Life is a little more chaotic than normal. I expect the chaos to continue to increase. For better or worse, I’m accepting of it.
There has been an unexpected side-effect from the chaos. There have been some amazing moments and inspirations. I had to share one moment.
My father helped coach our baseball team last year. I had to beg him to be careful. He got on the field and thought he was still playing age. I tried to remind him he was closer to being too old for coaching age. Obviously, he didn’t listen.
His greatest contribution to the team was playing “good cop.” One of the boys might have made a mental mistake and a coach would give him some grief. My dad would swoop in afterwards with words of encouragement. I always saw the value, but wondered if parents and kids saw it too.
I don’t know if the parents did, but it certainly meant something to the boys. I asked them to sign baseballs for Coach Mike’s battle with cancer. I was blown away with their earnest, heartfelt messages; my father even more so.
We get inundated with terrible stories. Even good stories have people anxious to rip them down. Having this special moment with the team and my dad will be something that I always cling to throughout my life.
There is a kind of funny footnote to the story. My dad wanted to tell the boys thank you so he came to the start of practice. Obviously he got choked-up and some tears started. It was kind of funny to watch a bunch of 12-year old boys figuring out what to do and where to look.
Ok, let’s change gears. Two weeks ago I conducted an Instagram experiment.
With the @uofmuscle Instagram account I try to post interesting and different M.U.S.C.L.E. stuff; plus nerdy stuff M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors might like. Good or bad I try to make it interesting.
Well, when I posted the Pocket Brawlers, Skreeee, and Fugtaro I wanted the awesome figures to get as much exposure as possible. I tried to take a decent picture and pick some good hashtags I don’t frequently use. As I was exploring some of the hashtags I was shocked by some of the “top” posts. How could some of those stupid pictures get so many “Likes?”
I decided to try my own simple experiment. There was the “nice” post with the three sets of figures. And then there was the “dull” post with zero meaning or effort. Would they get similar “Likes?”
Thankfully the “nice” post received twice the number of “Likes.”
I think I’m still horrified from UofMUSCLE having 340 Likes on Facebook and the WWE M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures having 991 Likes. 10 years of effort versus 10 minutes of effort. Absurd.
Is there anything on eBay?
– Here’s a nice lot that started at $0.99.
Ok. That was quick.
Above are our three previous AOTW winners. Let’s get right to this week’s AOTW Fatal Four-Way battle.
There are so many terrible single figure listings it can be difficult to select just one. The AOTW #1 made it easy. The have a “HTF Rare” Flesh #1 figure. It has a $15.40 BIN. Does that include free shipping? Of course not.
Has the AOTW #2 selected their price as a joke? Maybe. But it’s not a funny joke. There are 140 Flesh figures, and a worthless NES game, with a $420 BIN.
The Mattel Catalog is really a niche item. It has always hovered in the $50 to $100 range. The AOTW #3 decided that price range was stupid. This seller decided a $250 BIN was a better idea. Does that include free shipping? Of course not.
Finally, we have the AOTW #4. Do you love paying $3.13 per figure? Then this lot is for you with its $100 BIN. At least it includes free shipping. Oops. That’s incorrect. You have to pay for shipping too.
Cast your vote and crown the next AOTW Fatal-Four Way winner. Here are the four combatants:
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Remember to cast your vote and crown this week’s AOTW Fatal-Four Way winner:
[poll id=”86″]
There was sadness when our ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Fatal-Four Way Winner #1 was no longer selling her empty box.
We thought this was the fine image of our old friend.
It was painful to consider our journey was over. We watched as she started at $250. Unable to sell it, dropped down to $160. The drops continued: $149, $145, $139, $135, $125 and finally $120…for a beat-up, empty box.
When she did stop, we knew there was a zero-percent chance it actually sold. It is an empty box. M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors see crazy things, but this sale was simply impossible. Plus, there is no feedback posted by either party.
We now have irrefutable evidence the box did not sell. It has been relisted with a $150 BIN.
Oh dear lord. Some other dope has “bought” the box and there is feedback from the buyer this time. Interesting that the seller didn’t leave feedback.
I think there is zero percent chance this belt has actually sold. It will be relisted. Pay attention sellers, this winner perfectly demonstrate the level-of-asshole it takes to be an ULTIMATE champion. She truly is the ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Fatal-Four Way Winner #1.
Our inaugural champion has a very worthy companion.
The initial listing for the $3 figure was for $1500. The entire story was covered in AW #284. Apparently, there’s still a little more to add. The figure is STILL for sale with a $100 BIN.
This seller probably could be a repeat winner with their other listings.
An original SHA, with the head spur still attached, in the original Flesh color was sold for about $185. This seller is attempting to sell a yellow, headless version for $1,000. That is the level of commitment needed to become the 2nd ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Winner.
Sadly, it looks like our second champion has paused their grifting efforts. I do not see the figure for sale, nor do I see any feedback.
