And now, here's the rest of the story...
I was hoping to land these for $60ish or less to take them all home (pipe dream I know). Again, my cash on hand was $1400 - I wasn't going to spend crazy, but I didn't want to leave empty handed either. I really wanted to get the four Cantina Aliens on SW cards (I have Greedo and Snags, but on other movie cards), and I was hoping to get C3PO and R2 as well, since I don't have either of those. I have most of the others on ROTJ or Empire cards, but would trade them out for SW banners even with the POP missing.
Around 7:30 Lot #166 comes up for bidding. There was a lot of excitement and talk beforehand about the figures - the auctioneer said it was hard not to revert to his 10 year old self and tear into them. I should add that the auction house takes online bids, but with a mark-up of 16% for online bidders (plus tax). It goes so fast, I'm not sure how well online would work anyway, but a handful of these did sell that way.
Anyhow, The bidding shot up to $150 right away (bidding goes by increments of $5 until $100, then it goes by $10), but I really wanted that
GREEDO and was determined to go home with at least a few of these. I bid $160 and won him, at which point they just walk him right over to you and move to the next auction. Mixed emotions to kick things off - I was happy to get Greedo and the bidding process is pretty exciting, but I knew right then that I would only be going home with a few figures at those prices. Keep in mind there is a 17% upcharge beyond the final bid.
WALRUS MAN went a few lots later (they did a good job spacing them 4 lots apart to give bidders some time to think). I scored him for just $110 - more than I originally wanted, but a deal next to Greedo. Once I had two of them, I knew I had to grab the last two aliens from the set. Here's how the rest shook out...
Power Droid ($95) - Did not bid. There was a 1/4" tear near the bubble. I have him on a ROTJ card and needed to felt like I needed to save money for others.
DEATH STAR DROID ($95) - WON! He was on a minty card and bubble, so couldn't resist him on an original card
R5-D4 ($95) - WON! I got caught up in this one. I have him on a ROTJ card, but got sucked in by the original 21. His POP is half behind the bubble and I didn't notice the cut went all the way through about 1/4" to the front until after I bought him. Not awful, but I would have rather stuck that money elsewhere knowing how everything shook out.
Hammerhead ($100) - WON! This is the one I was worried about. I figured he was going to be as popular as Greedo, so very happy to get him for considerably less. However, at this point I'd already spent $560 ($655 with fees & tax) - nearly half my budget. I decided to slow up a bit.
Tusken Raider ($100) - I bid him up a little, but the bubble was dented along the top and I already have him carded. Pass.
Jawa ($100) - This one was very tempting on a 20-back Fett card, but the card was really warped in three different directions. In hindsight, I might have swapped my R5 for the Jawa, but it's another figure I already have on a really nice Jedi card.
Death Squad Commander $150 - DSC was on a 12-back and pretty high on my list. I have one, but not on a great card. I bid him up a ways, but had to stop once he reached $150.
Snaggletooth $95 - WON! I completed my set of four aliens and he was the cheapest of the bunch. Great card and bubble - I was feeling pretty happy at this point.
Stormtrooper ($100) - WON! I'm happy with this one, but it was really something of an accidental win. I have 4 vintage carded stormies already (SW, ESB, ROTJ, & POTF), so I really didn't need a 5th. That said, I don't have a 20-back Fett offer Stormie (or any Fett Offer cards actually), so it will be cool to display him with the rest. I was really just bidding him up, expecting him to go in the $150 range like the DSC. When the bidding stopped at $100, I was excited to get him, but frankly a little worried about my budget. This put me at $880 with fees and a lot of great figures to go.
Darth Vader ($140) - Vader is another character that I already have multiple cards of. He was tempting up to $100, but I stopped there. This was an offerless 21-back and I have a 12-back already. Better to drain the other bidders at this point.
Obi-Wan Kenobi ($160) - if I have a regret from that night, it is not testing $170 for Ben. The bubble was cherry mint and the card was actually unpunched! I have a Ben (again on a Jedi card), but this was a really nice piece and a 20-back Fett offer as well.
C-3PO ($170) - WON! This was the most paid thus far and received a lot of attention when it sold. He's a on a 12-back card and really minty, so while it was expensive, I'm happy with him.
R2-D2 ($150) - WON! I was willing to go to $170 on this one as well. He's on a 21-back, but everyone (including me) failed to notice that his POP was not removed! I didn't notice until I bought him, so was pleasantly surprised. With fees and taxes I had spent about $1260 by now, so I was either going to get a figure for around $100 or be done for the night.
Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot ($140) - This was a great card and bubble, but I just bought an Empire carded one a few weeks prior for $35. Just couldn't justify buying a second and my funds were depleted.
Princess Leia ($230) - Great 21-back card, but out of my price range.
Luke Skywalker ($180) - Great 21-back card, but out of my price range.
Luke Skywalker ($140) - Fett Offer, 20-back card, but this one has the POP cut straight through. Pass.
Han Solo ($300) - This was a really nice 12-back, but way over priced IMO. He was the large head version and the card was solid, but that's a lot of money with the POP removed. I think a few guys saved up and were duking this one out.
Chewbacca ($120) - I think I actually could have swung this one for $130, so a little dissappointed I didn't go higher and nab an even ten. But at this point I decided to just save a few bucks and be happy with what I found.
So let me know what you think of my haul. I ended up shelling out about $140 per figure, which is higher than I hoped, but still good prices IMO. Outside of my winnings, my favorite part of the night was the sale of a box of loose SW/GI Joe/Assorted figures. A dad brought his (10yo?) son in and let him bid on it. He nervously bid, but won it for $27.50 and was elated. Pretty cool father/son experience.
Pictures of the figs I won to follow...
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