Mego Star Trek Figure Prices Plummeting!!!

[trekbridge]

Has anyone else noticed the prices of the vintage Star Trek Mego figures has plummeted in recent months?!

The dramatic drop seems to have coincided with the release of the reissue Diamond Select 8 inch figures.

Especially the Romulan and Andorian figures!

MOC Romulans used to sell for well over $1,000.00 and loose mint Romulans used to fetch around $400.00 to $500.00.

Now, MOC Romulans are selling for around $400.00 and loose mint Romulans for around $200.00!

I suppose the prices will eventually rebound...what do you think?

[Mikey]

The Repro's definitely killed the market on Classic Mego Trek --- as the CTVT's repro's killed the Space 1999 classic market.... Mego Knights, Robin Hoods, I could go on and on.
Repro's will do that in any collecting field.

But you know,
Rethinking this.......
Yes, the Repros are killing the market .......
But, I think the market would have died anyway.
Right now NOTHING is worth what it used to be (repro's or not).... and i'm not just talking about Mego's ... I mean EVERYTHING

It's actually a lousy time to be a collector... as far as for selling.

[toys2cool]

it always happens man,good time to be a collector if you're buying though

[Mikey]

But you know (forget about the repro's for a second) ...... It really is lousy out there.
Most collectibles just aren't worth what they used to be.

I just sold a Trek Trashcan on eBay.
I got about 20 bucks for it.......
Damn near 10 years ago that used to sell for at least a hundred.

I'm beginning to wonder if the whole IDEA of collecting is dying with our generation.

[kerowack]

Hell, I got back into Megos because of the Star Trek repros. That being said, a guy like me would rather have a mint repro out of the box for 16 bucks than pay an arm and a leg for an incredibly similar product.

[Gorn Captain]

There's just too much new stuff out there.
People are desperately trying to keep up with new items, and vintage stuff is taking the hits. In the old days, you could actually try to "collect them all!"

But on the bright side (for buyers): I can finally afford some new (old) Megos.
And don't forget: collect them for the fun factor, not for $$$.

But you're right: a lot of younger people just aren't interested anymore. They prefer cell phones, Ipods, DVDs,...
Will action figures end up on the endangered species list?

[toys2cool]

But you know (forget about the repro's for a second) ...... It really is lousy out there.
Most collectibles just aren't worth what they used to be.

I just sold a Trek Trashcan on eBay.
I got about 20 bucks for it.......
Damn near 10 years ago that used to sell for at least a hundred.

I'm beginning to wonder if the whole IDEA of collecting is dying with our generation.

yeah you gotta a point,I've been noticing it with Star wars and Joes as well

[Seeker]

Hell, I got back into Megos because of the Star Trek repros. That being said, a guy like me would rather have a mint repro out of the box for 16 bucks than pay an arm and a leg for an incredibly similar product.

I'm with you on that. Thats why I came here, the trek repos. Guess it depends why you want to collect. Im in it for the nostolgia and the fun.

Others might be in it for the I'm going to make a buck and resell it.

[Seeker]

We have to remember We ARE the action figure generation. Before the 50s it was a baseball or metal toy soldiers stuff like that. I remember my grandfather saying things like "He wants a DOLL for Christmas". No arguments of having a deadly Kung fu grip could pursuade him to think other wise.

Mego and Marxx ruled the 70s. Star Wars, Trek and TNMT ruled the 80s and 90s.

Now it is all electronic games and such.

[Mikey]

I for one, love owning a collectible that's "worth something"

It's the thrill of the hunt ........

I stalked that MOC Scotty .....

Took me 3 years hunting him down .....

When I finally snagged him for $15.00, I was in hog heaven

Repro's just don't give a person that feeling.

Repro's are an instant fix that most will tire of in a few months.

After that, most are gone from the hobby

[Mr Havoc]

I am hoping that they end up making repro of all the Megos. I would love to see all the Superheros and even a Greatest American hero. I would be able to get one then. I am new to collecting so I haven't taken a hit on figures but I feel ya. It would suck to buy high and sell low. I think your right its not the repros it is just bad economy and people are into different things now. I remember when I collected stamps and coins and other things now I never hear of people doing that much. The mint has tried to bring it back by putting out the different quarters and coins. When I was young the coin shop was a hopping place to go and hang out and trade. Just like baseball cards and other trading cards. You just don't see it as much.

[Flynne]

But you know (forget about the repro's for a second) ...... It really is lousy out there.
Most collectibles just aren't worth what they used to be.

I just sold a Trek Trashcan on eBay.
I got about 20 bucks for it.......
Damn near 10 years ago that used to sell for at least a hundred.

I'm beginning to wonder if the whole IDEA of collecting is dying with our generation.

DISCLAIMER: I don't mind reproductions, though I prefer to collect all originals. Also, I am a HUGE Trek geek.

I don't think Trek is really the best indicator overall of collecting, though a decade ago you could have made the argument. Star Trek Collecting is dead. 15 years ago, when all of the series were still in syndication, with two new shows on air and new films in the theatres, Trek was all the buzz in the collecting world. But with the birth of the Internet, people could find that "super rare" collectible that eluded them before, like the Galoob 1701 figures or the 1991 Hallmark Enterprise ornament. Anything Trek connected became a hot commodity in the late 80's early 90's.

Conventions also helped, as prices were driven up by the fact that if you generally couldn't find these types of iems elsewhere. I worked Cons for a decade, and some of the prices that Trek items went for in the 1990's were just plain insane. But as soon as eBay was going concern, more buyers started migrating there driving up the prices (anyone remember when 1991 Enterprise ornamanet went for $1500?). As the prices on eBay went up, so too came the sellers flooding the market to make their coin, and with the laws of Supply and Demand running the show, the market soon cooled off. Not too long afterwards, the Trek Franchise imploded with the dual bombs of "Nemesis" and "The Xindi War", and nobody wanted Trek collectibles any more. Then "Enterprise" went off the air, and soon after people decided the older Trek collectibles were worthless too, plunging the Market into a free fall it has never recovered from to this day. If the new movie is a hit that might change, but it is dead and buried for the time being.

Supply and demand is what is driving down the prices of the Trek Megos too. As the monetatry value of the pieces drop, so too does the perceived value of owning one. Hell, how many figures hit the market each time EMCE announces their next release? They aren't even on the market for months, and yet Scottys, Keepers, Cherons, Gorns, and Mugatus are all suddenly available for sale in quantities never seen before at a single point in time. The release of reproductions may be the catalyst for these actions, but those who are flooding the market with figures should bear some of the responsibility for this as well. The more there are for sale, the less the selling price will be, and the market is awash in Trek figures right now with people selling off Trek figures. Simple supply and demand at work. Sad, but true.

On the flip side - if you are a Trek collector today you are sitting pretty. I've been upgrading my Trek Megos since this all began. If people feel they are no longer worthwhile because the market value on them is falling, I'm happy to give them a home.

But regarding other Megos, like the WGSH that I sell on eBay and elsewhere, I've found the market to be quite stable, even in the current correction / downturn / recession, which honestly has suprised me. I think there will always be a market for vintage toys and collecting in general, but much like the collections of collectors themeselves it's all ebb and flow.

[monkey tennis]

Now might be the perfect time to buy some Gorn's
I should be able to pick them up cheaply...because
everyone one except me hates Gorn.

[Brown Bear]

The coolest thing about Repros is that guys like me who would never pay $150 for a Romulan can get him Mint for $25. I value my EMCE figures the same as my Megos. (Can't say the same about CTVT due to quality).

I will support any and all EMCE Megos in the future,no matter what!

EMCE FOREVER!!!!!

[Mikey]

I still think our generation is just getting old and don't care about collecting.

We have a couple new strays, but not enough to keep the collecting spirit alive.

People that want only repro's (no slam against them)
They're not even really collectors.... They wont stay in it for the long haul.

It's a shame, but I think TOY collecting in general is dying.