Monday, October 10, 2005
Lesson 4: Know what to collect /Exclusives/Variants/
Most people will probably give you one of two answers when they answer your question, "What do you collect?" The first answer is usually, "I only collect what I want...what I like." The second answer is typically, "I'm want each, the whole assortment, collection, every figure in the line, etc..." I agree with the many who believe that there is no right or wrong way to collect, but if you look at this from a value standpoint the collector who wants one of everything is going to come out ahead. LMX... The collector, which only buys their favorites, may miss out on exclusive limited edition pieces as well as variants.
Exclusives are pieces which are usually made in a limited number from the rest of the pieces in a line. Often these are available at a single retailer, and for a limited time. Limited = greater potenial value. One such peice was the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader. Only 50,000 were made, and each store only received a few dozen, of which sold quickly. Having missed this early season release, when it retailed for $12.99 at the time, I wound up purchasing mine from an on-line auction for $40.00. Upon selling out at Target after the initial release, this particular figure sold for well over $100 in on-line aucitons.
Variants are generally one of two things. A (1)planned repaint or reworking of a piece, or a (2)mistake made in the piece, occuring in production. An example of the first is figure no.34, the clone pilot. Refered to as a common "peg warmer" by collectors, store employees and scalpers. Stores often had dozens of this figure, as shoppers just didn't seem too interested in it. So what does Hasbo do? They issue a repaint of this figure that is almost entirely black. It looks good, people buy it, and then they go back and buy the original painting of the figure to have it along with the repaint/variant.
Informed of these "rule of buying" by other collectors, I have attained the following Exclusives and Variants thus far:
Exclusives
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/palpatin35.jpg
Exclusives are pieces which are usually made in a limited number from the rest of the pieces in a line. Often these are available at a single retailer, and for a limited time. Limited = greater potenial value. One such peice was the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader. Only 50,000 were made, and each store only received a few dozen, of which sold quickly. Having missed this early season release, when it retailed for $12.99 at the time, I wound up purchasing mine from an on-line auction for $40.00. Upon selling out at Target after the initial release, this particular figure sold for well over $100 in on-line aucitons.
Variants are generally one of two things. A (1)planned repaint or reworking of a piece, or a (2)mistake made in the piece, occuring in production. An example of the first is figure no.34, the clone pilot. Refered to as a common "peg warmer" by collectors, store employees and scalpers. Stores often had dozens of this figure, as shoppers just didn't seem too interested in it. So what does Hasbo do? They issue a repaint of this figure that is almost entirely black. It looks good, people buy it, and then they go back and buy the original painting of the figure to have it along with the repaint/variant.
Informed of these "rule of buying" by other collectors, I have attained the following Exclusives and Variants thus far:
Exclusives
- Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader
- Target Exclusive Clone Trooper
- Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Anakin
- Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Target Exclusive Plo Koon Starfighter
- Toys R Us Exclusive Holographic Yoda
- Exclusive multi-figure Battlepacks for TRU, Target and K-Mart
- Clone Trooper no.6 (have both white and reissue variant/red stipes)
- Royal Guard no.23 (have both blue and red)
- Clone Commander no.33 (have both red and green repaint)
- Clone Pilot figure no.34 (have black repaint)
- Palpatine figure no.35 (have blue lightsaber 'wrong color')
- Wookie Heavy Gunner figure no.68 (side of package displays no.64)
- Clone Trooper Evolution Pack (Mispelling of Republic as "Rebublic")
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/palpatin35.jpg
