Hey everyone. What do you all think of investing in "special minifigs", like Mr. Gold and the gold C3PO? What are your predictions once the initial Mr. Gold "gold fever" has died down? 

It definitely depends on the minifig but I don't do it just because it seems harder to keep track of

My prediction would be that there would be people who want the minifigure, but I am not sure how much they would be willing to pay for it.

The only way to be worthwhile to invest in special minifigs is to get them in start not buying on ebay and paying cash ...

 

you can make some cash flipping them when demand is high and buying before when its lower and hype is running out.

I personally think there are so many minifigs out there now that collectors have just gotten overwhelmed and cant keep up with it, the days of people paying $100+ for some random chrome SW minifig are long gone. you really have to be a die hard enthusiast to put the time, money and space into a minifig collection. In my experience most of them hit their peak within a few months of being released, dip a little in value and the mania dies down and then level off at somewhere around 80% of their peak value. Really the best way to make money off collectable minifigs is to get them when they first come out before the mania starts.

I personally think there are so many minifigs out there now that collectors have just gotten overwhelmed and cant keep up with it, the days of people paying $100+ for some random chrome SW minifig are long gone. you really have to be a die hard enthusiast to put the time, money and space into a minifig collection. In my experience most of them hit their peak within a few months of being released, dip a little in value and the mania dies down and then level off at somewhere around 80% of their peak value. Really the best way to make money off collectable minifigs is to get them when they first come out before the mania starts.

 

 

Thing is there are 2 ''levels'' of rare minifigs

 

highest lvl = figures like Chrome C3PO, Bobba Fett, Comic con exclusives (Azog for example) and Mr. Gold 

 

medium lvl = figures like Darth Malgus, Roman Soldier, Spartan Warrior, Ringwraith, 

 

 

The 1st ones are obviously best if you FIND/get them for free and sell them off instantly.

 

I am not 100% sure about the second ones though.

I think the limited (numbered figures) are a good investment.  Again like anything you need to buy right and sell when they are hot.

 

The Comic Con figures are a good investment IMO.  I agree if you can find them local and pay cash for them and get a deal that is great.

 

I am going to look at the 2013 Comic Con in a few weeks to see if I can get a few at a good price.  These will always be desirable, since they are so limited.

 

I am interested to hear any input for the group.  Thank you

What do you all think about custom minifigs from Citizen Brick?  I got the Chemist Breaking Bad Walter White dude and love it, and I happened to look today and saw it's not available.  I have no intention of selling it because I didn't buy it for that purpose, but I could probably double my money on it right now with the last 8 episodes of the show coming on.

 

I've been watching the Game of Thrones "Throne of Bricks" that are on Etsy since they were also done by Citizen Brick and they one have a couple left.  That show is just as popular as Breaking Bad.  At $80 it's not cheap, but I'm thinking of getting 2 sets and holding one since that show is so popular and selling it down the road when the show comes back on or people want it when they release series #2.

Investing in rare minifigs that you obtain on the secondary market is tricky. I wouldn't recommend it. I would say, get what you want to collect and flip rare items that you are lucky enough to get directly from LEGO.

Investing in rare minifigs that you obtain on the secondary market is tricky. I wouldn't recommend it. I would say, get what you want to collect and flip rare items that you are lucky enough to get directly from LEGO.

I agree totally with this...and will even take it a step further.

 

Buying one of these minifigures on the secondary market will most likely end in failure from an investment strategy. 

 

Take the Clone Trooper that was given out at Legoland during the star wars weekend - it was selling for over $100 in June, but now we learn you can get it for free in September.  You would have lost $100+ on that one.  And what if Azog gets released in a set? 

 

Mr. Gold is a little different...he wont be reproduced.  But people purchasing on him are speculating on his future value...so he might end up like the Beanie Babies of the 90's.  I am not sure people are buying it because they inherently think that an all gold minifigure is super awesome. 

 

Of course people might disagree. But if you have an extra $500 sitting around there are some pretty good MISB sets that you could buy that would give you a great return and be much safer from an investment standpoint.

What do you all think about custom minifigs from Citizen Brick?  I got the Chemist Breaking Bad Walter White dude and love it, and I happened to look today and saw it's not available.  I have no intention of selling it because I didn't buy it for that purpose, but I could probably double my money on it right now with the last 8 episodes of the show coming on.

 

I've been watching the Game of Thrones "Throne of Bricks" that are on Etsy since they were also done by Citizen Brick and they one have a couple left.  That show is just as popular as Breaking Bad.  At $80 it's not cheap, but I'm thinking of getting 2 sets and holding one since that show is so popular and selling it down the road when the show comes back on or people want it when they release series #2.

Well this is a little trickier...in essence you have a one of a kind (or ten of a kind...but very limited non-the-less).   If Citizen Brick can't sell them for more, what makes you think that you can? (Not trying to be argumentative..just posing a question).  I think you answered it: that you would sell it down the road or when the show comes back.  But does that mean it will be MORE valuable...and would have to be about 35-50% more before you would start to realize a profit. 

 

I guess what I am saying, is that since it is unique by nature, holding it may not necessarily increase the value.  What will increase the value is selling it when the show is at it's absolute MOST popular, but that is almost impossible to tell until that time has passed you by.

I don't know anything about Citizen Brick, but, are they purchasing the licensing to produce these minifigures, or just rolling the dice that they won't get slapped with a Trademark/copyright lawsuit?

 

If the latter, I'd be wary of investing in them - the license holders of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, etc. may not catch the initial manufacturer in the act, but there's always the risk down the line for the reseller, collector, or investor who tries to sell them after the license holder has woken up.

 

(Yes, I know "everyone" is doing it, the trademark violations on eBay on a daily basis in a huge number of handmade categories never cease to amaze me, but that doesn't mean that "everyone" gets away with it - some trademarks defend their names/images strongly, or will in future.)

 

Edited to add: Ah, I see - they skirt the whole trademark/copyright by not calling them the actual trademark/copyright names, so they're likely fine (and no insult intended to Citizen Brick - we used many well-known dance arcade games as inspiration for our own non-trademark-violating version, too.)

I have 2 of the Chemistry Enthusiast minifigs, one is my avatar

 

I love BrBa and I'm making a MoC of the meth lab to put the minifigs in.

 

I initially thought the minifigs may make a decent investment, but now I'm not so sure.  Citizen Brick can reproduce them at any time, they have already had additional production runs after the first one of 500 when I got mine.  It's just too risky, but if you like a gamble then 1 or 2 won't break the bank.

I have 2 of the Chemistry Enthusiast minifigs, one is my avatar

 

I love BrBa and I'm making a MoC of the meth lab to put the minifigs in.

 

I initially thought the minifigs may make a decent investment, but now I'm not so sure.  Citizen Brick can reproduce them at any time, they have already had additional production runs after the first one of 500 when I got mine.  It's just too risky, but if you like a gamble then 1 or 2 won't break the bank.

Oh so that is where you got it from. I was browsing through bricklink trying to find that figure LOL. Nice lab thus far

Oh so that is where you got it from. I was browsing through bricklink trying to find that figure LOL. Nice lab thus far

 Yeah bet that stumped you

 

Thanks Brian.  I'm actually hoping to start building a little more on it soon.  I'm so slow though, but I have the urge again now that the new episodes are coming up.