Worth Anything??

Are the Transformers figures going to send your kids to College in the future? Well....that's a tough subject. But for those of you who are collecting for the future value of the figures, I'll try to explain some stuff the best I can. We all know that Transformers collecting is an expensive hobby and whether it stays that way will remain a mystery.

The Generation 1 figures have risen in price dramatically. Especially ones from the first three years or so. I think one of the reasons for this sudden rise is because of the increase in price for "die-cast-metal" (which most of the first TF's were made out of). It has risen considerably in cost during the 90's. Also......sealed G1 stuff is very hard to come by. If you take the time to think about it......people are more prone to pull a Transformer from it's package and transform it (since that's the purpose it serves in this world) than they are to pull an action figure out of the package (which doesn't do anything but stand there). I'm not an authority on this but I think this may be the reason why finding a sealed TF from G1 is just impossible some of the time.
Another reason for the increase in collectible cost for G1 is the immensely popularity of the Beast Wars. The recent success of this line has sparked interest in other collectors who want to get the "father" Transformes. And if you do find them....don't expect to spend anything less than a fortune!!

Are loose ones worth anything? They sure are. Especially if they're in complete and near mint condition. Condition is very important when pricing Transformers. For example: A beat up Prowl with broken windshield and no accessories can go for about $4 (mainly for parts). However, a compete Prowl in C-8 condition or better can go for up to $30 or more. This is double what a "sealed" one went for back in 1984. I guess the increase in awareness and collectively drives costs up.

Generation 2? Well......they actually have risen as well. The first figures from 1992 that were popular (like the Autobot cars, Optimus Prime, etc) have gone up in price while the ones from the final year (Gobots, Laser Cycles, etc) still remain at cost. As you can tell we'll just have to wait and see.

I've also noticed even first year Beast Wars figures becoming quite expensive. The "rock bubble" packaging (see BW section for more info on this) is a lot more pricey than the newer "soft bubble" packaging. The figures that have television show counterparts are also becoming collectible and tough to find (some include Tarantulas, Waspinator, Cheetor, Rattrap, etc). I have a feeling in the future we'll see an increase in Beast Wars collectible prices since the toyline is still going on and more excellent figures are appearing as a result.

I've also had many ask me if Machine Wars will be worth anything. Well...that depends. In a sense, they are exclusive figures made only for a couple chains of stores. This really ups their collectibility right there. However, I think the future of Machine Wars will be determined by how many of the sets were actually produced. This will be something we'll have to wait and see about (since they have yet to gain any collectible price). Although it may be neat to say, "Hey.....I have the ONLY twelve that were exclusive to Kay Bee and KB Toyworks".

As you can tell, the value of these figures will be determined over time. While the Generation 1 series has proved that there is a large enough market to make them collectible, the years ahead will tell whether this trend remains. So....for those of you who are going to collect for the value reasons instead of the collectibility or memory reasons (as described in Why Collect?), good luck in your journey (and maintaining your check book)!!!