Yak vs. Anakin

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Ready to be bitch slapped into silence (first time for everything) for asking what is likely to be a dumb question but......

I'm trying to add some sense to the fact the Yak Face is way overpriced, either loose or MOC. To a degree I get the fact he's overpriced loose; there are more loose collectors than MOC collectors and (apparently) not enough Yaks to go around. But carded? I'd guess there are probably the same amount of Yak and Anakin MOCS still in existence (I'd say more Yak MOCs are seen for sale than Anakins, actually), after all, were they both not available in the same markets on Trilogo card? So the facts in this argument, as I see them are:

1) Yak Face is increasingly becoming insanely priced MOC and loose.
2) Anakin remains the very cheapest of the last 17 to acquire both loose and on a Trilogo.
3) Both Yak and Anakin were available on Trilogo cards in Europe and POTF in Canada. Neither in the US.
4) Anakin was a mail-away figure in the US. Yak wasn't.

So there are, without doubt, more Anakins in the world than Yaks given the mail-away offer. That does rather support the fact one is over 10 x the price of the other although I doubt there are 10 x as many Anakins as Yaks.

However, the MOC argument just doesn't hold water. Anakin MOC (Tri-logo) is about £50, Yak (Tri-logo) in comparable condition is now £1000 (like it or not). A recent "discussion" on FB (for the umpteenth time) had one side arguing that a Yak Tri-logo was worth the insane $1,700 being asked because it was the only reasonably priced (ha bloody ha) way of buying him as a MOC given the POTF version is heading towards 5 figures. Well, is it not true that the only way of buying Anakin on a MOC at a reasonable (and let's face it, £50 is reasonable) price is also on Tri-logo, with the POTF version even more expensive that Yak Face?

So what gives? If MOC collectors are so desperate to have one of every figure on a card, then surely the demand for Anakin is as high as the demand for Yak Face on Tri-logo?

 

[itfciain]

Couple of key points

4) Anakin was a mail-away figure in the US. Yak wasn't.

Anakin MOC (Tri-logo) is about £50, Yak (Tri-logo) in comparable condition is now £1000 (like it or not). ?

I think these are the reasons that Yaks are expensive (not rare)

They were never found in the US (apart from bargain bins or from over the border - so the figure itself has a mythical reputation - a lot of US collectors didn't even know the figure existed in the 1990's - but they all knew of Anakin because of the mail away

I would also suggest that there are thousands of Trilogo Anakins out there - it was probably not a very popular figure back in the day - I mean who wants a ghost that basically has about 20 seconds screen time in their action play - I appreciate that there are quite a lot of Yaks out there too - but not in the same number as Anakins

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

Couple of key points

4) Anakin was a mail-away figure in the US. Yak wasn't.

Anakin MOC (Tri-logo) is about £50, Yak (Tri-logo) in comparable condition is now £1000 (like it or not). ?

I think these are the reasons that Yaks are expensive (not rare)

They were never found in the US (apart from bargain bins or from over the border - so the figure itself has a mythical reputation - a lot of US collectors didn't even know the figure existed in the 1990's - but they all knew of Anakin because of the mail away

I would also suggest that there are thousands of Trilogo Anakins out there - it was probably not a very popular figure back in the day - I mean who wants a ghost that basically has about 20 seconds screen time in their action play - I appreciate that there are quite a lot of Yaks out there too - but not in the same number as Anakins

I know what you're saying, but at least Anakin was a character with some decent back story. Hell, he was Darth Vader! Yak Face? Who? Where? When? Back in the day prior to DVDs you would have missed him entirely!

So, the mythical status certainly helps account for a factor of increase, but that factor should apply equally to loose as to carded, no? Although I have no evidence whatsoever to back up my "as many Anakin MOCs as Yak MOCs" statement, is there any evidence to the contrary? I guess that's something I could start doing some digging on and look at past sales, etc.

 

[Bonsai_Tree_Ent]

Yes, as you point out the Anakin mailaway ensured that it's the cheapest and most common of all POTF loose figures (the lack of a weapon also helps keep it cheap).

I don't know POTF case allocations but I'd also suggest that perhaps they weren't even, which might explain why fewer Yak MOCs seem to be about.

 

[Survival kit Chris]

I regard both cards heavily overpriced and I can gladly do without them and I'd rather apply my cash to other moc which to me are more appealing especially with their clear bubbles .

 

[edd_jedi]

Anakin is one of the 'overstock' trilogos that Toy Toni and other dealers got in the 80s, there are literally thousands of them. Granted Yak was also not a rare trilogo as he could often be found in bargain bins and even with Kay Bee price stickers so WAS available in the US, contrary to popular belief. But I think Anakin is definitely more common.

Saying that, I could name a couple of dozen trilogos harder to find than Yak Face that cost under £150 when they do turn up for sale. I genuinely have no idea why some people now think he is worth a grand on a trilogo card - to put it in perspective that's at least double the price of Luke Bespin, Luke Hoth, Tie Pilot, Leia, Amanaman, all of which are far harder to find and equally sought after. Money-wise that puts him in the top four, despite not even being in the top 25 in terms of rarity.

 

[Clarkspie&chips]

In the early 90's Anakin was considered almost as rare as yak and had a similar mythical status (I actually swapped my childhood yak for an anakin and beater uganaught because you never saw him )

This was before ebay so I can only assume roughly the same amount of tri logos were sold of each figure as very few of the mail away anakins would have made it over here by then.

Both of them were certainly peg warmers as my only toyshop score I picked up 3 carded yaks and about the same amount of ree yees and imperial digs.

 

[Captainsolo1978]

Do we know what other over stock last 17 figures Toytoni got his hands on? I think R2 pop up lightsaber was one.

I think someone mentioned he has loads but is bleeding them to keep prices high.

 

[Ian_C]

3) Both Yak and Anakin were available on Trilogo cards in Europe and POTF in Canada. Neither in the US.

Slight error correction here.

Yak was only released on a Canadian POTF card, but he was just as tough to find in Canada as he was in the US, if not more so. I can't recall any evidence that Yak was actually found at retail here in Canada, and the numbers in the US were insanely low.

Anakin was NOT released in Canada at all. Not on a POTF card, not on a trilogo, not even as a mailaway.

The vast majority of POTF Anakin's and Yak's were shipped off to Australia and sold there.



Now, prices? My guess is that while uncommon at most in Europe, he was a holy grail in the US. While many Americans had Anakin thanks to the mailaway, and that helped keep prices down, Yak would be very elusive, and even hard to find from US dealers, so he jumped up quickly with people wanting complete collections.

When it comes to carded, it has been the case on ebay for years that you can find dozens of trilogo Anakin's at any time, but Yak's are usually only a couple at a time, if that. So, Anakin is easy to get, and he's not a high demand character, so his common trilogo card stayed low. Yak, though, harder to find, and held a mystique due to rarely being seen in North America for the first few years after it came out.

When POTF prices took off, it was still easy to get Anakin trilogo, but Yak was tougher, so it started rising too. I think the current levels are simply speculation, that with the POTF going so high, better grab that trilogo one or miss the chance to have one carded at all. The hype is driving the price, while for Anakin, no hype = low prices.

Ian

 

[Mr-shifter]

Why does yak not appear on any cardback whilst the other last 15/17 figures do? Was he the start of the next cancelled wave?

 

[theforceuk]

Yakface is so expensive because a certain member on here, who doesn't post anymore owns half of them himself. He has an amazing Yak army. :shock: :lol:

 

[Michael Sith]

Yakface is so expensive because a certain member on here, who doesn't post anymore owns half of them himself. He has an amazing Yak army. :shock: :lol:

:lol: I was thinking that,

 

[chewbaccadave]

Why does yak not appear on any cardback whilst the other last 15/17 figures do? Was he the start of the next cancelled wave?

Fantastic question which I've never heard before.

 

[spoons]

Why does yak not appear on any cardback whilst the other last 15/17 figures do? Was he the start of the next cancelled wave?

Something very weird happens with the last 17 card backs - tri logo cards don't show any of the last 17 (and say collect all 70 but have random nos up to 79).

It could have been he was the first of a new POTF card back - collect all 93? But he was around as long as the other figures in Europe.

I wouldn't put it past Kenner to have accidentally missed him off the POTF card back and thought they couldn't release him without a pic...

You would have thought there would be more prototypes of new figs if he was the first of a new wave. Han stormie for a start

 

[edd_jedi]

Do we know what other over stock last 17 figures Toytoni got his hands on? I think R2 pop up lightsaber was one.

In terms of POTF trilogos, he definitely has box loads of:

Anakin
A-Wing Pilot
R2-D2 pop-up
Imprerial Dignitary
Warok
Romba

He has sold literally dozens of all of the above over the years. But he has a fairly healthy collection of 'non overstock' MOCs too, as he's sold some other 'rare' trilogos like Fett, Luke Bespin and Yak Face over the years too, but only in very small numbers or one offs, so I don't think he has box loads of those. He definitely doesn't rely solely on his Palitoy hoard, he buys and sells too so not everything he sells is straight from a shipping box (in fact one MOC he has on eBay now has a price sticker on it.)

 

[Pomse2001]

I have bought a lot of childhood collections in Denmark I have never found a Yak Face in a danish childhood collection but I have found a lot of Anakin so here it is also not easy to find. A friend of mine started 10 years before be so he bought danish childhooc collections in the 90s and have found maybe 15 in danish childhood collections, maybe he bought them all :lol:

So what would you guys think a normal price would be for a loose anakin ? I have more than 20 that I will sell :lol:

 

[ScruffyLookingNH]

I have bought a lot of childhood collections in Denmark I have never found a Yak Face in a danish childhood collection but I have found a lot of Anakin so here it is also not easy to find. A friend of mine started 10 years before be so he bought danish childhooc collections in the 90s and have found maybe 15 in danish childhood collections, maybe he bought them all :lol:

So what would you guys think a normal price would be for a loose anakin ? I have more than 20 that I will sell :lol:

Ha! Funny it should say that. I was buying collections in the mid 90s. Without exaggeration I must have come across 3 Yaks for every Anakin. I guess the old codger was less popular than the camel in the UK! As I've said before, the only of the last 17 I had was Yak Face and my brother had one two. Mum reckons she picked them up from a bargain bin in Managrove (little household good store located inside out local Kwik Save).

 

[Pomse2001]

I have bought a lot of childhood collections in Denmark I have never found a Yak Face in a danish childhood collection but I have found a lot of Anakin so here it is also not easy to find. A friend of mine started 10 years before be so he bought danish childhooc collections in the 90s and have found maybe 15 in danish childhood collections, maybe he bought them all :lol:

So what would you guys think a normal price would be for a loose anakin ? I have more than 20 that I will sell :lol:

Ha! Funny it should say that. I was buying collections in the mid 90s. Without exaggeration I must have come across 3 Yaks for every Anakin. I guess the old codger was less popular than the camel in the UK! As I've said before, the only of the last 17 I had was Yak Face and my brother had one two. Mum reckons she picked them up from a bargain bin in Managrove (little household good store located inside out local Kwik Save).

wow that is amazing I think I have found 0 yak and 25 anakin in danish childhood collections :lol:

 

[Joe]

Why does yak not appear on any cardback whilst the other last 15/17 figures do? Was he the start of the next cancelled wave?

Something very weird happens with the last 17 card backs - tri logo cards don't show any of the last 17 (and say collect all 70 but have random nos up to 79).

It could have been he was the first of a new POTF card back - collect all 93? But he was around as long as the other figures in Europe.

I wouldn't put it past Kenner to have accidentally missed him off the POTF card back and thought they couldn't release him without a pic...

You would have thought there would be more prototypes of new figs if he was the first of a new wave. Han stormie for a start

The Trilogo backs were purposely edited to exclude certain figures when they were produced, I wrote a little about it here: http://trilogo.info/features/collect-all-70/ The fact that the back was never updated to include the POTF figures is unfortunate (seeing as though they bothered to add a barcode to the front for the POTF figures..) but what can you do? I guess it wasn't a priority by that point lol.


For those that didn't know (or for those that have forgotten..Andy ) Yak Face was actually going to be included on an updated US POTF card, the "93" back, seen here: http://theswca.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=48077 (He is bottom left, #1)

The cool thing about the 93 back (apart from it including Yak) was that the offer on the bottom would have been the mail away coin album: http://theswca.com/images-packa/93back-design.html As you guys know though, that never happened so the albums that are out there are prototypes and unreleased.

 

[Clarkspie&chips]

Pete naughtyjedi did a nice presentation today on the 'rarety' of yak and it was clear to see he isn't.

Pete, how do the loose sales of anakin compare to yak?