Collecting OO7 - the Good & the Bad
Dr Shatterhand
Posts: 31MI6 Agent
I have recently updated my MEMORABONDIA - Toys For Boys section (www.shatterhand007.com) and have some good news and some bad news.
First the bad news - In the last three years the value for a majority of Bond collectibles has dropped significantly. Some items which use to be in the hundreds are now in the tens. Many collectors are probably wondering if they have paid too much for their collectible.
I usually watch the prices on Ebay as a good barometer for how some items are sold. Sometimes you can find a good bargain while other times you can see the fraud that has plagued Ebay and perhaps caused these collectibles to tumble in price.
Now the good news. New collectors can find bargains on Ebay or other outlets. Of course one should do their homework before buying anything on Ebay. Check who the seller is and make sure the item for sale is not being offered elsewhere for many dollars or pounds less.
Happy bidding,
First the bad news - In the last three years the value for a majority of Bond collectibles has dropped significantly. Some items which use to be in the hundreds are now in the tens. Many collectors are probably wondering if they have paid too much for their collectible.
I usually watch the prices on Ebay as a good barometer for how some items are sold. Sometimes you can find a good bargain while other times you can see the fraud that has plagued Ebay and perhaps caused these collectibles to tumble in price.
Now the good news. New collectors can find bargains on Ebay or other outlets. Of course one should do their homework before buying anything on Ebay. Check who the seller is and make sure the item for sale is not being offered elsewhere for many dollars or pounds less.
Happy bidding,
Comments
I think you're generally right on about prices having taken a tumble. However, I believe it's more to do with the economy that anything else; there's still alot of unemployed collectors in the U.S., for example. Also, I've seen a shift in collecting; owing to the dreadful exchange rate, I've noticed most of my buyers have been in the UK as even overnight international postage is costing them so little.
Bond memorabilia has it's peculiarities. For example, as collectors age, I think they (we?) become more responsible, buying less on impulse. So, those of us who grew up on Connery, for instance, drop out of the game. And the younger collectors who take our place put greater emphasis on the films of Moore, then Dalton, then Brosnan, etc.
Still, while certain pieces might not sell as they did a decade ago, the classic items--like the MTM attache case, the Gilbert Aston Martin, or genuine props and costumes--still hold their value.
One thing I've defnitely learned is that if I can demonstrate a little patience, I'm going to save money (and keep the market realistic). A good many collectibles are hot only because they're associated with the current film. For example, I saw the Vanquish pedal cars hit US$ 1,200.00 right after DAD; today you'd be lucky to get even a single bid at a third of that.
One of the difficulties now, of course, is that unlike when a good many of us started, there are folks whose life and livelyhood depends on selling this stuff. I remember when certain dealers were happy to sell an item or two from their attic and make just a few dollars. Today, those same people have got volumes and margins to worry after if they're going to eat that night.
Bond is still a sound investment if you can buy a piece at retail and hold onto it for 10-15 years or buy a collector piece without over-paying.
Whereas before you had to go to a number of specialist dealers to get Bond stuff, now you can basically buy direct from people taking things out of their basements and attics - eliminating 1 or 2 middlemen.
I agree with Alan - patience pays off.
I also try to ignore the so called "collector" and "limited edition" stuff that is cranked out year after year. Forced or artifical scarcity (like chase cards in trading card sets) does not interest me.
I would generally agree that eBay has impacted certain areas, but I don't know that it has suppressed prices overall, long-term.
For example, eBay has emphatically lowered board games. This was--and remains--a popular collectible but prices are nowhere near what they once were and I'd say that is directly attributable to eBay making games much more readily available, revealing, as it were, which are actually plentiful in good condition, etc.
On the other hand, truly rare items, like the S.D.Studios Golden Gun or the afore-mentioned MTM Attache Case (MIB ... loose they're pretty common), continue to escalate.
Again, if we're looking at eBay as some kind of barometer, then I'm going to blame the economy as, from what I've observed, prices have dropped precipitously on less exclusive pieces, much less so on the really desirable, honestly rare stuff.
BTW, though I track eBay as much if not more than many collectors, I recognize that by it's nature, it's not a very realistic price guage. Check Vectis sometime; even modo HTF stuff is affordable there, though it's exclusively the domain of die-cast car enthusiasts.
Vectis does seem be a relativly good source of Bond related items....heres a link to one of there lots that featured in a 2006 Bond auction, a very nice set of Bond related diecast that I would REALLY love to own and went for whatI think is a VERY reasonable price.
http://www.vectis.co.uk/auctiondet.php?auction_id=226&item_id=298783&retPage=190106
Those Bobsleds from OHMSS alone are probably worth the money that was paid for the whole lot, and then you have those other rare OHMSS related cars amongst the lot as well.
I know I don't usually use AJB for my own personal advertising, but with mortgage repayments, and my wife no longer working to raise our gorgeous baby daugther Annaliese (she's so cute!), I am now forced to sell some of my James Bond items (press kits, merchandise and movie props) on ebay.com.au
I have listed the items for 7 days as of 1 June 2008, and my username is mannb51 so if you wish, please feel free to browse through my items listings.
All the best,
asio
Independent, one-shot comic books from the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia.
twitter.com/DrawnOutDad
DG
"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Richard Grenier after George Orwell, Washington Times 1993.
Although, since I listed the items on ebay, I received a promotion at work. So as it turns out I really didn't need to sell off my items. Oh well, to those of you that won the auctions, enjoy your items.
Funny how life works...
Independent, one-shot comic books from the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia.
twitter.com/DrawnOutDad
It's 8" long and over 3" high, and I'm willing to post Worldwide.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=200260082652
I also have a DAD poster, and some Doctor Who toys for auction.
Kind regards,
asio
Independent, one-shot comic books from the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia.
twitter.com/DrawnOutDad