rare minifigs and most expensive minifigs

sstoroe

Those are way cool. I wonder how many other people collect these?

sstoroe

lluisgib said:

There are some rare minifigs, which are also a treasure for some people. They are the employee business card Minifigs. There are some LEGO Employees who have their own minifigs, and they look as similar as possible to themselves.

It is crazy because there are some minor variations and people who collect these minifigs (like me) try to have all variations. Actually I have around 18 different employees and counting variations, 25 minifigs.

This is an example of that minifigs:



Don't know if there is a "price" of these minifigs, and they have never been added to the BL database, but collectors of that minifigs are trading them for very special sets or other minifigs

I cataloged all of the pictures that you sent as well as the others that I could find on the web. I think I agree with you that their are probabaly more that 100 of these.

Between yours and the web, I believe that I found 39.

http://www.minifigpriceguide.com/EMPLOYEES.0.html

The price is really arbitrary on these.

Kralaskan

Just started collecting again, dug out some of my older stuff and remembered I had a watos junkyard set. Blue wato was still in there, until recently i had no idea that fig had gone way up.

Pitfall69

Has anyone considered having any of their expensive minifigures graded?

bobabricks

There are some AFA graded minifigs on eBay and they are crazy expensive.

samiam391

Pitfall69 said:

Has anyone considered having any of their expensive minifigures graded?

No.

SumoLego

^ Me neither.

I think people overlook that a grade is only as authentic as the entity doing the grading. I'm sure a few of us here could buy some fancy hologram stickers, come up with a snappy name and start putting 'graded' product out there for oversale on eBay.

I remember a number of years ago watching infomercial hucksters selling "Gem Mint 10 - Rated" baseball cards for well above any reasonable value. I think those go in the pile with Danbury Collection Disney Plates, Precious Moments Figurines and my 1995 Tickle-Me-Elmo.

Pitfall69

Possibly, but graded memorabilia and comic books fetch crazy amounts because people want to know if these items are authentic and what condition they are in. People want to know if Roberto Clemente's signature is authentic and what condition the item that is signed is in. Same with comic books. I cannot tell the difference between a 8.1 and a 9.2. Coins are graded as well. Hey, if you think grading is a joke, then just sign some baseballs yourself and go sell them on ebay ;)

Pitfall69

I think the Lego Minifigure counterfeiters are closing the gap between real and fake. I wouldn't grade all my minifigures, but probably some of the more expensive ones like Cloud City Boba Fett.

samiam391

Pitfall69 said:

Possibly, but graded memorabilia and comic books fetch crazy amounts because people want to know if these items are authentic and what condition they are in. People want to know if Roberto Clemente's signature is authentic and what condition the item that is signed is in. Same with comic books. I cannot tell the difference between a 8.1 and a 9.2. Coins are graded as well. Hey, if you think grading is a joke, then just sign some baseballs yourself and go sell them on ebay ;)

Pitfall and I were talking about this in PM, so I left my forum answer as a simple "no"... but I'll expound upon it now.

There's a big difference between a signature/old baseball memorabilia and LEGO. First off, I would want a signature verified. That's easier to forge. Anyone with a pen could at least give it a shot. It may be slightly off, but I won't really notice. Thus, I want it authenticated by people that look at these signatures for a living. However, for figures, there's still a number of tell tale signs that an item is fake versus the real deal. The gap is closing, but for now, it's open.

A good example is a SDCC 2013 Spiderman I had signed by Stan Lee. I've sold multiple SDCC 2013 Spiderman without the signature on eBay no problem (un-graded/authenticated). However, with this one, I had Stan Lee's signature authenticated by PSA, with a letter and stamp of authenticity. I did this for the reasons I stated above. I had no problem selling it within a week to someone overseas.

i have occasional questions from buyers about whether items are authentic or not. It has picked up quite a bit in recent years, for good reason. This is with items worth $500 and items worth $30. I always say I don't sell customs. The buyers take a chance, buy the item, and I receive positive feedback because the item is (of course) not a custom and they are satisfied.

For now, I do not see any reason to authenticate any of my items. I say it's authentic and I know it's authentic. That's good enough for me, and usually good enough for all my customers. I don't have a single item in my collection graded, even my items worth the big "boohoos" of money. Will that change in a few years? Maybe. But for now, I'm fine with the items I have, in their current state. Don't go all Lord Business on them and cage them up ;o)

sstoroe

As far as the grading goes, Brickenvy has graded some and put them up on eBay.  Here is an example.  It kinda takes the fun out of collecting them since they are all locked up in the plastic container.

http://www.brickenvy.com/Shop/p-10961-Incredible-Hulk-Promo-Minifigure---AFA-9.75.html
and here
http://www.brickenvy.com/Shop/p-10960-Darth-Maul---Shirtless-Promo-Minifigure---AFA-9.75.html

Pitfall69

^Yeah, he's been selling graded Lego for awhile, but Brickenvy doesn't grade the sets.

Drmnez

Graded lego gets on my nerves for some reason.

bobabricks

I dont get why these $30 minifigs are being graded.

Pitfall69

I don't get the Shirtless Darth Maul Graded Minifigure. It says:

"This minifigure is in uncirculated condition, meaning it has never been out of its original packaging, played with or displayed prior to being graded."

Wasn't he in a polybag? That means he has been removed from the original packaging.

jadeirene

^ I think you're missing the "prior to being graded" part.

Pitfall69

No, I am reading it as it says. What is your interpretation of the above statement? It says that is has never been out of it's original packaging prior to grading. He was unassembled in a sealed polybag. They had to remove him and put him together before they resealed him in the protective case.

jadeirene

I don't know if the figures are graded before or after being sealed, but I would interpret the statement as the figure hasn't been removed prior to the grading process.

Pitfall69

The figures are always graded before they put them in the protective case with the grade rating. How can they inspect a minifigure, coin, comic book or any other collectible if it is already sealed? It doesn't make sense.

jadeirene

^ So wouldn't their statement be correct?  They removed the figure from the polybag to be graded.

nicoyagomez

null
Will never "grade" my lego. It's definitely a huge part of what killed the sports card hobby and I hope it never takes off.

CCC

^ I guess it depends when they define the grading process begins. Is it just before they open the pack, or just afterwards. Does the minifig even exist when its in the pack, as it is not assembled. If it cannot be graded until assembled, then the statement is false, unless they build it in the sealed pack.

Either way, he's probably worth less for being opened. Unless being sold to someone that puts value in someone else's opinion and sealed case more than an original lego sealed package.

Pitfall69

@jadeirene No, their statement reads that it has NEVER been out of its original packaging. Its original packaging was a polybag. I know I'm not the brightest person in the forum (let's face it, I'm Pitfall), but I am sure my reading comprehension is good enough.

samiam391

Pitfall69 said:

The figures are always graded before they put them in the protective case with the grade rating. How can they inspect a minifigure, coin, comic book or any other collectible if it is already sealed? It doesn't make sense.

Jadeirene is correct that their statement is correct. Brickenvy ships the sealed polybag to AFA and then AFA opens the polybag and grades it. Thus, "prior to being graded" the item was never opened (and thus played with, etc.) by Brickenvy or any previous owner. 

Bosstone100

My question is: did Stan Lee sign the Spiderman minifig for free?

samiam391

Bosstone100 said:

My question is: did Stan Lee sign the Spiderman minifig for free?

Yes, it was signed at SDCC where Stan had a booth.

bobabricks

I made the mistake of subscribing to this thread. I am literally hearing iPhone's email "ding!" every 1-2 mins right now. :P

Pitfall69

@nicoyagomez , what killed the Sports Card Market was the overproduction of product that flooded the market. The grading system was introduced to separate the "men from the boys" so to speak. There were counterfeiters that were making exact replicas of expensive cards like Mickey Mantle's rookie card and people were using exacto knives to shave corners of real cards like Dan Marino's rookie card.

SumoLego

I would point out that authenticating a signature is completely different.  But again, the authentication is only as good as the entity/person doing the authenticating.

Authenticating the authenticator.  There's a niche market!

piratemania7

I'm just too cheap to spend the money on having someone else decide what "grade" a mini figure should have. I am swayed either way with this and don't really have an opinion one way or the other.

The other thing that I would point out though is what type of education or background do these grading agencies have? What MAKES them who they are? Those would be big questions for me.

Lastly I am no where near the reselling business so I don't even think about it but if I was and had a mini figure I knew I could get X dollars for but could get XX dollars for if I had it graded and was still able to clear a profit then I would.

Pitfall69

@samiam391 , then they should say that specifically and not "open it up" to interpretation. The casual reader doesn't know what the grading process is. I know it is not possible to grade Shirtless Darth Maul while he is in the polybag, but I would assume that once he is released from his polybag purgatory and touched by human hands he is actually worth less than if you left him in the polybag. Also, using the word "uncirculated" makes me scratch my head. Does "uncirculated" mean something different for Lego than it does for coins?

piratemania7

What's the opinion on what the minifigures in the LEGO vault in Billund would grade as?

Pitfall69

That's fine, I don't mean to come off sounding like an ass, I apologize. I am not a huge supporter of graded minifigures and definitely NOT a supporter of graded sets, but if grading your minifigures adds perceived value and assurance, then I am all for it. I wouldn't buy an expensive piece of art without having an expert look at it first. This is also why we have people inspect houses before we buy and sell them.

When I had my house inspected, we used a company that had a good BBB rating. He found that the house was infested with carpenter ants. It was winter, so they were not out and about, but when he turned on the oven and let it run for awhile, they poured out from underneath. Had I bought the house without having it inspected, who knows how much damage I would have to pay for.

Pitfall69

This is why there is a grading system. The difference in price is about $57,000 USD

samiam391

Pitfall69 said:

@samiam391 , then they should say that specifically and not "open it up" to interpretation. The casual reader doesn't know what the grading process is. I know it is not possible to grade Shirtless Darth Maul while he is in the polybag, but I would assume that once he is released from his polybag purgatory and touched by human hands he is actually worth less than if you left him in the polybag. Also, using the word "uncirculated" makes me scratch my head. Does "uncirculated" mean something different for Lego than it does for coins?

I agree uncirculated is sort of a silly word for that context. It's part of Brickenvy's strategy to act "superior" or "high end" compared to other non-graded LEGO. I've talked to the owner before, and believe me that really is their strategy. It's all about talking up their product. They want you to associate their LEGO with an un-circulated coin (which actually is rarer/ goes for more than a circulated coin).

Your example above is another example of them trying to associate their product with other rare items, such as graded comic books. "This comic book went for 57k more than the other one"... they are trying to infer that same ideology with graded LEGO. However, LEGO just isn't there right now, and it probably will never be. If it is, we're looking at several years down the line.

I'm not buying into graded LEGO right now. 

piratemania7

I doubt full on LEGO sets would ever be graded. I know you can use an X-Ray to see the parts and figures are in the bags but to verify with 100% accuracy that every last piece is there WITHOUT actually opening the box seems hard. So my point is when its graded it's hard to say really anything with a guarantee. Now a minifigure you can see that's different...

samiam391

piratemania7 said:

I doubt full on LEGO sets would ever be graded. I know you can use an X-Ray to see the parts and figures are in the bags but to verify with 100% accuracy that every last piece is there WITHOUT actually opening the box seems hard. So my point is when its graded it's hard to say really anything with a guarantee. Now a minifigure you can see that's different...

@piratemania7 - Brickenvy grades LEGO sets and tries to sell them for a premium. 

SumoLego

How would one grade a UCS Millennium Falcon in it's original shipping box from the Lego Store?  Would we need a separate grade for the exterior box, and another for the interior box...

Versus one out of the shipping box that placed in a vault... versus one that may have sat on a shelf in a store (however unlikely)...

And I doubt any of us need a grading system to ascertain the difference between a Spiderman #1 comic that my kids got ahold of and "customized" versus the one that was taken off of the press and put into a sealed container and has never seen the light of day.

I agree with @samiam391 - this just a different version of marketing in the secondary market. 

(Am I the only one enamored with the idea of buying some holograms and doing some arbitrary grading of our own?)

I'm sure we can come up with a separate grading system for in-pack polybag minifigures and out-of-the-pack polybag minifigures.  Ah... the limitless possibilities!

SumoLego

I had my house inspected by a structural engineer who managed to overlook that a portion of my foundation had an unfortunate run-in with a front-loader when they were re-grading soil around the house. 

And sometimes handwriting experts have a fake signature fool them. 

I don't even know what the equivalent would be for a Lego grader...

piratemania7

Sorry @samiam391 what I said in that comment didn't come out right. I know full well that LEGO sets are indeed graded. I meant I don't think its a huge "thing" right now and likely won't be for some time if at all - thus agreeing with your statement directly above mine.

I'll try to make sure my next post concerning such matters is done when my 4 week old is NOT screaming in my ear. :smile:

samiam391

@piratemania7 - Congrats on the new little one!

Pitfall69

@piratemania7 , I already used the screaming child excuse. At least I have proof ;)

jadeirene

@Pitfall69, I wasn't trying to start an argument with you.  Personally I think grading minifigures is ridiculous and I would never buy or deal with graded LEGO minifigures or sets.  I do agree with you that the word "never" was a poor choice of word on BrickEnvy's part, but I do think that it was properly, although not clearly, described. 

Pitfall69

No, I apologize. I'm having a bad day. I definitely do not want you to go Super Angry Kitty on me ;)

CCC

piratemania7 said:

I'm just too cheap to spend the money on having someone else decide what "grade" a mini figure should have. I am swayed either way with this and don't really have an opinion one way or the other.

It's not just the grading, they also tell you how you are allowed to display it. You cannot remove it from their display case, or it is ungraded again.

Pitfall69 said:

I wouldn't buy an expensive piece of art without having an expert look at it first. This is also why we have people inspect houses before we buy and sell them.

There is of course a big difference between art and minifigs. Art is something that is relatively easy to copy and still fool someone that thinks they know quite a lot about art. It is looking at and being able to understand the style of brush strokes, etc. For minifigs, it is more looking at the manufacturing process. Is the parts printed using the right types of inks, and the right colours. Yet I bet even well known lego authenticators could be fooled into thinking some faked parts are real, and some real ones are faked.