LEGO Store Display Figures Worth Their Weight in Gold?

ChakorChanning

Hey everyone, I am new to the Brickset forum and couldn't think of a better place to post this question/discussion.

I recently discovered that LEGO has apparently made large 19" store display figures that I assume are only used in countries such as Germany and Denmark since I have never seen any of these figures on display in US stores.  There is currently a seller on eBay with an entire collection of these display figures for sale, although there is only one figure in particular that I have my eyes on and would love to have in my collection.  I looked up as much as I could about the prices that these display figures generally go for, and I eventually found this website called MinifigPriceGuide.com.  The site suggested that the selling price for the figure that I have my eyes on would be $941.45.

Although it's obvious that these display figures sell for gold bricks, would that price actually be the general selling price, or would I be getting ripped off?

Thanks for looking,
Chakor Channing

CCC

They cost whatever a seller and buyer agree on, as is the case for most rare items. If the buyer is happy with the price then they are not ripped off, if they are not happy then they shouldn't buy.

akunthita

I think I know the listing you are referring to. It has been up for many months. It is definitely a nice collection, but the price the person is asking for is ridiculous. Probably the reason it is not selling. BTW, the figures are also in the BrickLink Catalog. Some are listed by sellers more frequently than others. Prices range anywhere between around $300-$2000, depending on rarity. You might luck out and find the one you are looking for. Or at least put it on your Wanted List, so you are notified when it becomes available. Here are the listings:  http://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=displayfig*#T=A

davee123

ChakorChanning said:

I recently discovered that LEGO has apparently made large 19" store display figures that I assume are only used in countries such as Germany and Denmark since I have never seen any of these figures on display in US stores.

These have been in US stores in the past, but I haven't seen any in the last 10-or-so years.  They used to be at Toys R Us and other places-- and a lot of Toys R Us locations gave them away or sold them at dirt cheap prices to whoever thought they were neat.  I was told once by a fellow hobbyist that they weren't supposed to be sold by stores, although I don't really know the details.

A store near us had some and sold theirs when they went out of business around 2008-- I think they sold for about $50 per figure.  We bought ours for considerably more in 2009, I think-- somewhere in the $300-$600 ballpark, but I can't recall exactly.  At the time, I remember there were others that were much cheaper (about $100), but they weren't ones that we wanted, since they were a less generic theme (Johnny Thunder or something).

As I recall, the same is roughly still true.  For a generic looking display figure, they're more expensive, and for the less in-demand items (like, say, Ninjago figures), you can get them for less.

Anyway, suffice to say, they used to be relatively cheap, but hard to find, because they weren't sold at retail.  But nobody that sold them knew they were worth anything, and there was a smaller LEGO hobbyist community.  Now they've probably gotten relatively rarer (since retail stores don't seem to have them at all), and more in demand with more hobbyists out there.  So... now they're very expensive.

If you want them cheap, you'll have to basically get lucky.  Watch eBay, Craigslist, BrickLink, etc, and see if you can connect with anyone locally that might have them floating around in storage (people who owned small toy stores in the 1990s, for instance).  Chances are slim that you can find one this way, but you can give it a go.

DaveE

ChakorChanning

Thanks for the info everyone!  As an update, the figure that I'm looking for is a Ninjago figure from 2012.  Some of the Ninjago figures (I.E., Wu, Garmadon, etc.) were unlucky enough to have their faces printed on at a bafflingly small size, compared to the rest of their heads.  The figure that I'm looking for is included in the eBay listing that I referred to earlier, so I may contact the seller and ask them if they are willing to sell the figure that I'm after alone for the $941.45 price (minus shipping).  Also, I'm not looking to get a "cheap" deal on the figure (but obviously the less I spend, the better), I just wanted to make sure that $941.45 wasn't a ripoff.

akunthita

ChakorChanning said:

Thanks for the info everyone!  As an update, the figure that I'm looking for is a Ninjago figure from 2012.  Some of the Ninjago figures (I.E., Wu, Garmadon, etc.) were unlucky enough to have their faces printed on at a bafflingly small size, compared to the rest of their heads.  The figure that I'm looking for is included in the eBay listing that I referred to earlier, so I may contact the seller and ask them if they are willing to sell the figure that I'm after alone for the $941.45 price (minus shipping).  Also, I'm not looking to get a "cheap" deal on the figure (but obviously the less I spend, the better), I just wanted to make sure that $941.45 wasn't a ripoff.

I think that's a good plan of action. The seller may very well be willing to sell individually, especially considering how long the listing has been up. The price you mention is reasonable for these figures, although you may want to start with a lower (but still reasonable) offer to get a good deal (maybe 500?), so the seller understands that you are serious, but also won't overcharge you.  

Fireheart

Does anyone have a complete list of the official Lego 19" figures? And if so are there versions produced by Lego with IR sensor and speakers in them, which can be updated via USB.

Fireheart

^ Clarifying what I mean more, does Lego produce an interactive version which triggers when someone walks past.. 

ChakorChanning

Since this thread has been resurrected, I will share some new info.

Back in October/November 2016, I walked into a small toy store at a nearby shopping mall...  and low and behold, they had several of the generic 19" LEGO Minifigures on display.  I'm thinking about offering them $50 or so per figure and then re-selling them so that I can retire, LOL.

samiam391

Fireheart said:

^ Clarifying what I mean more, does Lego produce an interactive version which triggers when someone walks past.. 

I had a (few?)19" Darth Vaders that moved and had a light-up saber when you pushed a button on the display.

Pretty cool item, but I'd personally rather pay for a months worth of bills then stare at a plastic robotic Darth Vader. So that's what I did ;)