A Pleasant Experience On eBay - (A Story For Frankenstein Collectors)

[marsattacks666]

Wow! Totally amazing! 

[Wicked Lester]

BIG CONGRATS. Awesome once in a lifetime find. 

[Monsters For Sale]

That's an amazing find at that price and I'm so glad that a collector who will love and treasure this piece managed to bag it and not someone who would have just flipped it straight away.

It's in the right hands and shows us all that there are still bargains out there to be found.

Ian

That is SO true.  Almost every month brings news of some car collector's "barn find" (not always in an actual barn) of bizarrely early or extremely rare automobile(s).

If something as big as a car can go missing or just forgotten for so long, what're the chances that closets, attics, storage bins (even warehouses) still hold tons of small items like toys all across a planet as big as ours?  And how many non-collecting owners view such items as little more than space-consuming trash that might be worth a couple buck to some fanatic "Collector"?

Keep watching the listings, fellow monster enthusiasts.  Rare items ARE out there.  Bargains CAN be found.  As older people leave us, their most prized possessions are being systematically disposed of by surviving relatives, sometimes distant, who have no appreciation for why Uncle Edgar kept "all that crap" in the first place.

The chilling thought that I sometimes have, is how many true "treasures" are sent to the landfill every day by relatives who just can't spend the time and trouble to honor their Uncle Edgar's passion for his stuff.  I've seen that happened way too often.

Ever wonder where all the stuff you lovingly, sometimes expensively, have assembled and displayed with such care will eventually wind up?

Heh, heh.

[Vandor_Zorkov]

What a deal!  I knew your dramatic reveal was going to be something unusual but...wow.

Pardon the stupid hypothetical: Let's say someone (not me) had the desire and the means to reproduce these in blow molded orange plastic. Not to rip anyone off with fake originals but just to do it.  Since (I assume) these were unlicensed to begin with, would Universal take notice of the repop and land on that person with both feet, assuming Universal noticed at all?  I'm guessing the answer is yes...it IS Glenn Strange...but am curious if this falls into some kind of gray area -- repro'ing ancient unlicensed items? Or did Universal have these shut down back in the day, too?

[SpeedierThantheGrave]

That is SO true.  Almost every month brings news of some car collector's "barn find" (not always in an actual barn) of bizarrely early or extremely rare automobile(s).

If something as big as a car can go missing or just forgotten for so long, what're the chances that closets, attics, storage bins (even warehouses) still hold tons of small items like toys all across a planet as big as ours?  And how many non-collecting owners view such items as little more than space-consuming trash that might be worth a couple buck to some fanatic "Collector"?

Keep watching the listings, fellow monster enthusiasts.  Rare items ARE out there.  Bargains CAN be found.  As older people leave us, their most prized possessions are being systematically disposed of by surviving relatives

It's very true. I got my 1959 Edsel wagon off ebay in 2009 for $700, an essentially complete car missing only very small and common pieces. It was literally in the woods in Arkansas, being sold by a family friend after the father had passed. Untouched for decades, it had a 1970 registration sticker on the tag and I found a handwritten grocers receipt from 1968 in the seat cushion. (Along with vintage candy wrappers - I never knew Wonder Bread made potato chips?...)

And then those Pocket Screamers I found a few years ago, forgotten for over a decade on a shelf in the stockroom of a modern drug store built in the 1990s.

As for treasures winding up in a landfill, I wouldn't worry about that so much these days. With shows like Pawn Stars, American Pickers, and Comic Book Men (they had quite a few monster items), even the most general public is aware that almost everything will have a buyer. And even a cursory Google or eBay search with vague descriptions will usually yeild answers for a family member or at least a friend of the family helping out. (The downside, of course, is that value is also often realized, and there are less bargains. But then, hey, at least it's still not in a landfill.)

[Gory Glenn]

OMG!!!!!!! That is the most amazing eBay bargain story I've ever seen. And it looks so new! Simply incredible! And as already mentioned it's great that it wound up in the hands of someone who will cherish it. Super congrats Monsters For Sale! In all honesty if I had scored that I'd be really tempted to flip it. It would be a devil and angel on my shoulders scenario. 

[John Pertwee]

Congrats. I would have rushed and bought it as well.

One time, I searched a rather expensive radio called a TARDIS Tuner. I had a chance as a kid to buy it for $25 but never had the money.
One popped up on ebay for a BIN of $15.50 with free shipping. Still boxed and never played. I couldn't type fast enough in my mind, but got it finished before anyone else noticed. They had gone for $400 6 months previous to this, so I was amazed. It took me 25 years, but I got my Grail item.

[Monsters For Sale]

... It took me 25 years, but I got my Grail item.

Good for you!

Like hearing about "windfall" finds.

[Mike Scott]

It took me 25 years, but I got my Grail item.

Congrats, whenever that was! Is that a Dr. Who item?

[Gory Glenn]

Is that a Dr. Who item?

You are correct sir! 

Tardis Tuner - Dr Who Radio, boxed 1970's. A magnificent and rare piece, this battery operated "Dr Who" Tardis radio was made in Singapore, made from black plastic, finished in black and silver it has great buttons that invite you to touch and colourful illustrated dials. It has a handy strap so you can take it anywhere or when not being used the box unsures its safe storage.

[Mike Scott]

You are correct sir! 

Is it supposed to look like some device used on the show?

[Gory Glenn]

Is it supposed to look like some device used on the show?

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Dr_Who_and_the_Turgids

[John Pertwee]

No, it is just a radio that makes beeping noises and lights up. During the Tom Baker era, marketing reached insane levels. They even had underwear with his face on them. Every week, I would see the Tom Baker figure and this radio and never had enough money. I started ebay around 1999 and went crazy getting all the Who items I was missing or never knew about. It took more than 10 years to get that radio since they were going for hundreds of dollars and I didn't want to overpay.

[Mike Scott]

No, it is just a radio that makes beeping noises and lights up.

And looks cool on a shelf.

[John Pertwee]

As would that $50 Frank bucket. I still can't stop laughing about that great deal and that a reseller missed out on it.