Collectible Action Figures
Is About Fun Memories And More Money
By Royce Armstrong
Superhero action
figures first stormed the doors of department stores and
toy stores nearly 35 years ago. Constructed of various
kinds of plastic and clothed in uniforms, costumes and
capes G.I. Joe, Superman, Spiderman, the Lone Ranger and
others marched, flew and rode off store shelves and into
our lives. After short stops under the Christmas tree or
at birthday parties, these action figures found their way
into toy boxes and playrooms around the
world.
These action
figures did their superhero work of incredible feats,
saving scores of lives and neutralizing villains. They
accomplished these heroic deeds on lazy summer afternoons
and rainy Saturday mornings in front of the TV set. Too
often, they also needed our help after school when we
were supposed to be doing homework.
These superheroes
were always our friends and they helped us through our
childhoods. They taught us to share, to value friendships
and that good will triumph over evil. Perhaps, most
importantly, they stretched our imaginations and made us
believe that anything was possible. These mighty action
figures were invincible to everything but time. Time
finally did them in. Or did it?
For more and more
people, these action figures are returning to superhero
status. The Star Trek crew along with Power Rangers, the
Star Wars characters and transformers are popping up in
offices, dens and family rooms everywhere. These action
figures have become collectibles.
The most popular
of these action figures include G.I. Joe, Captain Action,
the Six Million Dollar Man, the Lone Ranger and the Mego
line of action figures. These include characters from
Super Heroes, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Happy Days,
CHIPs, Monsters and others. There were literally hundreds
of different action figures produced during the decades
of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
The action figures
come in different sizes. Just as with other collectibles,
size, condition, original popularity and whether or not
the figure is readily available now all come together to
determine price. Prices are all over the board. Some of
these figures have been known to sell for thousands of
dollars. Others go for a few hundred. Most are in the $10
to $100 range.
Action Figures
Make Great Collectibles
How do you know
what to pay? There are a number of sources for current
price information for these action figures. One important
source is toy magazines such as “Toyfare” and “Lee’s
Action Figure News”. There are also dozens of websites
that have pricing information. More good sources are the
online auction sites, such as eBay.
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