Where to next?

[JesseVader08]

I guess it's only been a month or so since you started this thread Brent, but have you had any further thoughts on "where to next?"

Or is this a decision to be delayed until after the move?

[Morgbug]

Yeah, I kind of have decided and I'm kind of being very slow about buying stuff.  Well, slow for me anyway

I'm definitely branching out and watching most of the areas I mentioned.  Those include:

trilogo figures
general carded figures
playsets
mini-rigs
vehicles

 

Yeah, I made a decision.  Basically I'm in research mode right now, trying to get a good handle on the current prices as they cruise along.  If a piece looks nice and the seller has decent feedback plus the item price stays low, then I'll buy. 

Thus far most of the vehicles have gone fairly high compared to what I was thinking.  Part of the problem is I want the boxes in nice shape (shelf wear and some creases are fine, but no major damage), POP intact and the cardboard inserts as well.  I did pick up a nice Star Wars boxed basic X-wing in good shape several weeks ago.  It came with a nice recarded Luke pilot and I got it for about $45.  The Luke is an upgrade to the crappy figure I currently have.  But the recard is quite nice too. 

I posted the link in the other thread (recent purchases) of the trilogo Rancor Keeper I grabbed cheap and I'll keep doing that.  I really like the trilogo cardback and have about 10 figures so far.  The real drawback for me will come when I have to get the rares (last 17, Madine, Fett) on that cardback

For general cards, I'd almost like to get a full set of 12 backs at some point, but I'll be patient.  I've been watching lots of auctions and they are all currently well outside what I want to pay (though they aren't unrealistic prices, I'm just cheap).  I also wouldn't mind getting the figures on the original cardback they were released on but I'll see.  I may just settle for having each figure carded on some cardback.  That would eliminate paying a grand sum for Madine on trilogo. 

Playsets are neat and I'm treating them like vehicles.  I want complete, nice boxes with inserts.  Some are really pricey, some not so much.  Neat stuff, but I think between these and the vehicles I'm going to unload a chunk of the modern playsets and vehicles in favor of displaying these.  I'll still keep many of the vehicles I have, but only in the OTC window box packages or the POTJ AT-ST for example.

The mini-rigs are, for the most part, quite inexpensive and numerous on ebay, so I expect I'll finish those first.  I've bought a couple already but I'm waiting for them to arrive to determine whether I got a good deal or not.  They are supposedly brand new, never removed though the boxes aren't sealed.  We'll see.  I paid a little more than the going rate for loose with box but no insert.  I might have acquired something nice, I might not have.  Seller was pretty decent guy though, so I'm optimistic.

I've bid on a couple of DT Lukes as well, but no joy there

[JesseVader08]

I'm just curious, when you refer to trilogo, do you mean the European releases, or do you mean Canadian?  Sometimes I get a little confused because I've seen the term use interchangeably.   

[Morgbug]

That's understandable Jesse.  But there is a considerable difference between the vintage and modern stuff. 

Modern trilogo's like you and I are used to in Canada are quite different.  But forget modern for the moment.  When you consider Canadian carded vintage Star Wars figures, I believe they were only bilingual.  Vintage trilogo cards were primarily released overseas, in Europe I believe. 

This picture exemplifies the card style I refer to as trilogo when I'm talking about vintage.  I consider it to be quite dramatically different from the other styles.  I find it quite appealing too and there's a certain appeal because like you, I've collected modern in Canada and get fairly annoyed when US collectors turn their noses up at our modern trilogo figures.  Fine, I'll go out and collect foreign cards then

Part of my love of trilogo's stems from the first vintage carded figure I won on ebay.  I had just started collecting vintage loose and was looking at some auctions on ebay when I stumbled across a biker scout carded.  It looked cool and really different from the regular vintage stuff I'd seen as a kid (and never bought).  I had a fair chunk of change at the time from selling my vintage hot wheels.  I put in a bid a little under $25 and walked away thinking I wouldn't win.  But I did.  It arrived and it was bloody pristine   Colours were dramatic, card was as clean as anything I see in stores these days and the bubble was perfect.  Everything was so great, I sent some pictures to Dale because I thought it was a recard.  Turns out it wasn't and I was pretty much hooked. 

Trilogo's are also interesting because every figure has been released on that particular cardback.  The logo's correspond to the movie that the figure was released during.  Unfortunately though, some of the trilogo's are considerably rarer than their regular vintage carded counterparts and command rather frightening premiums.  I believe Madine is a good example.  But Yakface is a reasonable example as well.  A couple of not so beautiful carded Yaks went for around $200-300 in the past couple of weeks.  Roughly the same range as a 12-back on regular US card.  Pristine carded (not AFA-ptui) versions command much higher values. 

At least that's what I think I know about them for now.  There are much more vintagey guys around here that can correct any errors I've made.

[CorranHorn]

Just to point out a couple things on the Tri-Logos. They were the line that followed the ROTJ line in most European countries (assuming they had the ROTJ line) and not everything was done in the most efficient manner. There are many instances of figures being packaged with the wrong weapons, so if you're a stickler for such things, keep an eye peeled there. Also I believe Tri-Logos are more likely to have figures put on the wrong cards than any of the other types of carded figures out there. Oh and just to clear up a small point, Tri-Logos only have the ROTJ logo on them, if you see a Tri-Logo card with "A New Hope" or "Empire Strikes Back" on it, it's a custom cardback.

[Morgbug]

Oh and just to clear up a small point, Tri-Logos only have the ROTJ logo on them, if you see a Tri-Logo card with "A New Hope" or "Empire Strikes Back" on it, it's a custom cardback.

 

I did not know that, thank you.

[CorranHorn]

Oh and just to clear up a small point, Tri-Logos only have the ROTJ logo on them, if you see a Tri-Logo card with "A New Hope" or "Empire Strikes Back" on it, it's a custom cardback.

 

I did not know that, thank you.

No sweat, sadly there are unscrupulous ******** out there who would take advantage of people using a custom cardback that was meant for personal use...

[JesseVader08]

Some great info there guys, thanks.   

I can totally understand your interest to collect the Trilogo cards for their "uniqueness".  Sure, it would likely be easier and cheaper to collect the US cards, but it's always fun to do something a little different.  That's why I want to collect only Canadian carded figures - just a little different than the "norm".

[Andy_R]

Some more things to add about tri-logos. 
Not every figure was released on a tri-logo card.  The four Cantina creatures as well as one or two others (Death Squad Commander I think) were never found on tri-logos.
The two rarest tri-logo figures are General Madine and Jawa.  No other figure comes close to their rarity.  Emperor's Royal Guard is somewhat hard to find, but nothing compared to Madine and Jawa. 

Also, tri-logos were released in the U.S.  I had many as a kid. 

A few years ago, Tom Derby put together a complete set of C9+ tri-logos.
I believe he was asking $30,000. 

Good luck,
Andy