We have been busy with work and other projects. There has been several Marx Johnny Ringo Figures that have been offered for sale. Despite the number that come up the price is still high.
Speaking on prices, I get from collectors and see myself prices on items that you want to say are you serious. The latest is a Marx Captain Gallant display board, which the price is $25,000.00. Let me repeat the price again $25,000.00. You hope that the person made a mistake. If not the person is going to have to a long wait for that price. We will have to see.
Next major shows that we will be at are Allentown Toy Show and 29th Annual East Coast Toy Soldier Show. The Allentown Toy Show will be on November 5th. I will be there alone as Laurie has to work that day. I no longer have a table so I will come in with the other customers. Likewise Laurie and I will be with the main crowd at the East Coast Toy Soldier Show which is on November 6. This is a great show with a wide selection of plastic and metal. We are always finding items for the collection and resale. The show is in Hackensack New Jersey.
Alas, the current version of Johnny Ringo on e-bay is slightly damaged, someone chewed the gun and he is slightly damaged on one foot, still when I looked the bid’s were over $500.00. Not bad at all, even I didn’t have to eat I might bid.
Hi Ed
I was told about the Johnny Ringo you mentioned and figured it would be at $500.00. Personally it is too rich for my blood. I happier with a figure I bought for a dollar than buy something like that I would have to keep under glass and worry about my investment.
That’s cheap though, he normally goes for over a grand. I suppose if his gun wasn’t chewed he’d go over that amount too. Even if I had the cash, I’d hesitate on spending $1,000.00 for one small plastic figure. Just think in 25 years when all us baby boomers are dead and gone, he’ll end up in a 25 cent box at someone’s garage sale.
Hi Ed
I can not agree with you more with your comment. I agree if he was prefect he would be in the 1,000.00 price range. I agree paying a thousand dollars is too much. I learn long ago I have just as much enjoyment with a $.10 figure as a thousand dollar figure. If I had a Johnny Ringo he would have to be stored carefully so he did not get damaged.
I can remember the Johnny Ringo figure selling for $1600.00 not that long ago!!
I’d love to have one in mint shape, but I share Mr. Borris’ concern that some day he’ll be back to 25 cents in someone’s garage sale.. No guarantee that I can re-sell him to get my money back on some rainy day. Too bad that the really good sets and figures that the hobby offers are now reserved for those with a lot of money and no longer for the average guy like me.
Hi Andy
If Johnny Ringo is now selling for $1000.00 instead of $1600.00 it tells us something. The demand is going down. The people who would pay $1600.00 plus are gone now what are left are $1000.00 buyer. The thousand dollar buyers will be replace with the $750.00 buyers and so forth as more show up. Second the economy is making people retrench. I just saw Val Kilmer had to sell land for $18 million which he had priced at $33 million a few years ago. He still made out but less than he hoped. Final there is always the possiblity that more will pop out the Marx landfills or the mold might be in a foreign country and run. I have somewhere in the collection Rip Masters in a translucent blue. I picked it up from a German toy soldier dealer back at least 25 years ago. This dealer had connections in South America. He never showed up with any more and he passed away many years ago. Since then I have seen a picture of the Jim Hardy figure in red. So who knows if the Johnny ringo mold exists or not. We will just have to sit back and watch.
I saw a South American dealer recently hawking a red Rusty figure. He had a $150.00 buy it now on it, but I couldn’t verify that it was original. I was tempted anyway, but it reminded me of some of those Marx in Mexico figures colors. Where a red one could have come from is anybody’s guess. I’v seen the cavalry in quite a few different colors, mold shots I guess, but never bright red like this one.
Ed
I am not surprise that the South America odd color Marx figure showed up on Ebay. I would classify it as a reissue unless proper documentation showed otherwise. (When I mean prpoper documention physical paper docmentation such as a catalog that it was sold by Marx.) Marx did have a factory in Mexico and I have seen a box set of the African natives with Marx box from Mexico.
I have seen the Marx 60mm in Tan, light blue and steel blue. Mark Hegeman may have some other colors. The reissues of the seventh cavalry were only done in a blue.
I got some some 60mm cavalry in red brown, and a single brown from Jim Mc Cough mold shots I believe and I got a couple in a strange color I can’t even describe from Rick Kellar that came out of the dump. I even got sum in gray that used to be tan until they spent 50 years in the West Virginia soil. I’ve even a yellow, but never red. If he was $50.00 I would have jumped, but $150.00 is getting serious.
It is interesting what different colors come up. I saw in an auction from Canada on Ebay Marx 60mm fairy tales figures in red and a dark blue.
The price for Rusty I agree is one that makes you stop and think do I want to go that high?
Yeah, who can afford $5,000.00 for a Wagon Train? I don’t even like that set, the wagons are out of scale and most of the figures are common to other sets in different colors. How rare can they be anyway, everytime I turn around it seems like someone is opening a MIB unopened set.
Ed
I agree the prices on playset like Wagon Train are high. The playset prices have been high except when the Marx warehouse was opened. I gave up trying to buy playsets long ago for myself. I have been amazed how people are willing to pay for different color wagons. I heard that there was a sale on Ebay on Wagon Train wagons and they went for silly money. It is better to take that $5000.00 and put it thousands of pieces and have fun. I have said do not look at your figures as investment but fun.
Had to laugh at Ed’s comment: “How rare can they be anyway, everytime I turn around it seems like someone is opening a MIB unopened set.”
Wonder where these things are hidden – certainly nowhere that I know!!!
I know a certain collector who shall remain nameless that still has 14 Marx sets unopened. It’s easy to figure out who it is because he’s opened previoulsy unopened sets at the last 4 OTSN’s that I know of. I hear they come from the estate of Tom Terry.
I look at a person who has a sealed playset same as the person who has a bottle of fine wine they have not open. They are not enjoying their treasure. To them it is an acquistion. My collecting centers around figures I like. I still remember one of my additions to the collections was a British solder kneeling with a submachine gun at a London Toy Soldier Show. I paid 10 pence or $.16. I recently got some of the Heritage Toy figure swapable Robin Hood Merrymen. when I opened the box I started to think how I could incorporate them with my Marx 54mm Robin hood and other similar figures do a story with Robin Hood. The Heritage Toy figures were not cheap at $8.00 each, but their play ablity will make up for that.
Just checked, and chewed Johnny Ringo sold on eBay for $510.00.
$510.00 for a DAMAGED plastic figure??
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Johnny-Ringo-Marx-playset-figure-Cream-Color-4-Star-Productions-Look-/160662450998?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25683a7336
Andy
What should be noted is that there were at least two people bidding the figure up.
Good point, Stad. Looks like “i***i” could have gotten him for $200 if “d****” and he didn’t battle it out to “d*****” winning for $510. Still wonder though if even $200 isn’t high for a damaged figure?? Guess it’s all relative??
Good point, that’s a lot, but might be worth it just to have one, I have no other chance. No way I’d ever go 1,500.00 for one plastic figure, just can’t justify it in my mind. I had trouble rationalizing $350.00 for Horrible Hamilton.
Ed, as you may already know, Larry Patterson at http://pandpmilitaryminiatures.com/ offers a convincing resin copy of Johnny Ringo for $50. I have one, but it “ain’t” a “real” old marx J.R.; then again – it didn’t cost $1000 or more, either. He looks “real” in my display case.
Ed I know how it is to rationalize some purchases. I look at a personal purchase several ways. What I pay I dollar cost average in my mind. I may have paid $50.00 for a figure, but I can offset it with the figures I bought for $5.00 and $10.00 or even less. Second how easy s that figure to get. I recently went to $150.00 for the Bridge from the River Kwai done by Jescan of Spain. I went that high because I had only the playset offered once in Spain and it did not include the bridge. I tried for it and did not get it. The Marx Johnny Ringo several have pop out this year and I will not bid on it. The $1,500.00 canbe used other places.
Yes Andy in an auction it is all relative. I have gotten some great items for next to nothing as no one else was bidding. Then I have been in some bidding wars if I did not have the stop limit I would have payed silly money. The key is to put a stop limit on what you are going to pay.
I do have a copy of Johnny Ringo made by Larry. I bought him years ago. He also makes a riding figure for Johnny. He makes quite a few copies of Marx character figures. I have made a number of purchases from him over the years. He does Custer too.
I’m waiting for them to find the vein of Johnny Ringo figures at one of the dump sites, maybe the price will go down. Of course if they are smart they’d sell them one at a time until someone catches on. Maybe release one every 6 months or so.
I’ll see Rick Kellar this Sunday at the Kane County Antique Toy Show and see if he is still getting dump figures.
What are peoples’ thoughts on “dump stuff”??
I have a few figures that I got here & there that look like they’re from the dump – rust stains, funny discolorations, funny smell.. I’m under the impression that they’re not really worth too much. But, then again, prices seem to have really fallen over the last few years for most Marx stuff except MIB playsets or super rare figures. Seems like extra pieces I have to sell aren’t worth much on eBay and things I really want are still going for a lot!!!!
Ed
Let us know how Kane County was. I remember people telling how great it was years ago. I almost got there years ago. I was going to go out with a group of friends and stay with with a friend who was in “Home Alone”. That fell through when the friend was replaced in the film because Joe Pesci wanted his buddy instead.
At one time it was an excellent show, lately toy soldiers are harder to find. There are still some of the regular dealers who attend and you can still periodically find a really good buy, so I keep coming back. Fortunately. the dolls are kept in a separate building, so you can avoid them. If you like GI Joe and Star Wars you have plenty to choose from. It’s only 30 minutes from where I live and Ron Barzso is a regular attendee, not as a seller though. I’ll let you know how this one goes.
My better items:
1 mint Flint McCullough – $10.00
51 in good shape Gibbs Custer figures $15.00
10 Hamiltons Invaders GI’s – $10.00
1- Painted Conte Valhalla awaits – $5.00
1 – Metal Custer figure maker unknown resembles Ron Walls Custer only larger.
8-Ron Wall Custer figures $50.00 ( no box)
Ed
We will appreciated your report on Kane County.
Kane County:
It was a nice warm day in the Chicago area and the crowd seemed larger then normal.
Saw some of the usual suspects, Gary Linden, Joe Seine and Don Pielin to name a few, and he may have been there but I didn’t see him, so Rick Keller seemed absent at least to me.
The show was loaded with GI Joe, Star Wars and making an appearence this year comic books in abundance.
Plastic for sale seemed to be up too, saw Three Zorro sets for sale, numerous Fort Apaches including one Rin Tin Tin with the 54mm cavalry. One dealer had numerous Marx character figures for sale, but his prices seemed way too high to me. He had one of the Zorro sets, but no box and he wanted $650.00.
My first purchase of the day was 8 60mm cavalry figures all in excellent condition in metallic blue and three 60mm Indians for $30.00, seemed like a good price to me. He had numerous bags of plastic figures marked at $5.00 a bag, but many of the figures seemed to be MPC and China knock offs, so I passed on those.
There were numeroud hard to find items like the Battle Wagon and the Atomic Cannon on hand, the asking price was $250.00 for the battle Wagon and $200.00 for the Atomic Cannon.
The highlight of the show for me was one collector who had an Elastolin Castle for sale that caught my attention, but what really grabbed my interest was the three Marx miniature sets he had, 2 were the hard to find Guerilla Warfare and One Charge of the Light set in the larger brown box. The real kicker was as I soon discovered were that both of the Guerilla Warfare sets had all the figures and the accesories in unopened bags and the asking price was $350.00 apiece. Neither of the boxes were in great shape though one in a c5 to c6 range while the other was probably a c3 or c4. This was really early in my stops, so I moved on. However, the sets never left my mind.
After checking out the wares of all the other dealers, I settled on a junk box for $50.00 that contained probably 250 figures. Among the figures were a number of Michael figures and horses I believe that’s the name, I think they are French made, and I recently purchased a cowboy of the same sort from you. Unfortunately, the two cowboys and one of the two Indians were broken, but there were six unbroken horses including two Indian ponies and a bucking western horse. Also present in the box were a host of Marx Super Circus figures with some accessories and animals. Included were some 60mm cowboys from the Western Town and various other Marx figures.
AFter finishing my rounds I went back to the dealer with the Marx miniature sets and picked up the best Guerilla Warfare set for $325.00. I also picked up his card and was delighted to see he is a local dealer, so I may be paying him a visit soon. I think I can turn that set around rather quickly for a nice profit, look for it real soon on an e-bay near you.
All in all I think the show was much better then it has been in a long time and I can hardly wait until spring to see what comes up next time around. I had been getting down on this show, but this last one has caused me to regain my enthusiasm.
Ed
Thank you for the post on the Kane county show. The French figures you got are Michel which was Starlux’s cheap line. The cowboys and Indians are the most common of the the line to find over here. They also did pirates and army in the Michel line. The French collectors are interested all of the Michel line. Great score on your Guerilla Warfare it is shame the Vietcong were not done in 60mm.
You just need one show to pick up your enthuisiam.
Other then the fact that the cream figures turn gray, the ones I have you really couldn’t tell the difference once they are cleaned up. Some turn different colors for sure.
The weirdest think I have noticed is that the gray 60mm cavlary I have that were once cream do not float.
Ed
That is interesting that they will not float. I guess it is the addition of the chemical reaction that gives the weight.
Now if I only knew some French collecters. The horses are in great shape.
Ed
Put them up on Ebay the French collectors will find you. you may also sell them to collectors from other parts of Europe including Spain, Austria and Itay. I have sold Michel to people in those countries. Put in the header early Starlux.
I had some of those as a kid, at the least the cowboys, I still have one that survived my childhood, he is the same pose as one I purchased from you, except the gun in his top hand was slghtly broken and he was green. If I can locate him again he now has a horse.