I have a Mr. Gold (Unpackaged, but still with all original packaging)

StraightFonky

I have an unpackaged LEGO Mr. Gold from series 10. I still have all of the original packaging, and the certificate of authenticity with the code on it. I was wondering two things:

1. How much would he be worth nowadays?

2. What platform would be the best place to sell him, and what method?

I've been trying to list him locally in my city on Facebook Marketplace and other such sites (don't worry, I am very scam savvy and not really seriously selling it or meeting with anyone, just wanted to see what kind of offers I would get) but haven't got much traction.

Thoughts?

https://imgur.com/a/KBsB4zR

AllBrick

Hello. 

Look here for a price guide. 

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=117782#T=P

It’s  not customary to join Brickset Forums just to ask questions like this as far as I’m aware. 
Some time spent getting to know folk and contributing to the discussions is expected before getting to this point, that may be why you haven’t had a reply yet. 

I hope the link helps and you find the answers you’re looking for. 
Dont be a stranger now. 

Huw

£2000 -- that's insane!

SumoLego

I suppose it is only worth what someone will pay.

andhe

I still enjoy the thought of some Mr Gold figures just languishing at the bottom of a kids Lego bin. Played with and chewed.

NateMN2020

Makes investing in Bitcoin look stupid.

Aleydita

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

drdavewatford

Aleydita said:

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

Spot on.

At this point I have to admit that I'd be suspicious of any Mr. Gold minifigure being offered for sale anywhere unless it was being sold by a someone who I already knew and trusted and who had found the figure themselves rather than buying it from a third party.

ReesesPieces

It didn't help that Lego sold Mr. Gold key chains that could easily be fixed to look like genuine Mr. Golds.

CCC

There already are some good custom versions. I saw one at a bootsale once - the seller wanted £800 (at a bootsale!) - he claimed he came across it in a job lot. No leaflet, no packet and appeared to be a decent print. I thought something was off about the chromed parts though, they didn't look the same type finish as TC-14. Plus I didn't have £800 cash at a bootsale. Not that I would have paid that much.

Gibbo1959

drdavewatford said:

Aleydita said:

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

Spot on.

At this point I have to admit that I'd be suspicious of any Mr. Gold minifigure being offered for sale anywhere unless it was being sold by a someone who I already knew and trusted and who had found the figure themselves rather than buying it from a third party.

Ditto and also ideally still sealed in outer packet, or at very least with the fig still in the inner packet. Although realistically no minifigure is worth that sort of money (IMHO); I’m holding out for the ‘discover one day in the recesses of a dusty old toy shop’ option.

drdavewatford

Gibbo1959 said:

drdavewatford said:

Aleydita said:

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

Spot on.

At this point I have to admit that I'd be suspicious of any Mr. Gold minifigure being offered for sale anywhere unless it was being sold by a someone who I already knew and trusted and who had found the figure themselves rather than buying it from a third party.

Ditto and also ideally still sealed in outer packet, or at very least with the fig still in the inner packet.

Even that wouldn't be any guarantee of authenticity - as Aleydita states above you could invest in producing high quality fakes and accurately reproduce the packaging while still making a massive profit; honestly, I'd be surprised if this wasn't already happening....

Upshot is that I wouldn't buy one now, under almost any circumstances, regardless of price, packaging or condition.

TheFew

Guess I won't be able to flog the 10 I have on this forum then... 

AllBrick

Aleydita said:

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

Google : How to gold chrome plastic. 

Aleydita

AllBrick said:

Aleydita said:

I'd say that's very much reached the price point where someone could knock together a very good fake, including all the packaging, and still make a tidy profit.

Google : How to gold chrome plastic. 

Chroming wouldn't be the difficult bit - there are 1,000s of reasonable fake Mr Golds out there. Even a dodgy one would fool an unsuspecting buyer if it came inside a sealed foil bag that looked the part. For £2k I'd be amazed if someone out there hadn't already considered it (or, indeed, were on it).

StraightFonky

The thing I've found with Mr. Golds (and keep in mind, the one I own and the one I made this forum post about I did find myself at a local toy store back in the day) or even imitation figures is that it is not hard to tell apart a fake from a real LEGO minifigure or LEGO product in general. 

Of course if you're inexperienced there's always a big risk but experienced collectors could tell from merely a feel of the plastic or the tiny LEGO watermarks if it was the real deal. 

In addition to this, and in the specific scenario of Mr. Gold, he has other things with him that make it much easier to spot a fake, like the certificate of authenticity. I've seen quite a few bootleg Mr. Golds that would qualify as "good quality" but it was still very easy to tell it was not a LEGO product. The special code on the certificate can still be referenced as well.

SumoLego

I think they go for $35.00 on eBay.  For display purposes only...

The pair of Mr. Golds I have are genuine, but it's kind of moot as nobody will ever be able to pry them from my cold dead hands.  

Incidentally, I am working on growing another pair of arms so my first edition original UCS Millennium Falcon can also remain in my cold dead hands.

560Heliport

^ GarmaSumoLego?

SumoLego

Anybody know where the Great Devourer is?
Asking for a friend.

CCC

StraightFonky said:

The thing I've found with Mr. Golds (and keep in mind, the one I own and the one I made this forum post about I did find myself at a local toy store back in the day) or even imitation figures is that it is not hard to tell apart a fake from a real LEGO minifigure or LEGO product in general. 

Of course if you're inexperienced there's always a big risk but experienced collectors could tell from merely a feel of the plastic or the tiny LEGO watermarks if it was the real deal. 

In addition to this, and in the specific scenario of Mr. Gold, he has other things with him that make it much easier to spot a fake, like the certificate of authenticity. I've seen quite a few bootleg Mr. Golds that would qualify as "good quality" but it was still very easy to tell it was not a LEGO product. The special code on the certificate can still be referenced as well.

The point made above though is that if someone is willing to throw money at making good quality fake figure, printed on lego parts, then faking a piece if paper is not a big step. Wasn't the registry turned off in 2015 or so. And you can download and print the diploma they issued on registration. 

SumoLego

^ And one could certainly register a fake Mr. Gold.

catwrangler

The problem also is that if you have to actually handle it to know if it's the real thing, there's a bit of a personal safety issue with turning up in person with enough cash to buy the thing, should it turn out to be genuine. I'm obviously not suggesting that OP is doing this, but if I saw something like that advertised, it would certainly go through my mind that it might be a fake thing advertised to bring a potential buyer out with cash and relieve them of it. You could avoid the risk of carrying the cash with a digital transaction, but of course these days, people might feel a bit differently about meeting up in person anyway...

AllBrick

catwrangler 

Also posting such an item would be a risk, insurance would be a nightmare and if it was insured for 2k it may pique an unsavoury persons interest. 

Reminds me of the ultra expensive Pokemon card that just disappeared in transit. 
Sold by someone in Iowa to a buyer in Dubai for $60,000 and just disappeared en route. 
Risky business, you’d want something like that to be sold at a reputable auction house. You know, a physical one, not an Internet one. 

Istokg

There really is a serious problem with fake LEGO items, and obviously that is in the areas where money is to be made scamming potential buyers.  This is not only a problem with modern rare LEGO items such as Mr. Gold, but also very old LEGO sets and also very old LEGO wooden toys, which command very high prices for the real thing. 

Unfortunately many people will be drawn into the prospect of getting something rare at a cheap(er) price.  The saying (price wise) "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is"... is sage advice.  One thing that is common to both old and new LEGO items is that people who already own old/new rare items can compare a forgery or clone more easily than those who are new to collecting rare LEGO items, which only makes sense.

So anything that we can do to help differentiate the scams from the real thing, helps the hobby.

There's a Facebook page I am a member of called LEGO Pre-1975 Authorization... which is where folks who are old time LEGO collectors (not just brick sets, but also very old LEGO wooden toys, etc.) help others who are interested in a purchase, will check out images and help them to determine whether it's worth the risk of buying, or telling them (in the case of wooden toys) whether it's another company.

In my digital Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide (free updates coming this year to current owners), I have a fast growing chapter devoted to LEGO Fakes, which as I just mentioned can be as simple as non-LEGO items being sold as LEGO.  I guess I will have to add Mr. Gold to the chapter... will go back and re-read this thread.

One item that I had in the guide was this minifigure item that many of you are familiar with... the Maersk blue constuction helmet... which was only ever found in the 1980 #1651 Maersk Line Container Truck.  I remember seeing it selling (just the helmet) for up to $600, back before 2011... when the #10219 Maersk Container Train came out with 3 minifigures with a Maersk blue helmet.  At that point the price on the older version really plummeted (although old 1980 versions don't have the LEGO logo on the inside of the helmet).

I have this old early 2000s image in my LEGO Fakes chapter, showing the fakes coming out of China, although they didn't get the color right...



Now I need to get some good real vs. "assembled" Mr. Gold, to help identify the differences.

Recently I came across a old 1960s clone version of a LEGO VW Showroom Set... It was Japanese, and they didn't hide the fact that it was NOT Lego.  As an old clone set, it still sold for over $200 at auction.  Just recently I saw someone selling a fake version of this same clone set at auction (they admitted it was a fake).  But imagine that... one day in the future, a LEPIN set will have a fake version of LEPIN for sale at auction!!  :-O

Yellowcastle2

I was just talking with the kids about the value of things. It was so funny realizing that little Mr. Gold is likely the most valuable thing we own, after the house, car and #10179. :o)

Venunder

When they were "selling" at about £500,
nobody was interested in my genuine Mr Gold for £300, even though £100 was going to Fairy Bricks.
So if anyone wants a genuine Mr Gold, with the original bag, still sealed inside the inner bag, with a certificate production number below 100, mine is still available for £500.

We can arrange the proper exchange in a public place, with security guards present once lock down is relaxed again.  

You can then try selling it for £1000  to get your money back....

Venunder

I had intended my post as a small joke. But apparently some of you are intersted in my Mr Gold. I am in discussion with a Bricksetter about selling him.
If that deal falls through, then I will post again to let people know that Mr Gold is available.
I do not usually ship outside the UK, but might reconsider my position later. 

SumoLego

Aw, nuts!  

How am I supposed to complete my obnoxious flex LEGO minifigure Mr. Gold Barbershop Quartet?

Yellowcastle2

I foresee them being named “The Keychains”...

Pitfall69

SumoLego said:

Aw, nuts!  

How am I supposed to complete my obnoxious flex LEGO minifigure Mr. Gold Barbershop Quartet?

I just need 1 and I own a Barbershop 

Pitfall69

I agree with much of the sentiment here. I don't think I would even consider buying a Mr. Gold from someone outside this forum. Even then; I'd have to make a small list of people that I would trust with that sort of purchase. It's not the money that's in question; but the authenticity. 

*I know of 2 people that have more than one and I know they are authentic. One; I guess I will have to murder and the other will gladly invite me into their home...even then I'd probably still have to murder them ;)

Pitfall69

SumoLego said:

The pair of Mr. Golds I have are genuine, but it's kind of moot as nobody will ever be able to pry them from my cold dead hands. 

You've been holding that over my head for years and here you go again

Yellowcastle2

I’m not sure LEGO could pull off another chase figure.  The world seems to have monetized LEGO collecting to such a degree these days.  That being said, the hunt for S1 and S2 and then Mr. Gold brings back so many fun memories.

CCC

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

AllBrick

CCC said:

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

Then watch the scalpers use bots to  buy every single box available. 

Yellowcastle2

To clarify, I’m not sure another chase figure would work or at least work well.  If there’s money in it, then sure, maybe TLG would do it.  But it just seems (anecdotally) that the “bad” element has gotten “worse” or more pervasive since now that primary let alone secondary prices have driven so high.

CCC

AllBrick said:

CCC said:

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

Then watch the scalpers use bots to  buy every single box available. 

Why would that be bad for lego?

Fizyx

CCC said:

AllBrick said:

CCC said:

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

Then watch the scalpers use bots to  buy every single box available. 

Why would that be bad for lego?

Monetarily it wouldn't, but it's a pretty bad look, and it does seem like LEGO cares about their public image. 

SumoLego

Pitfall69 said:

You've been holding that over my head for years and here you go again

Spoiler - I'm never going to die.

CCC

Fizyx said:

CCC said:

AllBrick said:

CCC said:

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

Then watch the scalpers use bots to  buy every single box available. 

Why would that be bad for lego?

Monetarily it wouldn't, but it's a pretty bad look, and it does seem like LEGO cares about their public image. 

I'm not sure it would be that bad. I never had any problems buying S10 minifigs and getting a complete set minus Mr Gold. Just make it an ugly figure that nobody would want, and only want because it is rare. 

Rich adults having trouble finding a rare chase figure that they want because it is valuable or to have a complete set is not that big a deal. Within the CMF buying community it might be, but then most won't have Mr Gold so won't be complete (when including rare chase figs) anyway. Personally, I find the change from 16 to 12 a bigger issue than chase figures that can be ignored if you don't want to go on the chase.

AllBrick

CCC said:

AllBrick said:

CCC said:

They could easily pull off chase figures again, because the collectors' market is so monetized.

Then watch the scalpers use bots to  buy every single box available. 

Why would that be bad for lego?

It’s not bad for Lego as they get paid. 
Its bad for those who want to chase and find the figures themselves. 
If scalpers bought everything you can expect to pay a premium on the normal figures and a massive premium on the chase. 
And if all the scalpers have all the chase figures there is no chase at all, might as well rename them....... hostage figures or something. 

mr_benn

Ugh, it felt like such a fiasco though.  In my head, it makes me feel better when I don't count Mr Gold as a CMF, as I've got all the rest and will never go through the trouble and expense of getting hold of one.

I have no issue with the concept of rare figures (ComiCon and stuff) but the idea of them ever doing a rare figure like this within a collectible line is not a good one.  Limited per case chase figures are fine - you can always get one in the end - but ones that might not even be in a box can just do one!

CCC

AllBrick said:

It’s not bad for Lego as they get paid. 
Its bad for those who want to chase and find the figures themselves. 
If scalpers bought everything you can expect to pay a premium on the normal figures and a massive premium on the chase. 
And if all the scalpers have all the chase figures there is no chase at all, might as well rename them....... hostage figures or something. 

Scalpers cannot buy everything though. If other people want to buy something and they get there first and are willing to pay the same price, then they will beat the scalpers to it. There is no possibility of using bots to buy up all stock when so much of it goes on shelves. They did Mr Gold in S10 and I don't remember the secondary market prices being any higher than normal for the regular figures. And there were not shortages of S10 on the shelves. Anyone wanting to buy random packets could buy random packets. In fact, I seem to remember that quite a lot got sold off reasonably cheaply as people that had been searching for Mr Gold needed to get rid of their excess. I know I was paying about £1.50-£2.00 for Roman Commanders at the time. I seem to remember the Librarian, Sea Captain and Trendsetter were relatively high at the time (but not massively high), even the bee was quite cheap until people started army building with those. The common figures were sold off for well under RRP to get rid of them.

pxchris

Speaking of (semi) chase figures, I came across the extra Police man and Percival Graves I still have in bag yesterday while sorting. I think the market on those two basically ended up flattening out and then dying.

AllBrick

CCC said:

AllBrick said:

It’s not bad for Lego as they get paid. 
Its bad for those who want to chase and find the figures themselves. 
If scalpers bought everything you can expect to pay a premium on the normal figures and a massive premium on the chase. 
And if all the scalpers have all the chase figures there is no chase at all, might as well rename them....... hostage figures or something. 

Scalpers cannot buy everything though. If other people want to buy something and they get there first and are willing to pay the same price, then they will beat the scalpers to it. There is no possibility of using bots to buy up all stock when so much of it goes on shelves. They did Mr Gold in S10 and I don't remember the secondary market prices being any higher than normal for the regular figures. And there were not shortages of S10 on the shelves. Anyone wanting to buy random packets could buy random packets. In fact, I seem to remember that quite a lot got sold off reasonably cheaply as people that had been searching for Mr Gold needed to get rid of their excess. I know I was paying about £1.50-£2.00 for Roman Commanders at the time. I seem to remember the Librarian, Sea Captain and Trendsetter were relatively high at the time (but not massively high), even the bee was quite cheap until people started army building with those. The common figures were sold off for well under RRP to get rid of them.

Try telling that to anyone trying to buy a PS5. Scalping has exploded over the last couple of years, S10 figures were released 8 years ago so it was a completely different time. 

Scalping bots are a real real problem and there is no way to physically beat them as a human. 
It’s so bad that the UK government is contemplating placing restrictions on their use or making them entirely illegal (for buying consoles only so far it seems).

I am almost certain that if something similar to Mr. Gold was released today you will have severe difficulties finding any boxes anywhere and if you did find some, they will have been comprehensively felt up and ransacked. 

Even shop staff are clued up these days and if they’re not scalping they know someone that is or is paying them for first dibs. 

Making several hundred pounds on a £4 - £5 figure is too much temptation for scalpers to not try and capitalise on it. 

Yellowcastle2

^This is what I was figuring.

mustang69

The primary difference with a PS5 and a chase (blind bag) minifig is there is no way for a scalping bot to target a blind bag figure online. They would literally have to buy all of the online stock to try to find one, which would be cost prohibitive. In person though is a different story. I could definitely see scalpers hitting the toy isle every morning and feeling for the chase figure and buying them all.

AllBrick

mustang69 said:

The primary difference with a PS5 and a chase (blind bag) minifig is there is no way for a scalping bot to target a blind bag figure online. They would literally have to buy all of the online stock to try to find one, which would be cost prohibitive. In person though is a different story. I could definitely see scalpers hitting the toy isle every morning and feeling for the chase figure and buying them all.

It still won’t stop them, they will buy every box, sell the regulars for a small premium and the chases / hostages at an enormous premium. 
The people that run these outfits have huge capital that allows them to buy 10,000 consoles at once. 
Reminds me of Veruca Salts dad buying all of the Wonka Bars in order to find the golden ticket except being able to sell the “chocolate” afterwards. 

Buying the stock will create a shortage and people will inevitably pay over the odds due to there not being anything to buy elsewhere. 
and yes, as you say, what can’t be bought online will be ransacked elsewhere. 

Whether its a console, a concert ticket or Lego they will go for it. 
As a Hot Wheels enthusiast I can say without a doubt that the scalping of Super Treasure Hunts and other desirable premium vehicles is massive. In the last few years I have seen a huge drop in stock for certain retailers and in some cases I’ve found that the boxes have been opened by a middle party to have stickers added stating where they have been imported from which has lead to damaged and missing contents. 

Its all hypothetical though as there won’t be another Mr. Gold, at least not one we can find randomly in the wild. 

JudgeChuck

Scalpers are further proof that humans are worse than Xenomorphs: "You know Burke, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them f***ing each other over for a goddamn percentage!"

;-)

Yellowcastle2

They mostly come out at night.  Mostly.

SumoLego

Scalpers still need buyers.  Some will buy too early, some will buy too late.  Some will sell too early, some will sell too late...

I don't get the impression LEGO cares at this point to do gimmicky things with the CMF line.  They just reduced the number of figures.  I'm sure that wasn't a willy-nilly decision.

(Same as drastically increasing the variety of product for adult customers.)