There are thousands upon thousands of action figures out there. Heck, Star Wars alone could easily fill several rooms floor-to-ceiling without any doubles. This raises the question: what kind of action figures are worth money? The full answer is incredibly complex, but one short answer is “ones not sold in stores”.
The Vintage: Mail Away Action Figures
Fun Fact: The original Hooded Cobra Commander figure was never sold in stores.
Among the earliest “Not-Sold-In-Stores” action figures are the Star Wars Early Bird Figures by Kenner. We’ve written about this before, but Kenner didn’t have Star Wars toys ready in time for Christmas of 1977. They instead sold certificates you could mail-in to receive the first toys off the production line. They were mailed directly to the consumer, sealed in plastic baggies rather than on blister cards. This unique venture saved their bacon that holiday season and set the tone for mail away figures into the 1980s.
The most common method for “paying for” these mail away offers was with proofs of purchase. Simply clip bar codes/stamps from some new toys, mail them to manufacturer, and voila – you’re the first kid on your block to own Boba Fett! The G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line made extensive use of this scheme, famously using it for celebrity guests William “The Refrigerator” Perry and Sgt. Slaughter. That said, many toymakers used mail away offers to release key characters that just weren’t very toyetic. Notable examples from the 1980s include Star Wars’ Emperor Palpatine, the robe-clad mummy version of ThunderCats enemy Mumm-Ra, and Superman’s mild-mannered alter ego Clark Kent.
This format fell out of favor in the 1990s, at least for products marketed to kids. Most issues of the magazine ToyFare, geared towards adult collectors, offered its readers some kind of mail-in deal. Fans bought these figures with cash rather than clipped bard codes, but the general idea was the same – right down to shipping in generic boxes and plastic baggies.
This San Diego Comic Con Legion of Super-Heroes 14 figure set would have gone clearance at Target but sold out at the con!
The Modern: Convention and Online Exclusives
As the adult collector market ramped up, toymakers took notice. For over twenty years, giants like Hasbro and Mattel have been creating exclusive entries into their iconic brands to sell directly to fans at conventions. These limited edition toys sell out fast and are highly prized among collector communities. They’re also a ripe target for resellers, peaking in price right after the convention as profit-minded buyers offload them to folks who didn’t get a chance at the first run. While that price does fall, these figures will remain sought-after collector’s items as long as those brands have fans.
The internet brought new ways for toymakers to sell their ways directly to collectors. From 2008 to 2016, Mattel’s He-Man & She-Ra brands existed solely as the Masters of the Universe Classics line. MOTUC figures were exclusive to the Matty Collector website and directed at the hardest of hardcore He-Fans and She-Ravers. Mattel granted fan-favorite cartoon character their first ever action figures, produced unmade prototypes and pitches from the 80s, and just generally left folks who weren’t really into MOTU lore somewhat confused. Mattel’s ability to go so wild came from selling in limited quantity, directly to fans.
Fun Fact: The Star Sisters never made it past the prototype stage in the 80s, despite a cartoon appearance.
While Matty Collector is no longer around, many toymakers still have fan-focused brands. Mattel Creations, Hasbro Pulse, LEGO Ideas, and other collector-focused website allow fans input on what limited edition toys they want to see. Popular ones can sell out even before the preorder period is done!
Why Exclusive Toys Are Worth More
The original hooded Cobra Commander figure was sold as a mail away exclusive for six years. He’s still highly valued figure among collectors. The figure certainly isn’t “limited” in the same way as a convention exclusive, so why is that? Because the more work it takes to get something, the fewer people are going to do it. It doesn’t matter if that means mailing in proofs of purchase, physically attending a convention, or visiting a special website. Even if the quantities aren’t “limited” in the traditional sense, they’ll always be limited in that sense.
But how do you ID those figures in a collection? Two ways: careful research or through experience. We’ve got the latter, and we’d love to put that experience to work for you! When you’re ready to part with your collection, be sure to drop us a line. And if you ever have a comment or question, hit us up below or on socials @b2pcollect!
