The first auction, M.U.S.C.L.E. Muscle Men Vending Capsule Toy Kinnikuman Lot, started at $0.99 and features a lot of 10 very interesting counterfeit figures. For this type of figure this is quite a sizable lot.
Like most counterfeit figures beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These figures are special because of their insanely limited and almost inconsequential paint applications. The Red and Green colors are some of the most common; the other colors are not as common – but far from a “rarity.”
This nice little collection will probably drive the price higher than most collectors would expect. The final price of the first auction will be $25.50.
The second auction, Musclemania 5 Stretchy Figures 1980s M.U.S.C.L.E, are not technically M.U.S.C.L.E. figures but are an interesting piece of M.U.S.C.L.E. history. The five figures are MUSCLEMANIA figures and, like the aforementioned counterfeit figures, have a very, very passionate niche of collectors.
These five figures (Red #3 and #6, Green #7 and #12, and Dark Blue #9) are all part of the “core” 12 figures which are the most well-known figures. These figures are also the softer versions, which make for more difficult display. These two main factors will probably hurt the final price of the auction, but the auction descriptions mention of “The University of Muscle” is likely to inspire bidders (ok, maybe not).
The final price of the second auction will be $12.50.
The third auction, M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN Sealed Garbage Pail 10 Pack 1980s Toys Mint!, features a Flesh 10-pack which is easily the most desirable of the 10-packs among collectors. Sadly these auctions tend to feature sill opening bids or astronomical Buy-It-Now prices. Thankfully this 10-pack auction featured a $0.01 opening bid and free shipping.
This decision guarantees not only a quick sale, but the largest possible buying audience. That bidding audience is also likely to get caught up in the gaming aspect and bid past what they might normally pay in a sale – which means the best price for the seller.
The seller might not get the comical astronomical price, but they will probably get pretty close and not have to wait weeks or months for an uninformed and/or impatient buyer. The final price of the third auction will be $56.50.
The fourth and final auction, MUSCLES Figure Lot x15 Assorted Random Army Ants Monsters Custom EUC, is likely to cause most collectors to smile.
The seller seems to be listed the lost without any special attention to the very recent, very specific custom figures included in the lot (e.g., Hell Turtle) or the Frankenstein-like Amalgam figure. For any person to end up with these figures they would need to have much more knowledge about mini-figures – unless they were stolen and are now being sold on eBay.
With a starting price of $9.99, and even with a current price of $60, the lot is a great deal for collectors. The lot may climb higher, if some of the other figures have a value higher than two dollars each, otherwise it should end near the current $60 price.
The final price of the fourth auction will be $62.50.
Given that the final auction features the work of popular mini-figure creators, be sure to support their ongoing work. Be sure to check out, and spend your money with, Eric Nilla, Namu Niku, and IRONHAUS Productions.
