what is the best deal you ever got on a monster toy

[werewolfwoman]

what is the best deal/score you have ever had?
you can include gifts, which lead to another question what is more satisfying hunting something down and finding it for an awesome price, or getting as a gift?
i just recently got a groovy goolies wolfie figure on ebay for $29.00 and they normally go for about $100.00, i think that it is my best deal for a monster item. for me it is always a pleasure to receive a monster gift i cherish the figure even more because it was given by a loved one but there is nothing compared to hunting and finding that item that you have been looking for or getting that one thing you though you could never afford.  there is nothing like the hunt.

[packy120353]

Hi www! I agree there is nothing like the hunt. And that a gift, especially a homemade one, is the best deal ever. But my best "non gift" deal I would say was a Giant (and i do mean huge) Frankenstein Ben Cooper style mask from a Target Halloween campaign years back. I asked a lady what they were going to do with it and she said "Be here when we open the day after Halloween and take it, otherwise it goes in the dumpster!" I got it, as well as a clown, fireman and Princess. I have no idea what I could sell it for.
My big free mask:

bigmask by packy120353, on Flickr

[monahan13]

i feel my best non gift deal was, i was in wisconsin, and i saw the big boris karloff frankenstein beer stein in its box for 5 bucks!! i felt like i won the lotto.

ALSO i got all SIX of the virgina state lotto bobblehead banks for 30 dollars shipped total!

im a college kid so i have to hunt for deals or i can get it haha

[Devlin]

Since I basically refuse to pay fancy prices for anything, the universe plays along and prices things accordingly ("Dark Monkey God" can corroborate this).  I got the Target masks by the same route as Packy, though I didn't wind up with the fireman (I instead got two of the cardboard ones). I don't have Wolfy, but I have two Frankies that cost me a quarter each... one of them admittedly short a foot, but still... a quarter. Last month I got four MPC monsters for $3 each, plus two blue Palmers for $4 each, to join the four red and yellow ones that I got in the target set as a child. Of course, it's been 35 years between those purchases, so it may take a while for the other two to show up (in green, I hope!). I have both kinds of Famous Monsters model contest trophies; the metal trophy was $5 from its original winner (plus, for another $3, an extra Frankenstein figure from the second-place trophy that he ALSO won, but broke over the years), and the vacuform plaque was free at a local thrift store. I've got a stack of the William Castle greeting cards that I bought for their original retail price that had been sitting untouched in a West Virginia gift shop for 30+ years. I could cite any number of such things. You've just got to stand your ground and don't let the universe push you around!

[Scatter]

Hi www! I agree there is nothing like the hunt. And that a gift, especially a homemade one, is the best deal ever. But my best "non gift" deal I would say was a Giant (and i do mean huge) Frankenstein Ben Cooper style mask from a Target Halloween campaign years back. I asked a lady what they were going to do with it and she said "Be here when we open the day after Halloween and take it, otherwise it goes in the dumpster!" I got it, as well as a clown, fireman and Princess. I have no idea what I could sell it for.
My big free mask:

bigmask by packy120353, on Flickr

WOW!! That is too cool!!

[Unknown Primate]

When the seller of the figure I won on Ebay, couldn't find the item, he ended up selling me the brand new, case -fresh Sideshow 12" Creature From The Black Lagoon for either $14.50 or $17.50, I can't remember which - shipping included!

I never seem to have much luck at antique malls/flea markets, but several years ago, I did pick up a 1974, AHI 5" Mummy Bend 'Ems for 5 bucks - not sure how much it's worth now, but I think it was a pretty good deal.

Packy, that Franky is awesome!

[monsterphile]

I've got a stack of the William Castle greeting cards that I bought for their original retail price that had been sitting untouched in a West Virginia gift shop for 30+ years.

I have no idea what these are.  Could you pos a pic?

Rob

[werewolfwoman]

wow nice deals guys really impressive. after much consideration i think that i might have a better deal than the one i listed before, although being a broke college student i pride myself on getting my monsters on the cheap i think the best deal may have been when i got a 1983 bandai tamagora wolfman egg monster mint in box for only $3.17 yeah that was a pretty good day for me but this latest score was pretty awesome i guess they might be a tie in the satisfaction department...

[poseablemonster]

A $14 female AHI Creature comes to mind - found it in a comic store with a bunch of Megos back in the early 90's.  Actually, I have run into a lot of deals throughout the years.  If I didn't, I wouldn't have much of a collection.

[futurebrideoffrankenstein]

Ahh that mask is incredible lucky you! They're not toys but I did find about 20 Universal Monster cutout faced posters at this party store for 50 each. I bought them all, along with treat bags & some stickers. I was on cloud 9 for sure. Will post pics soon.

[zombiehorror]

I think these were good deals~All 5 Uni-monster Telco's (open, no packaging) + Trendmasters Frankenstein bust all for 25 bucks.  4 red Zoo Piks (Frankenstein, Creature and 2 Wolfman) for $9.  Wolfman Pozer (open, no packaging) $20....those are a few off the top of my head.

Just thought of two more, Bela Lugosi as Dracula ($10.50) and Boris Karloff as the Mummy ($14.50) life masks from Erick Erickson for $52 with shipping which is less than what you pay for one normally!

[Gasport]

Jeez, there have been quite a few over the years...2 that come to mind are an orange Marx Creature figure that i found at a flea market for a quarter and more recently, when i won this blue carded Monster Nik troll for around 40 bucks!

[lblambert]

By far the best deal I've ever found was an original Canadian longbox Aurora Mummy kit I picked up at a yard sale for a whole whopping 50 cents. It had been partly assembled (poorly) but I was able to get the pieces apart so I'll be able to sand off the excess dried glue and reassemble it properly.

[raycastile]

Back in the good old days, I got some garage sale-type deals on loose toys.  I remember picking up a few loose AHIs and Megos for really cheap, like a few bucks each.  I got a loose Kenner Alien with the dome and the upper half of the tongue for a few bucks.  Someone gifted me a loose Mego red-haired Dracula, but I don't think gifts count in this discussion. 

In recent years, I've been able to find old Topstone masks for very cheap.  That's partly because I'm the only idiot out there looking for them.  But for a lot of my good ones, like the 50s Caveman, Mummy, Pirate, Devil, I only paid a few bucks each.  But then there have been others that I've paid for in blood, so it all evens out.

When the subject of "best toy buys" comes up, the first thing I always think of is finding the Thriller Graveyard Gang figures at Children's Palace for 98 cents each.  I bought all they had, 57 of them.  I sold one or two sets per year, with the last couple selling for around $200 per set. 

[raycastile]

Is it better to wait for baseball season to deal with bats?


Sorry I couldn't resist

I think this was intended for chatty's bat thread?