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The Most Expensive Minifigures in the Secondary Market? Most Rare?

13

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  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    Thats disgusting, its a plastic toy!
    Don't insult my precious bits of plastic! ;-)

  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Dunes of TatooineMember Posts: 3,639
    ^@samiam391 I think you may be our most knowledgeable for SW minifigs, so I wanted to get your honest feedback on a question I've had. Do you actually prefer the older style with mono-color molds or the newer style with more details and colors, such as Watto? Reason i ask is, as a newer collector I definitely have a preference for the new more colorful variety, but still see the older ones at real high prices even though.
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    @BrickDancer, you're making me blush ;-)

    Well, really... 100% honesty I prefer the older mono-color molds. It's a lot more about the preference of people though. Going to me, I grew up with the more simple figures, and so in my mind these are the "classics". With the new, more detailed figures that LEGO is coming out with, taking your Watto example for instance, the figures seem more "cartoonish" in my mind to fit with the new series of Clone Wars movies.
    I think this sort of preference is present in a lot of the older collectors who may be more willing to throw down more money for the figure, even if it is simpler, just because it's a classic, or an item from when they first began collecting. Few years back, when I was just being introduced to the LEGO SW line, I was obsessed with the Jango Fett minifigure, that obsession grew, (and still grows today), to the point where I now have so many of them I would be embarrassed to tell you all.
    We may see this same thing happen in new minifigure collectors too, with the more detailed figures becoming the "holy grails" for kids that buy them today, in the future when they get older when they start to collect.
    It's a difficult question to answer, but personally I have to say it just comes with when you were introduced to the figures themselves. I was introduced in the beginning, so I see them as the classics, you were introduced yesterday (making this up), and think the "classics" as I call them as boring, one dimensional figures, and the new ones as super detailed and nicer.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Dunes of TatooineMember Posts: 3,639
    ^Thanks for the reply and feedback Samiam. I certainly understand the nostalgia, as that's whats drawing me back into Lego overall. There's been a lot of change to minifigs in the past decade going from the default smiling yellow head, to expressioned yellow heads, to flesh color, now even more colors and wild variety of expressions & full printing. I wonder if all these changes will end up segregating the fig collector population over the coming years into their respective camps, such as "yellow vs flesh" or "mono versus full color".
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    ^My pleasure @BrickDancer!

    Yes, there has.

    I have a feeling it may, and I'll probably be one of the few that continues to stick up for the less popular "classics, mono color" figures. However, I think the classics in terms of price will always remain high-standing. While there's us old collectors still around, they'll be a really good market for them.
    There's also the possibility that new collectors (such as yourself), come to want to complete their collections, thus they have to go back to trying to attain the already discontinued classics. Meanwhile, collectors that already have the classics, don't have to pay much for the newer figures which are still in production and circulation.
  • SpaceCakeSpaceCake Member Posts: 291
    Most valuable minifigure...?

    22ct Gold C-3PO!

    ...What? He doesn't count!? Oh...fine.
  • BoiseStateBoiseState Member Posts: 804
    You couldn't possibly have the solid gold C3PO, as I have all 5 plus 6th platinum one they give when you obtain all 5.


    And no, you may not see a pic.
  • SpaceCakeSpaceCake Member Posts: 291
    edited April 2012
    You couldn't possibly have the solid gold C3PO, as I have all 5 plus 6th platinum one they give when you obtain all 5.

    I heard Lego forged them in the fires of Mount Doom to control the wealthiest Lego collectors and make them lash out a whopping £349 for the Star Wars Super Star Destroyer set.

    *** I do wonder though... If we were to see a 22ct C-3PO go up against a Solid Bronze Boba Fett at auction, who would take the cake? Obviously the value of the gold itself will give 3PO the edge, but the Bronze Boba is genuinely one of a kind (discounting the one that is locked in Legos' dungeon of awesomeness).
  • ChrisJThunderChrisJThunder United StatesMember Posts: 115
    I'm gonna go old school on you guys.

    Green ninja. Not Ninjago. But the original Ninja series from 1999-2000. There were 2 versions, one was a princess. They both came in the same set. A special ninja 3-pack with those overly-large stands (Star Wars & NBA had similar ones). $50+ for each one.

    And there's a very, very old town minifig girl with white pigtails. The white pigtailed cop minifig is expensive.
    No wonder people are making their own custom Green Ninjas. At least for Ninjago. But then again an original Green Ninja would be epic. Try that on a spinner. :)

  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Cologne/GermanyMember Posts: 1,079
    I don't know if this belongs here (or should get an own topic) but i would like to hear predictions on what could be the "future-big sellers" in Minifigs (a la CC Boba Fett)?
  • prevereprevere North of Bellville, East of Heartlake, South of Bricksburg, West of Ninjago City Member Posts: 2,902
    New Jabba.
  • wertyjjwertyjj Member Posts: 64
    Jango Fett
  • prevereprevere North of Bellville, East of Heartlake, South of Bricksburg, West of Ninjago City Member Posts: 2,902
    Is there a new Jango coming out?
  • BumblepantsBumblepants DFWMember Posts: 6,509
    I doubt anything will reach those heights if only because there are a lot more people looking to cash in on them these days
  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Cologne/GermanyMember Posts: 1,079
    But will Jango even raise in value (the cheapest"new" is about 70€ on BL!)?
    I'm really looking forward to which Minifigures i shall get before they (maybe) skyrocket in price!
    What ya'll think of all the Soldier-Minifigures from the Indiana-Jones line? They will be probably the last "military"minifigures we're gonna see for a while! I know they will never get even close to the before mentioned minifigs,but...
  • richoricho Member Posts: 3,830
    edited April 2012
    new Jango is a certainty within the next 2 years.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Dunes of TatooineMember Posts: 3,639
    Is it possible to beat Gold Chrome C-3PO in the 'Exclusives' category? Even a used open one went for $255 a minute ago:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251049550178#ht_500wt_1182

    Another one under completed listings showed 2 MISB went for $1,000. Just amazing... 1 Cafe Corner = 2 minifigs
  • SherlockbonesSherlockbones Member Posts: 411
    IDK about a new Jango, the problem is the new Jango will have all the new detailing on and for me I want Jango as he is
  • SpaceCakeSpaceCake Member Posts: 291
    As far as predictions go, I would hazard a guess at the Twi'Lek slave dancer from the new Jabbas Palace set. I'd make a hefty bet that she won't be appearing in any other set in the future, which is generally what seems to drive the price of minifigures through the roof, provided they are given enough time to "mature".
  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Cologne/GermanyMember Posts: 1,079
    Nowadays it seems that almost every Star-Wars set comes with at least one Minifig that's never going to appear in another,so i don't know if the Twi'Lek slave is gonna skyrocket any time,but of course it's going to be a Fig.that is going to start at a decent pricepoint.
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Dunes of TatooineMember Posts: 3,639
    I'm really looking forward to Twi'Lek and agree she'll be a good resale value during the release period & even better after retirement, not to mention Jabba himself. Also itching to get the Ceremonial Amidala already, summer sets are just around the corner, can't wait.
  • jamiewjamiew Member Posts: 165
    I think the only figures you'll see approaching the $50+ price point are the promo pieces like the stuff coming out of ToyFair or May the 4th. There's an established market now and Lego isn't limiting production or production runs anymore. They'll continue to produce until the market is saturated.
  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Cologne/GermanyMember Posts: 1,079
    I'm pretty sure that "underrated"sets or themes with a special-figure that didn't sold well can also leed to a 50+ price-point years after they retire!
  • jamiewjamiew Member Posts: 165
    That would require the set to be re-discovered at some later point and for it to take on heavy collector interest. Certainly possible but demand, not scarcity, is the real driving force for the secondary market
  • DiggydoesDiggydoes Cologne/GermanyMember Posts: 1,079
    Somehow i see that Captain Rex will do pretty well in the secondary market. I've never watched TCW but it seems he's kinda iconic and only appeared in one set(so far) that was also kinda limited!
  • BrickDancerBrickDancer Dunes of TatooineMember Posts: 3,639
    ^Rex appears in 2 sets, AT-TE (7675) and the current Battle for Geonosis (7869). Rex, Wolfe, Cody, Gree and Fox is the full team of Clone captains. Commander Fox is the one to watch for, since he's not currently available.
  • Pitfall69Pitfall69 0 miles to Legoboy's houseMember Posts: 11,410
    I have Cloud City and yes most of those minifigures go for alot of money. I had a conversation about Star Wars sets and when they do another version of a ship it makes the ships before it less valuable. If this is true why doesn't this happen with minifigures? I don't see Cloud City Boba Fett drop in price even though there are several versions of this figure out there. The newer Boba Fetts are clearly better but Cloud City is the Holy Grail. A purest will want every minifigure produced. The first Watto is awful, yet I just sold one a few weeks ago for $60 and he had a crack in is torso and the rest of him wasn't mint.The same thing happens with collecting Action Figures, especially Star Wars. No matter how ugly the figure is a pure collector will still want it if they don't have it...even if there are 10 versions of the same figure.
  • Brewer51Brewer51 Member Posts: 248
    I'm so glad I finally got round to checking this thread. I have a Nesquik Bunny back at home that I remember seeing when I sorted through all my old Lego. Can't remember what condition it's in though.
  • fyrmedhattfyrmedhatt Member Posts: 128
    I have Cloud City and yes most of those minifigures go for alot of money. I had a conversation about Star Wars sets and when they do another version of a ship it makes the ships before it less valuable. If this is true why doesn't this happen with minifigures? I don't see Cloud City Boba Fett drop in price even though there are several versions of this figure out there. The newer Boba Fetts are clearly better but Cloud City is the Holy Grail. A purest will want every minifigure produced. The first Watto is awful, yet I just sold one a few weeks ago for $60 and he had a crack in is torso and the rest of him wasn't mint.The same thing happens with collecting Action Figures, especially Star Wars. No matter how ugly the figure is a pure collector will still want it if they don't have it...even if there are 10 versions of the same figure.
    I agree about not worrying about your Cloud City Boba Fett just yet, I don't think the price is going down, even with the new (and possibly best) Boba coming on the Skiff set this summer. CC Boba is far too iconic and rare not to be valuable, and there are still lots of Star Wars minifig collectors searching for one to complete their collections. For some good examples of lines where minifigs have been replaced by equivalent and even better minifigs just look at the original Batman figs that have gone nowhere but up in price, even if the new ones have come out in the past six months.

    Funny you should mention the original Watto minifig, its hands alone are worth $60, contributing greatly to the value of the minifig. It probably would have decreased in value as the minifig is such a lesser design than the new one (unlike CC Boba obviously), but lately many people have started collecting monochrome minifigures, and the only way to get a medium blue one is to use the old Watto's hands.

  • GamerGamer Member Posts: 32
    edited May 2012
    Relatedly, what are the Rarest Lego Star Wars Minifigs?

    Is there a list? I want that set of white silver and gold boba lol.
  • CapnRex101CapnRex101 United KingdomAdministrator Posts: 2,289
    I don't know about any list, but I would say that the top ten rarest Lego Star Wars figures would be:

    1. Bronze Boba Fett (only two worldwide)
    2. Solid Gold C-3PO (only five worldwide)
    3. Chrome Gold C-3PO (approximately 10,500 worldwide)
    4. Cloud City Boba Fett (average price of around £150/$234)
    5. Jango Fett (average price of around £50/$78)
    6. Cloud City Lando Calrissian (average price of around £45/$70)
    7. Original Watto (average price of around £38/$59)
    8. Original Jabba the Hutt (average price of around £30/$47)
    9. Greedo (average price of around £28/$44)
    10. Chrome Darth Vader (average price of around £25/$39)

    I might have forgotten one or two, but I would say that is about right.
  • davee123davee123 USAMember Posts: 813
    There's a lot that could be deemed "rare, but not all that pricey", like the "Celebration Luke", that only came out in a book, and is worth around $10 or so. Similarly, the original Watto and Jabba were available in general release sets, and probably aren't "rare" compared to, say, the new TC-14 figure, or white Boba Fett. But they're pricier thanks to their age and demand!

    DaveE
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    I think @CapnRex101's list is fairly accurate, although I see it changing fairly soon. Chrome Darth Vader is beginning to rise, and I expect it to continue. There's only 10,000 available, making it like the Chrome C-3PO (Except Chrome Vader boxes were marked). I would put Lando ahead of Jango Fett though actually. Lando is quickly rising, and the average price for him I would say (on eBay) is $100 when complete with cape.
  • CapnRex101CapnRex101 United KingdomAdministrator Posts: 2,289
    ^Chrome Vader was given out in Toys R' Us in the UK for about a month.
  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    I agree with @davee123 that there is a distinction between rare and expensive, though I recognize there is often a correlation.

    Personally, I find rarity more interesting than resale value. The vintage minifigures from the 80's are many times rarer than expensive licensed figs of the past decade, and thus are more satisfying for me to hunt down and collect than simply needing to open my wallet for the recent ones.

  • rocaorocao Administrator Posts: 4,290
    I don't know about any list, but I would say that the top ten rarest Lego Star Wars figures would be:

    1. Bronze Boba Fett (only two worldwide)
    2. Solid Gold C-3PO (only five worldwide)
    3. Chrome Gold C-3PO (approximately 10,500 worldwide)
    4. Cloud City Boba Fett (average price of around £150/$234)
    5. Jango Fett (average price of around £50/$78)
    6. Cloud City Lando Calrissian (average price of around £45/$70)
    If this is an ordered list of rarity, the Cloud City figures should occupy the same rank since their production number is the same.

  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    ^I was going off price, but if we are doing rarity than certainly @rocao is correct. It is kind of laughable that Cloud City Boba Fett gets about 3 times as much as the closest other Cloud City figure (in terms of price), when there are the exact same amount of each in circulation.
  • GamerGamer Member Posts: 32
    Is there any way to find a bronze boba or gold c3po or even the white,silver,gold boba plaque for sale?
  • BoiseStateBoiseState Member Posts: 804
    Doubtful. If they ever did come up for sale, they'd be gone in seconds.
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    @Gamer- Considering the limited numbers available, no. However, I do know one person who has one of the solid Gold C-3POs and he was considering selling it. Right now though, he's letting it appreciate a little more before he sells it for his son's college fund.
  • BoiseStateBoiseState Member Posts: 804
    It would be awesome just to see one in person.
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    There's a few pictures of the one the person I mentioned above owns... truth be told, it's actually not very impressive and looks a little "bulky", for lack of a better word, because of the gold mold.
  • wassermjwassermj Member Posts: 16
    If you include special releases, the ToyFair NY Chrome Vader has fetched over $500. There's also a Nuremberg Vader from 2005 with a light-up saber that regularly goes for $125-150. As far as I can tell, there's nothing different about these figures from their counterparts than the packaging though.

    Cloud City Boba Fett is by far the most expensive Lego minifigure issued as part of a set, followed by Lando, and the original Jango Fett. Beyond that, there's a few dozen that trade in the $30-60 range.
  • Brick_ObsessionBrick_Obsession in a "Brick" house - Calgary, AlbertaMember Posts: 654
    Princess Leia from set 7190 has always fetched a pretty penny. I have seen her go for over $100.00 numerous times.
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    ^That was when she was first released. In that set she was an exclusive minifigure, but then she was re-released (or somewhat identically released) in a number of other sets. You can regularly find her now for $10.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lego-Star-Wars-Minifigure-7190-Princess-Leia-/251056393317?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a74208c65
  • GamerGamer Member Posts: 32
    There's a few pictures of the one the person I mentioned above owns... truth be told, it's actually not very impressive and looks a little "bulky", for lack of a better word, because of the gold mold.
    Can you link to the pics? Can't wait to see what it sells for!
  • samiam391samiam391 A Log Cabin in KY, United StatesMember Posts: 4,339
    edited May 2012
    @Gamer- Sure thing!

    http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/SvL/Endor-Layout/0702011021a.jpg
    http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=57185&st=30
    http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/38453/#Comment_38453

    Enjoy:)
  • CapnRex101CapnRex101 United KingdomAdministrator Posts: 2,289
    @Rocao - Absolutely right, I went partially on the cost though as well to distinguish between figures which have appeared in only one set. In that case (and taking cost of sets into account) this figure would in theory be the rarest: http://www.brickset.com/minifigs/?m=sw174
  • CapnRex101CapnRex101 United KingdomAdministrator Posts: 2,289
    What sort of price do you think the solid gold C-3PO would fetch? It must be worth quite a bit in gold weight alone. I am not entirely sure of the weight, but I would hazard a guess of around £1200 judging by the size and carat of the piece. Has anybody ever sold one?
  • BoiseStateBoiseState Member Posts: 804
    I was curious about that too.. Worth it's weight in gold, plus it's value as a rare collectible. Kind of hard to guess it's value.
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