Next Vectis Auction?

[Andyh1976]

I quite often take a day off work and pop along to Vectis on auction day to try to collect some MOCS. I am lucky to still be looking at the lower end of the market 50-200 quid. Boy was I glad I couldn't go today! I would have come home empty handed. I was primed to bid on squidhead and tri logo AT-ST driver MOCS but I nearly fell off my chair when I saw the final prices. I just looked through the whole auction now at home and I can't see any value at the lower end at all. I can only think that the holidays people had planned which have been cancelled, and the lack of other events, resulted in collectors having more to spend. I hope it's not a sign of future prices and is just a blip. Might invest in a bit of GW acrylic to keep what I've got looking the part instead!

 

[Pulsar]

People have got money burning holes in their pockets from a lack of toy shows.

I'm outbid on all mine but dont know about the diecast ESB falcon. Anyone know what that went for - Vectis tells me I'm winning but it was one of the earlier lots so finished long ago.

You'd think the current lockdown and economic situation would have the sellers worrying about their items going cheaply but the reverse was true today.
I don't think I've ever been so amazed at the prices of some of the items particularly the carded figs.
I'm kinda glad i don't collect them anymore.
I'm currently chasing less popular items lol and ended up with a couple of the cool cookie jars to add to my Leia and Jabba and sorry to say Spoons i couldn't resist the ESB Falcon.
I had no idea you were after it, must be the only diecast you don't have then?
I got it for 320 but obviously stick 70quid on top with fees.
Its not going anywhere mate and if you haven't got one by then it could be yours in future.
I just love the transitional ESB stuff.

Regards
Paul

Glad it went to a good home Paul, my highest bid was £270 so at least another person between you and me. With fees and postage I didn't fancy going higher than that.

Thought the die cast prices wereall over the place. The Palitoy Y Wing was about spot on at around £400 with fees, but the snowspeeders and particualrly the cloud car seemed high - the slave 1 was only £100 + fees, was the bubble cracked?

Cheers mate.
Well the first 2 Snowspeeders went for more than usual but the 3rd one didn't.
The Slave 1 bubble wasn't bad at all mate, the sides and bottom were fine but the top was a little ceased but i was half tempted to have a bid on it myself when it stayed low.
Regarding the Y-wing and Falcon, I was surprised the latter didn't go for more as the box was nice and ESB versions don't show up much whereas the Y-wings are common in comparison plus the box wasn't mint and had a bit of a tear on the left.


Regards
Paul

 

[edd_jedi]

I've seen some heated debate over the prices in Facebook groups, no doubt both from people who missed out on things they really wanted but were blown out the water (like me :lol: ) and those who spent too much defending their actions.

My concern isn't people spending their own money on items they really want, this is a free market. My concern is the precedent it sets for future sales of similar items. It pushes up prices, which is great for prospectors and investors, but damaging to collectors. I believe all but the very rarest toys should be in reach to most 'normal' people, they are just old mass-produced toys and there really aren't many out there that are one of a kind. Thousands of pounds for something there are dozens of examples of is nuts, there's no two ways about it. And there is an element of selfishness paying way over the odds for your own collection, while screwing over the next person of any chance of owning one.

And yes, I have overpaid for things before too so am not blameless. I just think it's something all collectors should consider before publicly throwing money at things (behind closed doors is different, do what you like.) I was very pleased to see prices cool off after the hype of the new films died down, I don't want to see another huge increase now, and that's coming from somebody who already has 90% of what they want for their collection, so it's not purely for my own gain.

The one silver lining from yesterday is that I'm very pleased a former Palitoy employee got such a great price for their own collection, I'm happy they got the cash rather than one of the flippers.

 

[newswseller]

does anyone know who the former employee was?

i accidentally won a leia hoth, placed a low bid online the day before and then noticed the weapon was missing, couldn't see how to cancel the bid online so left it thinking i would be outbid.. and unfortunately i ended up winning it :lol:

 

[newswseller]

regarding prices... some self employed tradesmen are doing very well at the moment, my carpenter for example is able to claim the full £2.8k allowance while working his regular hours...

 

[SublevelStudios]

does anyone know who the former employee was?

They worked in the accounts/finance dept and pretty much everything was obtained by them through the Palitoy shop onsite. That includes some of the Action Man and misc stuff that appeared in the auction.

The guys son actually popped up on the Palitoy group on FB one Sunday morning with a pic of a load of MOC's asking for some advice...needless to say that thread was buzzing for the rest of the day!

I think we're seeing a price bubble at the moment - similar to that in 2014-2015 when TFA hit and the renewed interest in anything SW was hitting a peak. There are several unusual circumstances that seem to be driving the market ATM, it'll calm down again, and I bet this time next year might be totally different again once/if this recession really starts to bite.

 

[theforceuk]

Yes the financial situation will take 6 months to really hit peoples pockets. We will see though, may not have any impact, the hobby is so small and niche.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

I've seen some heated debate over the prices in Facebook groups, no doubt both from people who missed out on things they really wanted but were blown out the water (like me :lol: ) and those who spent too much defending their actions.

My concern isn't people spending their own money on items they really want, this is a free market. My concern is the precedent it sets for future sales of similar items. It pushes up prices, which is great for prospectors and investors, but damaging to collectors. I believe all but the very rarest toys should be in reach to most 'normal' people, they are just old mass-produced toys and there really aren't many out there that are one of a kind. Thousands of pounds for something there are dozens of examples of is nuts, there's no two ways about it. And there is an element of selfishness paying way over the odds for your own collection, while screwing over the next person of any chance of owning one.

And yes, I have overpaid for things before too so am not blameless. I just think it's something all collectors should consider before publicly throwing money at things (behind closed doors is different, do what you like.) I was very pleased to see prices cool off after the hype of the new films died down, I don't want to see another huge increase now, and that's coming from somebody who already has 90% of what they want for their collection, so it's not purely for my own gain.

The one silver lining from yesterday is that I'm very pleased a former Palitoy employee got such a great price for their own collection, I'm happy they got the cash rather than one of the flippers.

So are you suggesting collectors don't bid on Auctions just to keep prices down?

 

[edd_jedi]

So are you suggesting collectors don't bid on Auctions just to keep prices down?

You're right, that certainly isn't either practical or going to happen. I guess what I'd like is for people to use their common sense and think of others before burning wads of cash (difficult to expect, I know.) I have certainly stopped bidding in auctions before when I've realised the other bidder(s) are not going to give up and I'm simply driving up the price. Did the two (or more) people bidding really need that 45C Luke X-Wing desperately enough to drive the price to quadruple what most people think it's worth? I suspect probably not. I pulled out as soon as it went above £500. I could have spent more, I just didn't think it was worth it (taking into consideration the bubble lifting/cracks and poor card.)

It's a difficult line to tread, and as said I've certainly overpaid for things before, but by like 25 or possibly 50%, not 300%. It will certainly be interesting to see what the next one that comes up for sale goes for - my bet is on a £2000 eBay "buy it now" that sits there unsold for years.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

So are you suggesting collectors don't bid on Auctions just to keep prices down?

You're right, that certainly isn't either practical or going to happen. I guess what I'd like is for people to use their common sense and think of others before burning wads of cash (difficult to expect, I know.) I have certainly stopped bidding in auctions before when I've realised the other bidder(s) are not going to give up and I'm simply driving up the price. Did the two (or more) people bidding really need that 45C Luke X-Wing desperately enough to drive the price to quadruple what most people think it's worth? I suspect probably not. I pulled out as soon as it went above £500. I could have spent more, I just didn't think it was worth it (taking into consideration the bubble lifting/cracks and poor card.)

It's a difficult line to tread, and as said I've certainly overpaid for things before, but by like 25 or possibly 50%, not 300%. It will certainly be interesting to see what the next one that comes up for sale goes for - my bet is on a £2000 eBay "buy it now" that sits there unsold for years.

Given the fact that many are predicting we are going into a recession or worse still a depression, the worst in 300 years, then I don't think the Vectis Auction had anything to do with common sense in fact I think it was the opposite. Why collectors are in this carefree mindset is beyond my understanding, maybe when the furlough bubble pops we might get back to some form of normality but until then I would expect the frenzied bidding and high prices to continue.

 

[Sparky P]

regarding prices... some self employed tradesmen are doing very well at the moment, my carpenter for example is able to claim the full £2.8k allowance while working his regular hours...

I hope that said self employed tradesman is reported to the appropriate authorities if he's still working and claiming £2.8k off the tax payer.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

regarding prices... some self employed tradesmen are doing very well at the moment, my carpenter for example is able to claim the full £2.8k allowance while working his regular hours...

I hope that said self employed tradesman is reported to the appropriate authorities if he's still working and claiming £2.8k off the tax payer.

I wouldn't be surprised if that was a normal occurrence as I have heard stories of employers asking furloughed staff to come back into work. The Baker where I live has two shops one he claimed a 10K grant on and the other as it was bigger he claimed a 25k grant on and he has told some of the other traders that he bought a speedboat with the money. As far as I am aware that is legal as the grant is based on the rateable value of the building so that is the only criteria for getting it, which means you can spend it on whatever you like. So when taxes go up to pay for the Pandemic think about that guy in his speed boat!

Before anyone asks I am not the Baker.

 

[stormcab]

Yeah I'm a self employed London taxi driver and got a grant. I could and can still work, but I don't. There are 1000s of us on Twitter and I can see how busy it is out there. It's a ghost town. I am in a very lucky position to have got the grant, but I must admit, if I was someone who HAD to work, and got no grant, I'd be super pissed at people in my position.

My guess is money that was going to go towards holidays, which can be £2k upto £20k a year for some, that ain't happening, and these people aren't thinking long term about saving that money up. Or maybe they are, and they just know that the economy will bounce back after this as everyone just wants to go out and spend after the shutdown.

 

[theforceuk]

Were all going to have to pay it back one way or another, its not falling from a magic money tree at the back of number 10. To be honest if you can legally claim it you should, because EVERYONE will be paying for this with increased income tax and business rates for years and probably decades.

As for people who look at others who have got the grant and are pissed off because they still have to work, then they need to have a word with themselves. I got a small business grant and I'm furloughed, but I am still going to be £1000's out of pocket and would gladly give it all back today if things could go back to normal tomorrow.

 

[palitoyjunky]

Yes the future doesn't look good for the country regarding the economy that's for sure :!: But back to vintage SW, some amazing prices for sure with the 45b Hoth Trooper coming to mind and some v reasonable prices-45a Lando coming to mind :!:
One thing I will say about the 45C LXW that sold yesterday, that MOC has actually proved to b the rarest Palitoy example for sale over the last fair few years :!: There have been plenty of 20 backs, fair few Tri-logos. A few 45a's, small handful of 41s and 45b's and even 3 30 backs :!: BUT no Jedi examples :!: :!: So called market prices don't come into it when someone wants something :!: Look at what happened today, 6.5K paid for a 45a 2-1B :!: With fees that's nearly 8.5K V rare yes but would that b an official market value for that one :?: Hardly :!:

People will pay what they want to pay right or wrong.

 

[spoons]

Were all going to have to pay it back one way or another, its not falling from a magic money tree at the back of number 10. To be honest if you can legally claim it you should, because EVERYONE will be paying for this with increased income tax and business rates for years and probably decades.

As for people who look at others who have got the grant and are pissed off because they still have to work, then they need to have a word with themselves. I got a small business grant and I'm furloughed, but I am still going to be £1000's out of pocket and would gladly give it all back today if things could go back to normal tomorrow.

I'm no financial expert and there is a good chance that our taxes will increase, but on the other hand every country in the world is wracking up the same debt. There is a real chance the IMF will write it all off to avoid a world recession. The money doesn't exist so who do all the counties pay back?

In this instance the money really is coming from a global magic money tree. Probably wishful thinking and our government will charge us anyway.

As to people begrudging grants and furlough money, so many people really need that money and if it results in a handful of people abusing the system it's a unfortunate but small price to pay to help the millions that need it. Count yourself lucky if you can still work

 

[olisuds]

I definitely agree that a lot of people probably have some extra cash on their hands with cancelled holidays, no work travel costs and no going out costs. And I also think that the lockdown situation has probably increased the urge for a bit of a splurge! Not to mention a lot of people sitting around on their backsides with nothing or little to do or more flexibility whilst working from home. I think there were already some warnings that prices had risen sharply during lockdown and that the anticipation and delay to the auction of a big Palitoy collection coming from a former Palitoy employee exasperated it.

I was prepared to burn a little bit of spare cash but not go crazy and save some incase everything goes to **** in the near future.

Did anyone else think that the auctioneer took way too long "fair warning" before the hammer came down?

I had a complete nightmare with my telephone bidding as the phone and internet went dead right in the middle of the lots I was bidding on. I was running round the house telling everyone to stop using the internet! :lol: When I eventually got the phone line re-connected I was a bit flustered. I found I had luckily won the last lot and just about had time to throw in a final bid on the next lot although without a lot of care and thought as to whether it was reasonable or not.

 

[theforceuk]

Were all going to have to pay it back one way or another, its not falling from a magic money tree at the back of number 10. To be honest if you can legally claim it you should, because EVERYONE will be paying for this with increased income tax and business rates for years and probably decades.

As for people who look at others who have got the grant and are pissed off because they still have to work, then they need to have a word with themselves. I got a small business grant and I'm furloughed, but I am still going to be £1000's out of pocket and would gladly give it all back today if things could go back to normal tomorrow.n

I'm no financial expert and there is a good chance that our taxes will increase, but on the other hand every country in the world is wracking up the same debt. There is a real chance the IMF will write it all off to avoid a world recession. The money doesn't exist so who do all the counties pay back?

In this instance the money really is coming from a global magic money tree. Probably wishful thinking and our government will charge us anyway.

As to people begrudging grants and furlough money, so many people really need that money and if it results in a handful of people abusing the system it's a unfortunate but small price to pay to help the millions that need it. Count yourself lucky if you can still work

The entire world is bankrupt apart from China, as that's who everyone is borrowing money from! If self employed people have be furloughed until the middle of June and they have already gone back to work it will all be taxed appropriately when they do their end of year tax returns.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

I wonder if some of the high auction prices like the 45A 2-1B for over 8K will help to bring more collections and rare pieces to the market or whether collectors will just see them as anomalies, not to be repeated?

 

[Cazza]

I know a lot of things went crazy high. However, that 45b Dengar was a steal at £90, despite it's condition.