Results of my Vecis auction

[Simply Sci-fi]

What a good post, Mr Shifter. Thanks.

My auction was a gamble of course. The unknown quantity I failed to add to my calculations in planning my gamble was the possibility of other collections appearing on the back of my first sale. For that reason alone, one giant sale would have been preferable. The auctioneer is of course motivated by money and no matter how good my items were, it only took another collection to come in to move focus away from it and to begin wild rumours among the collecting community.

Regarding easily drawn accusations of "sour grapes" or "bitterness", I hope that I haven't committed too big a crime in playing devil's advocate to my darker suspicions. They were highlighted by my being shown the upcoming Vectis auction items, which to be honest I wish they had not done. It simply contributed to my suspicions (rightly or wrongly) of other people being shown the same thing, or catching wind of the information by whatever means.

It's not easy seeing your extremely valued items selling for much less than you expected, especially when your loved ones are placing their hopes and dreams on the auction too. It is easy to say the equivalent of "tough titty" sitting on the outside as many people have done. My main complaint remains the confidentiality of upcoming auctions at Vecits and nothing so far has filled me with any degree of confidence. I will be letting them know that they should sharpen their act in my opinion. There should not be a single word either publically or privately about upcoming auctions until the present month's auction is done and dusted.

Craig.

 

[Palifan]

Hi Craig.

I think you have hit the nail on the head here. An auction is a gamble. It is a gamble for both the buyer and the seller though. You won big with the fett, especially if more surface. You may have lost a bit on the 30 backs, although a lot on here will argue the valuations were too high and this alleged palitoy find may or may not have had something to do with it. It is the route you chose to take. How does the saying go, when you dance with the devil, wait for the music to stop.

This highlights to me the fact we are still dealing with a massive unknown quantity. A one known example item can easily become one of 20 or 30 with a discovery. Look at this palitoy find, or the meccano case as an example. Not to mention unknown collections.

One final point. Vectis should respect their customers. They should deal with one auction at a time and should keep confidentiality with these auctions. So, why were they showing you, as previously stated in your post, all of the Star Wars they have coming up in the next few months. They are betraying their upcoming customers confidentiality to you. At the time did this not make you think if they are showing you, who else are they showing, or how they treated your items. How do they know how you will use this information? They are motivated by money, which they now have a packet of thanks to your sales.

This whole thing hopefully serves as a reminder as to what an auctioneer is and where it's role is in our hobby.

It sounds harsh, and I really hope you get to buy your house and achieve your goals with this sale, I really do. It must have been a huge wrench and if you get your house, then you will hopefully look back on this as all worthwhile. You got a lot of money for your collection and did well as you have had and enjoyed these for a long time. Good luck going forward with everything.

I agree with all the above (well put sir), and really do hope that you get to buy the home you're after Craig.

I think we'll all have a better idea of how the market is now for these early released Palitoy MOC's once this box of 48 figures has gone to auction. You may find you did even better than you thought with your first auction in the end and even though some of your figures from your last auction didn't do as well as you'd hoped like the FX-7, you might find that your Boba Fett you sold was a bit of a one off (well that's if any more surface).
I know I've paid quite a lot of money for the odd item in the past that hasn't been available for years and then 2-3 more examples appear shortly after, it's just the way things are. Just remember not to lose sight of what you've made from these auctions and that you've enjoyed them for years and also seen a huge return on what you initially paid for them. I know it was important for you to make the most you possibly could but I do think you ended up doing really well with the end result and as I mentioned earlier this might be reinforced once the next big auction happens.

Best of luck with the future and also getting your superb book out there.

Ian

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

Thanks, Ian.

Another well-put response.

I'll keep fighting to get my book published.

Craig.

 

[Andyclarke]

Whatever practices Vectis do, questionable though they are, I would say they've been pretty successful at it. I genuinely think Craig could not have done any better at auction. To get that sum of money for the Boba Fett is amazing and I'm sure the person who bought the Fett could well have been financially wiped out and unable to bid on more. You have to take the rough with the smooth and look at the overall sum. Besides, if you look at each sale in isolation and with the commission on top I would say they were in fact at the top end of the true values and the IG-88 was I'm sure a record for that figure. Andy K started selling his 30 backs long before Christmas so as Gary has said this would have had a massive effect too. I think there aren't as many big buying Palitoy collectors out there as people think.

 

[spoons]

all this talk of big Palitoy collectors selling up - I still can't find a Han Hoth 30b or 45a (not at 2010 prices in any case) :lol:

 

[sith-smith]

There are definitely a few big spenders in the Palitoy collecting world, but it's only when two want the same piece that prices go crazy. Considering all the Palitoy sales that have happen in the past couple of years, that hasn't happened that often.

That fx7 that sold was the 3rd I've known of to sell since the £8k one on Vectis. I know none of them sold for anywhere near as much. Therefore there was no way that this Fx7 would have reached the same heights.

The IG88 is definitely the most I have seen once go for.

I would never have believed 4 and half years ago, when I bought my last 30 back (which was an IG88) that prices would have gone up this much. I think the prices you got were great Craig and think you sold at the right time.

I don't believe anything else other than desirability had any effect on the prices realised. If someone wanted a piece and had the money to spend on high end items, I doubt rumours on here would have any impact!

As always, items are only worth what people are willing to pay. It was a great collection you had and I know some have gone to some great collectors with great collections.






Including me :wink:

 

[palitoyjunky]

Hello there Craig,

ok now I appreciate you are a little disappointed with ur last last auction result but based on my experience as a collector I believe ur recent auction is a success overall and congrats r in order

I must say that I totally respect U as being one of the original serious collectors of Palitoy SW starting in the early 90s and having the foresight to invest which was then substantial monies in the MOCs :!: You absolutely deserve the fantastic return you got on your collection-once again many congrats

Regarding ur feeling of disappointment I believe this has happened(not at all meaning to b rude) due to perhaps ur lack of current knowledge :!: Now I am assuming you did most of your collecting in the 90s and because u prob had what u wanted didn't continue hunting much more-correct me if I am wrong.
The reason I am saying this is due to reading the Vectis article that was promoting your 2nd auction. You mentioned the original Lando no eyes and teeth etc and the first issue Luke and Leia Bespin cards implying that they were some of the star pieces of the show and a major premium would b achieved because of what they are. The fact is right now that these 3 30 back examples r respected as some of the much easier 30 backs to find-relatively speaking of course as no 30 backs r easy to find today :?
Your estimations on the Luke and Leia of 3-5K were well OTT in the opinion of current knowledgable Palitoy collectors :!: What should have been highlighted was the IG-88, the Bespin Guard and the FX-7 and out of those 3 the IG-88 because unlike the FX-7 one has not been sold publicly for years!

Now just to inform you I am actually the proud winner of your IG-88 paying by far the most I have ever paid for a MOC by over £2000(including Vectis premiums) :!: :!:
As Gary and others have said something is only worth what someone will pay and the reason for my bid was that IG-88 was what I was missing to complete the first 10 figures on 30 back

I think overall good prices were achieved on ur other 30 backs with perhaps the Lando being a little shy. The Luke and Leia did well and the Han Bes did amazingly well!! I never expected the FX-7 to reach the price of last years example! I did think the AT-AT Driver may have done a little better but one must consider Vectis's extortionate charges :!: :!:

Anyway Craig I wish u all the best in buying a new home and am really looking forward to ur book 8) 8)

 

[Joe]

It's easy to get caught up in the hype and £££ at times like this.

Even though I know that when most people sell the only thing they really care about is getting the best return (which is fair enough of course) it's also a little sad that it all boils down to money in the end. At the beginning it was just a hobby and all about passion/fun.

Craig, I don't know you and I've only skimmed through this thread but honestly, if I were in your shoes I would be ecstatic that the toys I had collected for 20+ years had increased as much as they have in value. I also think you should feel very lucky to have raised an amazing £15k by selling just ONE single figure too, you've certainly smashed some records with that one and really they are just toys after all not long lost works of art by famous painters or anything - just mass produced childrens toys.

I hope you can achieve what you want to with the funds you get from selling your collection but again, you should count yourself lucky that your toys could even generate this kind of cash 20 years later..if they hadn't appreciated in value quite as much as they have then you might have only been sitting on a couple of hundred quids worth of old junk after all and no closer to buying a new house after selling them (which you no doubt are now).

 

[sith-smith]

What should have been highlighted was the IG-88, the Bespin Guard and the FX-7 and out of those 3 the IG-88 because unlike the FX-7 one has not been sold publicly for years!

Now just to inform you I am actually the proud winner of your IG-88 paying by far the most I have ever paid for a MOC by over £2000(including Vectis premiums) :!: :!:
As Gary and others have said something is only worth what someone will pay and the reason for my bid was that IG-88 was what I was missing to complete the first 10 figures on 30 back

As it happens (and this may seem a little sad) but according to my notes, the Last IG88 (which was also a 30b) went for public sale in 2006...also on Vectis. I think it sold for around the £600 mark. It's one of the tougher 30 backs to get so no surprise it went as high as it did. There would have been a lot of people needing one. Turns out Jon needed it the most...nice one mate, incredibly happy for you! 8)

I got your 30 back Ben from your previous Vectis auction. As it happens, the last one of those sold publically in 2004! Around £900-1K I think. (It really is sad that I know all this)

2 Fx7's to my knowledge sold privately before your 2nd auction so there was no way that figure, despite being rare, was going to get a mega high price like the previous one that sold for 7k. Same With the White Bespin Guard (there's one on eBay now) and Hoth Stormtrooper. The more these figures sell to those that most want them, the fewer people there are with the money competing over them in auctions.

I do think your figures scored very high results (The Luke Bespin was double what I was expecting) and hope that they do help you in your desire to buy a house. Being a Londoner myself and having also recently bought a house, I know how expensive it can be.

Wishing you all the best with it and I really hope you will remain a regular member of this forum

 

[Palifan]

Now just to inform you I am actually the proud winner of your IG-88 paying by far the most I have ever paid for a MOC by over £2000(including Vectis premiums) :!: :!:
As Gary and others have said something is only worth what someone will pay and the reason for my bid was that IG-88 was what I was missing to complete the first 10 figures on 30 back

Fantastic news that's you've completed your first 10, 30 back run Jon

I know you've been trying to complete this run for a while now and I did wonder ( and hope), that it was you that picked this one up. It's really good to know that someone on this forum has now completed one of their goals and that the right items do get into the right peoples hands.

Let's hope we all hear some more stories like this in the near future with some of these up and coming auctions and finds. Not too sure how interested I'd be in someone owning an action man Judo suit though :lol:

Ian

 

[palitoyjunky]

I don't want to hijack Craig's thread but many thanks Gary and Ian
Yes I am delighted to have got the first 10 but it has not gone exactly to my original plan which was to land them all on 30A cards :!: Given the difficulty of finding these 30 backs, as I was on my journey I decided I would take what ever 30s came my way A or B cards! I have 3 B card examples and they happen to b 3 of the most difficult to find, Bespin Guard, Bossk and indeed IG-88. So there is a strong chance I will have to b content with my A/B mixture which I am
The Bespin Guard I have is not only the only AFA 85 example in existence at the mo but has the best paint job on the figure I have ever seen for an early Palitoy example ie the gold trim on the jacket is superb 8) So I prob wouldn't replace it with an A card unless the A was equal in condition :!:

It does show testament to how hard it is to put a set of 30A MOCs together so we have to really marvel at Gary's achievement

I will post pics at some point.

 

[theslider]

Late to this thread, and I didn't even know you had a second auction coming up Craig, but it seems to me that your first auction gathering so much attention and moreover revenue for Vectis that they've let slip to certain people what they've got coming up, hence to get more bidders on that auction.

 

[Palifan]

I don't want to hijack Craig's thread but many thanks Gary and Ian
Yes I am delighted to have got the first 10 but it has not gone exactly to my original plan which was to land them all on 30A cards :!: Given the difficulty of finding these 30 backs, as I was on my journey I decided I would take what ever 30s came my way A or B cards! I have 3 B card examples and they happen to b 3 of the most difficult to find, Bespin Guard, Bossk and indeed IG-88. So there is a strong chance I will have to b content with my A/B mixture which I am
The Bespin Guard I have is not only the only AFA 85 example in existence at the mo but has the best paint job on the figure I have ever seen for an early Palitoy example ie the gold trim on the jacket is superb 8) So I prob wouldn't replace it with an A card unless the A was equal in condition :!:

It does show testament to how hard it is to put a set of 30A MOCs together so we have to really marvel at Gary's achievement

I will post pics at some point.

Just to complete the 30 back run is a huge achievement in itself so I certainly wouldn't worry about mixing in a few B cards. I'm sure given the chance in the future you may well seek to replace them for A cards if the condition is equal but at least now you can rest easy with the knowledge that you're not hunting down that missing figure

Now all you've got to do is find the rest of the 30 backs and it does feel like at least one of them may well be out of reach but this hobby stops being interesting once you've be successful with all your collecting goals…….it's why people are now moving onto bend-ems :lol:

Looking forward to the picture update.

Ian

 

[sith-smith]

It is definitely an achievement.

To be honest, in all the years I have been collecting, this is only the second time I have known someone to complete the 10 (There are other complete sets out there, but they were done before I did mine)

And having a mix of a & b is no big deal. Will still look awesome and leaves the chance to upgrade should you choose to do so.

Maybe you could have a complete a & b set?

 

[Andyclarke]

It is definitely an achievement.

To be honest, in all the years I have been collecting, this is only the second time I have known someone to complete the 10 (There are other complete sets out there, but they were done before I did mine)

And having a mix of a & b is no big deal. Will still look awesome and leaves the chance to upgrade should you choose to do so.

Maybe you could have a complete a & b set?

What's your mix of A and B? or have you got all 20?

 

[sith-smith]

All 20 as in the 20 different ESB characters?

 

[Andyclarke]

All 20 as in the 20 different ESB characters?

Sorry in terms of 30 back ESB charcacters - 10A's and 20B's, now that would be impressive.

 

[sith-smith]

oh...


http://www.starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6691&p=98626#p98626

 

[Andyclarke]

oh...


http://www.starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6691&p=98626#p98626

Not seen that thread, that's ridiculously impressive, hats off to you my friend.

 

[sith-smith]

Thanks

but ultimately to get the complete run of 10 is an awesome achievement, especially considering the current popularity these have.

So in my mind a mix of a & b is a perfectly good way of achieving it.

So well done Jon. Looking forward to the pictures and even better, seeing the set in person 8)