Is this going too far?

BlueDog

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I get the whole it came from the Lucasfilm archive and all but really, it's a brown paper envelope.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Star-Wars-Vintage-Kenner-Unused-Mailer-for-the-62-Coin-Set-Lucasfilm-Archive-/201530618299?hash=item2eec2931bb:g:xI8AAOSwll1W0KvX
 

Joe

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While I would never pay $750 for an unmarked brown envelope myself, with this coming from CIB I would imagine it is at least a legit coin set mailer and from memory they are quite sought after by coin enthusiasts.

I'm not sure anyone will go for it at that price though even with solid provenance..then again, with some of the coins that used to sell for under $1k now selling for $2-4k perhaps I'm wrong!

Love that blueprint auction, I have a feeling I know who that is ;)
 

Joe

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Oh how times have changed! Full set plus the mailer envelope for "only" $6,500 back in 2011: http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1070428/ (and I'm sure at the time that wasn't considered cheap at all)

Fast forward to today and we've literally just seen a Greedo coin sell for $4k..one coin!!
 

BlueDog

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Yeah I get the whole provenance thing Joe but at the end of the day it doesn't even have so much as a Lucasfilm stamp on it. It is in all reality a brown paper bag. Someone who worked a Kenner back in the day probably ordered them through a stationary supplier by the thousands which means they were most likely used for anything from mailers for coins at Kenner to giving Billy from the local service station his weekly pay.

Next thing you know they'll be listing the staples separately as authentic Lucasfilm staples. :?
 

bobskins

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Think Bluedog hit the nail on the head.

This is just a branded jiffy bag. It is in no way exclusive to Kenner or the coins. What's more, it is advertised as unused so how can it even be considered as a mailer for the coins?
 

Joe

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Totally see your point guys and again, it's not for me either but if it's from the LFL archive as described then it may well have housed a set of coins at one point, just one that was obviously never mailed out.

Unused probably means exactly that actually, not that a coin set never went anywhere near it. The staples (and holes on the other side) indicate that it was once stapled shut after all. It wouldn't surprise me if the coin sets were packed into these envelopes in bulk ready for address labels, maybe this one was just pieced out by CIB or sold separately to a customer of theirs that didn't want the bag? It's always been said that very few people ever took Kenner up on the offer of purchasing a full set through the mail too which could well be the reason some of them never had an address label.

The LFL archive was a very real thing though and it housed thousands of case fresh toys. CIB/Tom must have a long running relationship with them as they were involved in writing up COA's and grading LFL archive items, as evidenced by all of the stuff that was auctioned off at Celebration IV (example here: http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1056233/ ) which is why I have faith in it being what it's being sold as.

You guys are right when you say that it's just a period mailer envelope though and who knows, you may even be able to find an identical example for next to nothing on eBay if you looked hard enough but with the LFL/Kenner connection it's always going to be seen as "more" than just a brown envelope.
 

shawn_k

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I guess the coin collector should chime in. ;) I know this seems daft for a brown envelope, but even before this market, I've seen them sell in the $400-$600 range, so I don't really see this price that far out of line for an unused example. This envelope is a little hole in my collection and I'll admit I've found this one tempting to at least try and make a decent offer on. I did get one of the approval coins from this set, so it would go nicely with that. Again though I get that this only appeals to two types of collectors the ones that like mailers or coins, so to anyone else it's nuts. Being who the seller is and how things have skyrocketed, I'm surprised it isn't listed higher.

lflapprovalcoin.jpg
 

bobskins

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Joe

Yeah I do understand that and don't doubt it is what CIB say it is.

I guess it is like buying a piece of turf from Wembley. Technically it is indistinguishable from other pieces of turf but it is the story / hisotry you are paying for.
 

ScruffyLookingNH

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Thanks for highlighting this. I'm in the "that's insane!!!!" camp, but as someone who nearly just bid £170 in what had been a freebie poster in 1983, I shouldn't go around throwing stones. To me, this is a mass produced mailer that you could probably find an identical one of at a car boot sale from an old office clear out. I do, however, get the history and so do get why a coin collector would want one. I'm more than happy not to feel the need not to have one, though!

Shawn, cool to see your approval Gunner coin. I really, really do like the coins but my collection is divergent enough as it is, I don't need another expense.
 
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