Yoda NY I Heart 2013 TRU Question/Speculation

[jomandybri]

Hi all,

I apologize if this is in the wrong place but I thought the best place to put it was in the Star Wars thread! I'm sure many of you recall back in 2013 the release of the exclusive "NY, I Heart" Yoda at Times Square in 2013. Originally limited to 1000 pieces, recently quite a few unbagged examples began appearing on eBay from one particular seller at a price somewhat below their typical resell value ($85USD). I ended up purchasing one and initially was frustrated as it appeared to have been a fairly good attempt at a knockoff. However, after contacting the seller, I discovered he purchased them directly from Lego. He claimed that they were seconds that never made it to the promo release, and had receipts to prove this. Fascinating, right? Here's where it gets interesting (in my mind, anyway)!

The Yoda I received from this seller had white hair. The one I purchased back in 2013 also has white hair. However there was some confusion at the time of release due to there being both white and grey-haired releases of the item. Now this got me thinking; could the grey hair be a 'second' phase batch which was reprinted to make up for these seconds which were not released at promo? If so, I wonder how many there are and what affect it might have on their resale value? I mean, if a Princess Leia hair piece can have a slight production defect and be worth 10x more, what would the implications of this be? Has anyone else heard anything similar to this? I'd love to hear your experience! Thanks.

[Lordoflego]

Bought directly from Lego.........hmmmmm...yea, ask to see those receipts. 2nd run, 3rd or 25th, that has nothing to do with a fact that they are suspiciously without original bags...

is there Lego logo on every part?

where was seller located? China?

 

Edited August 8, 2016 by Lordoflego

[dcdfan]

Did they come in the clear Lego bag?

[Pseudoty]

Interesting they changed their listing description and removed the:

Hard-To-Find Minifigure! Only 1,000 Made! - These are direct from lego and have a slight defect in the printing.

[jomandybri]

19 minutes ago, Lordoflego said:

Bought directly from Lego.........hmmmmm...yea, ask to see those receipts. 2nd run, 3rd or 25th, that has nothing to do with a fact that they are suspiciously without original bags...

is there Lego logo on every part?

where was seller located? China?

 

They are based out of the US, I am fairly certain. Quite a large eBay store primarily dedicated to selling Lego minifigures.

 

12 minutes ago, dcdfan said:

Did they come in the clear Lego bag?

They came in a sealed, clear bag much like an advent calendar set would. Small, square sealed bag.

 

6 minutes ago, Pseudoty said:

Interesting they changed their listing description and removed the:

Hard-To-Find Minifigure! Only 1,000 Made! - These are direct from lego and have a slight defect in the printing.

 

You can probably thank me for that... I demanded a partial refund as it wasn't what he had advertised. I initially demanded a full refund but after he explained what I said above, I conceded I would keep one, and we agreed a lower price as n my mind it wasn't worth as much as I had originally paid, because despite the story there wasn't a way to be 100% sure, really. Which is why I thought I'd post here and see if anyone else had further info that might support this idea.

 

[Mos_Eisley]

The gray hair version was not a mistake, it's from the Toy Fair set.  

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?M=sw465&name=Yoda, NY I Heart Torso, Gray Hair (Toy Fair 2013 Exclusive)&category=[Star Wars]#T=S&O={}

 

[jomandybri]

5 minutes ago, Mos_Eisley said:

The gray hair version was not a mistake, it's from the Toy Fair set.  

http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?M=sw465&name=Yoda, NY I Heart Torso, Gray Hair (Toy Fair 2013 Exclusive)&category=[Star Wars]#T=S&O={}

 

Interesting! I don't know how far apart these promos were, but is it possible that they were also mixed? I also recall quite specifically seeing grey and white haired listings from the TRU release. At least I think I do...

[Mos_Eisley]

3 minutes ago, jomandybri said:

Interesting! I don't know how far apart these promos were, but is it possible that they were also mixed? I also recall quite specifically seeing grey and white haired listings from the TRU release. At least I think I do...

I've never seen both from TRU. Unless it's sealed in the TRU packaging, I don't believe it came both ways. 

[Pseudoty]

@jomandybri can you post a pic of yours?  On the torso there should be a clearly printed TM for Trade Mark next to the heart. I am thinking the one you have has this but the printing is not clear and that is what made it a "second". 

[jomandybri]

6 minutes ago, Pseudoty said:

@jomandybri can you post a pic of yours?  On the torso there should be a clearly printed TM for Trade Mark next to the heart. I am thinking the one you have has this but the printing is not clear and that is what made it a "second". 

You're exactly right! There's also some bleed on the text on the shirt around the edges, which should be visible in the pic. I guess form a licensing perspective the TM being unclear would definitely make it so, good point.

[Average Guy]

By posting this rare figure you have just gave Lepin's spies a new product.