse stock that was never sold, got scavenged by shop staff for the pops
3. people only held value to the figure sealed and didn't care much for the packaging, never thinking such a mass produced item would ever have value
4. cheeky kids removed them in store

 

[SublevelStudios]

I agree with some of those, my theory being some of these were removed by staff or customers back in the day, then taken off sale as they were damaged and put into the dark recesses of storerooms and forgotten about - hence the reason so many seemed to have survived.

 

[Jez]

I've never thought "why" before. Your theory seems most plausible.
I have a MOC with its POP very neatly cut out from the back. It looks great from the front. I'd happily get more.

 

[theslider]

The strangest one of all is my palitoy 45 back Dengar as the name is cut out and the offer is for Dengar himself!

 

[Stormtrooper37]

I was guilty of this as a child.

I cut every name plate out of the figures I had as a kid and stuck them to the back of a shelf in my bedroom and displayed the figures in front. It looked cool

But I can't work why someone would cut the POP or nameplate out of a MOC figure back in the day. :?

 

[SublevelStudios]

The strangest one of all is my palitoy 45 back Dengar as the name is cut out and the offer is for Dengar himself!

 

[jasdev999]

Maybe there is a closet POP and offer collector somewhere with great surgical skills.