UofMUSCLE.com – M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures from Mattel

The Satan Cross figure has been featured in Auction Watch several times in only a few months. Currently there are an additional three Satan Cross auctions on eBay. These three auctions are interesting for three separate reasons:

1. There is a single, damaged Satan Cross being sold.

2. There is a single Satan Cross being sold.

3. There is a Satan Cross being sold in a lot of Flesh figures.

The first auction, ending in less than 24 hours of this post, features the damaged Satan Cross figure. The auction, M.U.S.C.L.E. men Satancross Satans cross U.S. release, is commendable for being completely forthright in its description of the figure:

Satancross figure from the M.U.S.C.L.E. Men series. Figure is clean in good condition. Top of sword is detached from bottom of adjacent hand, and the spike on the top of his helmet has been bitten off. Marking on back says “Y/S.N.T”. Packing and Shipping will be $3.00

The seller could have easily attempted to hide this figure in a lot of other figures. It is refreshing to find a M.U.S.C.L.E. auction with an honest description from an honest seller.

It is difficult to estimate the final price of this auction. Satan Cross continues to inexplicably command unnecessarily higher prices. It is possible a few desperate buyers will feel this is their chance to “get a bargain” and accidentally drive the price up on each other – hopefully that does not happen. At $3.25 already it seems unlikely that a damaged Flesh figure should sell for much more than the current price. The final price of the damaged Satan Cross will be $6.25.

The second auction, ending in approximately 2 days of this post, features a single Satan Cross figure. The auction, M.U.S.C.L.E. Satan Cross figure, has certainly attempted to play into the hysteria surrounding this figure. The auction description states:

UP FOR AUCTION IS RARE, HARD TO FIND, POPULAR NON-POSTER #236 SATAN CROSS MUSCLE MAN FLESH IN COLOR. IT IS AN ORIGINAL M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN WITH Y.S.N.T. ON THE BACK. THIS GUY GOES FOR $35 AND UP. DONT WAIT ANY LONGER TO COMPLETE YOUR COLLECTION. BUY IT NOW AND GET FREE SHIPPING. THANKS FOR LOOKING AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.

The seller’s appealing to the buyers’ hysteria may be questionable but their feedback suggests little reason for real concern. Plus the addition of good pictures and fair shipping will only help to drive the price of this figure higher. The final price of the single Satan Cross will be $35.

The third auction, ending in approximately 4 days of this post, features a Satan Cross figure in a lot of 29 additional Flesh figures. The auction, RARE VINTAGE M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN ACTION FIGURE LOT MUSCLE, states very little in the auction description:

US BIDDERS ONLY PLEASE. THIS AUCTION IS FOR A HUGE LOT OF RARE VINTAGE M.U.S.C.L.E. PVC ACTION FIGURES, THEY ARE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION, AND THEY ARE FROM A SMOKE FREE HOME. THANKS FOR LOOKING AND GOOD LUCK BIDDING. DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS.

At a minimum the seller has stated the figures are from a smoke-free home, which is important to many buyers. Removing the smell of cigarette smoke from M.U.S.C.L.E. figures can be difficult. And while the previous auctions had sellers with simply perfect feedback, this seller’s feedback is certainly worth considering given the lack of description in the text. On the positive side, the seller did include several pictures of the figures – although there appears to be an odd shadow on the head of the Satan Cross figure. Hopefully it is only a shadow and not some type of damage to the figure.

It is worth noting that a #153 figure (the “Claw”) is one of the Flesh figures in the lot. A buyer may consider this figure to be worth slightly more than any other Flesh figure. Assuming the buyer values the Flesh figures at $0.50 per figure, the final price of the Satan Cross in the lot of Flesh figures, will be $41.50.

Follow-Up: All three auctions have ended with varying results.

The first auction sold for $17.50, which was $11.25 more than had been predicted. At nearly the same price as the undamaged Satan Cross in the second auction it does not seem to be a wonderful deal. This figure was likely purchased without reading the auction description. It was also easy for collectors to identify arforbes as the winning bidder. Knowing this collector’s history it would not be surprising to see this damaged Satan Cross appear on eBay down the road without a detailed description and potentially different eBay account.

The second auction ended with a final price of $26, this price was $13 lower than predicted. The seller’s attempt to suggest a $35 value may have worked against the final price.

The third auction is the most surprising. The final price was $61.60, which was $20.10 higher than predicted. It is difficult to understand the buyer’s rationale in this auction. There are several ways to examine the final price:

– If the buyer valued the other 29 figures at $0.50, then the Satan Cross was valued at $47.10.

– If the buyer valued the other 29 figures at $0.75, then the Satan Cross was valued at $39.85

– If the buyer valued the other 29 figures at $1.00, then the Satan Cross was valued at $32.60

– If the buyer valued the other 29 figures at $1.50, then the Satan Cross was valued at $18.10.