Star Wars collecting on BBC2 tonight 02/04/14

[pizzathehutt]

paploo!

 

[shawn_k]

Just saw the whole thing. The end result turned out really nice and really shows what can be done when a collector takes the time to display just as much as collecting. I was a bit disappointed that during the history lesson on the toys that there wasn't a mention of Palitoy's involvement.

 

[Palifan]

Virtually all modern but by the end I was starting to like the collection 8) That room looked amazing!

Thought the valuation for the Lego clone trooper was a bit OTT. At the end of the day even though only five were made it's still modern. Are there any collectors out there who would spend a grand on a Lego clone trooper?

I enjoyed watching it as no matter if it was modern or vintage it was still Star Wars goodies. Streamlining the collection was definitely the way to go as for me those Darth Tater type items seem too much like a novelty item (each to their own though and all that). It did all look really good on display in it's purpose built room and is something that I often think about with having things just stored in boxes, what's the point if you can't see it? As I've only ever had a small display case I have to rotate things to give them an airing which at least means I get to rotate my collection and also I don't just stick to Star Wars as there are so many other vintage toy lines out there that I love.

One thing I have noticed recently is the price of lego on the rise for sets that have been discontinued. I saw a top 10 list recently (a friend showed me but I annoyingly can't find it at the moment), and some of the price increases were crazy for unopened boxes going back only 3 or 4 years. Maybe the valuation for that Clone Trooper wouldn't be that far off for a big lego collector.

These home made lego masterpieces are pretty impressive!

http://brickgalaxy.com/best-lego-star-wars-models/

Ian

 

[x-pack]

Virtually all modern but by the end I was starting to like the collection 8) That room looked amazing!

Thought the valuation for the Lego clone trooper was a bit OTT. At the end of the day even though only five were made it's still modern. Are there any collectors out there who would spend a grand on a Lego clone trooper?

I enjoyed watching it as no matter if it was modern or vintage it was still Star Wars goodies. Streamlining the collection was definitely the way to go as for me those Darth Tater type items seem too much like a novelty item (each to their own though and all that). It did all look really good on display in it's purpose built room and is something that I often think about with having things just stored in boxes, what's the point if you can't see it? As I've only ever had a small display case I have to rotate things to give them an airing which at least means I get to rotate my collection and also I don't just stick to Star Wars as there are so many other vintage toy lines out there that I love.

One thing I have noticed recently is the price of lego on the rise for sets that have been discontinued. I saw a top 10 list recently (a friend showed me but I annoyingly can't find it at the moment), and some of the price increases were crazy for unopened boxes going back only 3 or 4 years. Maybe the valuation for that Clone Trooper wouldn't be that far off for a big lego collector.

These home made lego masterpieces are pretty impressive!

http://brickgalaxy.com/best-lego-star-wars-models/

Ian

When I saw the Falcon Lego set and a few other things I thought he must have spent a fortune. Don't those things go for around £100 new! :shock:

He had the Death Star set and i used to see them going for silly money on Ebay. Either way, I think he wasn't up for telling his wife the full cost. But then, who does :lol:

 

[Bootyhunter]

Just finished watching it on the iplayer.

A real shame that his obsession has had such a negative effect on the family.

The big question is will he go through with selling all that stuff?
And how long before the attic floor is covered in boxes again

 

[David Tree]

35,000 pieces. I know lots of it May not be worth much but even if you said each piece was worth 1.50 each that's over 45k

I also did the 35k x £1.50 maths :lol:

However, I think if he really added up them up he'd have paid a lot more than the quoted £20k-£25k. For the maths to work he'd have had to be buying stuff for about 75p each and he had cartons of figures, big lego sets, lightsabers etc. I'm not sure we're you get those for 75p :wink: I mean, you can't even get a single lego mini figure for that.

Heh, I was one of the valuers.

What you must remember there is a big difference between what something is worth and what something can be sold for.

With no inventory list and knowing that the majority of it are action figures from 1995 onwards we were being asked what we would pay. I said at even at £50k, no specialist would ever pay this price for a collection, it's just too much, even with the 'popularity' of Star Wars, most modern collections are a 'going concern' and they have majority of the items already. It is not often someone walks in and wants to collect modern items from scratch. I said as time progresses there will be a lot of modern collections coming on to the market and the supply will far exceed the demand. It's a timebomb.

I reasoned that an auction house would possibly give the best return, in lots, but would be a clean cut process, clearing space in one day and give certain items a chance to spotlight and possibly sell for above market prices.

Seeing James's face I think he was a little disappointed at the valuation, but it is very reflective, should it have to be sold.

With respect to what he has spent, there are a couple of factors to take into account, review samples etc, but when a collector of ANYTHING is put on the spot and asked how much they have spent, it is ALWAYS under ... especially if their partner is stood next to them

Dave

 

[walkie]

Did anyone spot that they always showed the vintage R2 back to front?

 

[David Tree]

I was a bit disappointed that during the history lesson on the toys that there wasn't a mention of Palitoy's involvement.

The offer was there

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

I'd like to ask James if his house really was that cluttered originally. The kid's bedrooms? Did the BBC over egg the situation for the cameras? Also 35000 pieces seems a lot to me, especially as it seemed that the majority was fairly modern. Perhaps James could write up an inventory for the historical record. The fact that James is one of the U.K's premiere Star Wars fans was not mentioned in the programme, so he was far from the average suburban Star Wars saddoe he appeared to be. Is the old lady with the dolls actually an internationally renowned collector with toy industry contacts and a top rated website?

A friend of mine has a genuine need of the help of a programme like this. He can't even sleep in his bed. The entire house is piled floor to ceiling with boxed Star Wars and other sci-fi from the sixties to the present day. He just keeps grimly buying things and attempts to find a place to put it. Perhaps next time Jedi News gets a call from the media, they will throw it out to the rest of us.

As usual the "hoarder" was shown to be in need of help and is encouraged de-clutter their house. What about finding a way to keep the lot? Did James really sell anything? "This is amassing, not collecting" says Mark Hill. Who is that twat to judge anybody? He should come and see what I've got. My friend Nick is well beyond "Oh my days."

The eventual display room was spartan to say the least, with only a few hundred items on show and not a great deal of storage space. A great example of storing and displaying a collection can be found here; https://www.flickr.com/photos/eyespive/sets/72157626206574177/

I too thought it was a shame that Palitoy wasn't mentioned and that all of the loose vintage was in really poor condition. But as you say Dave, you offered and the producers wanted to do it their own way. The makers of "I Love 1977" had the option of using my collection but opted to show a load of junk instead.

I agree that retired Lego sets go for crazy sums. If I had the time, I'd make some money on the side buying sets speculatively in order to sell later. I'm sure that there are plenty of Lego fans with unopened Star Wars sets stacked in the wardrobe!

Craig.

 

[David Tree]

I'd like to ask James if his house really was that cluttered originally. The kid's bedrooms? Did the BBC over egg the situation for the cameras?

Genuinely ... it was pretty accurate

I cannot comment on the selling, what went where or otherwise, but I can say James honestly isn't alone, I know several collectors who have collections on a frightening level, to the point most of it exists in boxes/ crates etc. As someone who spends their life in this, it is far more common than most realize, but the norm is to demonize in the media and to be fair to the programme makers, they could have easily spun this the other way, rather than the mostly positive portrayal they gave.

 

[Palifan]

When I saw the Falcon Lego set and a few other things I thought he must have spent a fortune. Don't those things go for around £100 new! :shock:

He had the Death Star set and i used to see them going for silly money on Ebay. Either way, I think he wasn't up for telling his wife the full cost. But then, who does :lol:[/quote]


I'm not sure if it was the ultimate falcon but if it was those came on the market at $500 and now go for over $3000.

 

[Stormtrooper37]

Virtually all modern but by the end I was starting to like the collection 8) That room looked amazing!

Thought the valuation for the Lego clone trooper was a bit OTT. At the end of the day even though only five were made it's still modern. Are there any collectors out there who would spend a grand on a Lego clone trooper?

I enjoyed watching it as no matter if it was modern or vintage it was still Star Wars goodies. Streamlining the collection was definitely the way to go as for me those Darth Tater type items seem too much like a novelty item (each to their own though and all that). It did all look really good on display in it's purpose built room and is something that I often think about with having things just stored in boxes, what's the point if you can't see it? As I've only ever had a small display case I have to rotate things to give them an airing which at least means I get to rotate my collection and also I don't just stick to Star Wars as there are so many other vintage toy lines out there that I love.

One thing I have noticed recently is the price of lego on the rise for sets that have been discontinued. I saw a top 10 list recently (a friend showed me but I annoyingly can't find it at the moment), and some of the price increases were crazy for unopened boxes going back only 3 or 4 years. Maybe the valuation for that Clone Trooper wouldn't be that far off for a big lego collector.

These home made lego masterpieces are pretty impressive!

http://brickgalaxy.com/best-lego-star-wars-models/

Ian

When I saw the Falcon Lego set and a few other things I thought he must have spent a fortune. Don't those things go for around £100 new! :shock:

He had the Death Star set and i used to see them going for silly money on Ebay. Either way, I think he wasn't up for telling his wife the full cost. But then, who does :lol:

You can still buy the Death Star set 10188 directly from Lego @ £274.99, it should be cheaper for 2nd hand ones on ebay

 

[Palifan]

I thought there was another Death Star that was released before this one (I maybe confused with the newer edition)?

If I was going to go for a Death Star I think it would be this one if they released it -

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=18771&st=75

Also check out his website -

http://www.baronsat.net

Here's the Star Wars page -

http://www.baronsat.net/Pages6/P6.html

Looks like the Falcon will still set you back though, good short term investment -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=falcon+ultimate&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

Ian

 

[poncho]

starwars lego costs a fortune. he had boxes of it.....you know with all that money he spend on lego he could of got a **** load of vintage too replace those memorys of his parents throwing his childhood collection back in the day...he spent way more then he told his missus

anyone see the custom c3po on a palitoy card when the presenter was talking about starwars toys of the 70's....bloody recards everywhere lol

 

[SublevelStudios]

I'd like to ask James if his house really was that cluttered originally. The kid's bedrooms? Did the BBC over egg the situation for the cameras?

Genuinely ... it was pretty accurate

I cannot comment on the selling, what went where or otherwise, but I can say James honestly isn't alone, I know several collectors who have collections on a frightening level, to the point most of it exists in boxes/ crates etc. As someone who spends their life in this, it is far more common than most realize, but the norm is to demonize in the media and to be fair to the programme makers, they could have easily spun this the other way, rather than the mostly positive portrayal they gave.

Totally agree, they could have ripped James apart and made him look a fool if they chose to (and that goes for any of the collectors in the series), with editing etc... but what this series does is actually inform and educate, instead of ridicule, which would probably make for more entertaining tv for the majority. It also helps the collector highlight their concerns or issues and helps to overcome them.

Pretty decent tv for a change.

 

[TC-14]

Did anyone spot that they always showed the vintage R2 back to front?

I noticed that, too. Very odd. There can't be many people in the world who don't know which is the back, and which is the front on an R2 unit. Obviously the assistant to the cameraman is of this small group who are totally oblivious to astromech etiquette.

Totally agree, they could have ripped James apart and made him look a fool if they chose to (and that goes for any of the collectors in the series), with editing etc... but what this series does is actually inform and educate, instead of ridicule, which would probably make for more entertaining tv for the majority. It also helps the collector highlight their concerns or issues and helps to overcome them.

Pretty decent tv for a change.

Hear, hear- I'll second that. I briefly met Mr Burns at the 30th anniversary screening of ROTJ. Thoroughly nice chap, and this episode made for very entertaining viewing.

 

[mr_palitoy]

Quite enjoyed that. James should obviously sell all his modern and buy the first 12 palitoy MOC, a palitoy vcj and a palitoy 30a fx-7. He could then display his entire collection on one shelf.



Jason

 

[Bootyhunter]

I bet the first thing he did was rearrange all those mocs on the wall

 

[Grant_C]

The eventual display room was spartan to say the least, with only a few hundred items on show and not a great deal of storage space. A great example of storing and displaying a collection can be found here; https://www.flickr.com/photos/eyespive/sets/72157626206574177/



Craig.

Is this yours mate?

Its fantastic- been after those ESB chew bars for decades.

 

[Grant_C]

Double post again. :evil: