Action Figure Resource Magazine February 2016 | Page 4

The AFR Survivors

Guide to Collecting

How to Predict What Will Be Collectible?
Last month we took a look at the history and evolution of the
action figure. Today ‘m going to talk to you about what
exactly makes a figure collectible (or not!)
You see, people often ask me how I know if something is
going to be collectible or not?
Well, to be honest I would say 705 of it is pure gut feeling and
about 30% of it is an educated guess, however both of these
are heavily influenced by my experience and knowledge of
the business.
You see, I’ve been in this business for more than 15 years,
both offline and online, as a trader and this “being” in touch
with the grass roots collectors and consumer means I’ve had
my finger pretty much on the pulse.
But I’ve also been an avid collector since childhood and spent
hours of fun with my Action Men and Steve Austen figures in
the 70’s and my MOTU and TNMT later on.
The best piece of advice I can give you is to remember that:
“Today’s toys are tomorrow’s collectibles”
But let me clarify what I mean by that for you;
Look around you.
What are the kids into NOW? And I don’t mean what they are
collecting, but what are they PLAYING with?
What has captured their imaginations?
What games, cartoons, and comic books do they hunger for?
What is it their parents are queuing up for outside the stores
come Christmas?
It is these things that are likely to become the collectibles of
the future, the things that will still be selling in another 10-20
years.
Why?
Simply, because the market is driven by nostalgia.
If you take a good look at todays most valuable and
collectible items they’re generally what were popular when
we were kids (or at least when I was a kid!).