Lead Market Report - January 2012

I've been dragging my feet - well, at least my right foot (still in a cast for another 11 days). As February winds down, it's time to recap January's lead activity.

ASGARD: Now this is a good-looking dragon! I'm not crazy about the pose, but it's big and mean-looking so that's good enough for me. $47 is what it took to bring him home.

CITADEL: You gotta love those crazy Brits! Who else would sculpt Indiana Jones as an aardvark? This unreleased Weird Fantasy sculpt went for $185. It's always tough for me to watch when a C28 giant pops up and then sells for way more than I'm willing to pay for one, like this ugly fella who sold for $38. This one with an eye patch head sold for $30. I picked up one of these Chronicle Fire Giants for around $3 in a sweet lot of giants, but this one went for $39. When a seller lists an AD&D blister for $11, it's just not going to last long. If AD&D creatures are on your list, say a pair of Mind Flayers, it will set you back $13 and $9 respectively. I was watching this classic Marauder giant that sold for $36, but didn't pull the trigger.

DRAGONTOOTH: It was a good month for the works from Tom Loback General Artwork. This minty-fresh looking City of Magic Dwarf Armory sold for $105! This set was so pristine-looking that I even had to bid on it. I hope the new owner treasures it. The funny thing is that the combined value of the next two pieces almost was enough to buy the Dwarf Armory! Some collector paid $55 for the large table and $41 for the small table from the Magic Shoppe. Yowsers! And then at the end of January, a minty and complete Magic Shoppe appeared and sold for only $57!!! And just when you thought it was safe, ANOTHER Dwarf Armory showed up, selling for $89, even though it was only the metal pieces - no packaging, paper, or plastic to be seen.

Another DT piece that I bid on and lost was MB6 Griffon with Nest, Eggs, and Griffon Chick. It sold for $47, even with the missing chick. To me, it is one of the iconic DT minis, good enough to be used in one of the beautiful full-color ads in Dragon magazine back in the day.

And then there were not one but two MB7s - a MOC MB7 Seawitch (mermaid) sold for $22, and another one loose but with card for $17. It's interesting to see the packaging differences - the MOC example is on the black/red/yellow card, and the loose one is on a greenish/bluish card. I'm assuming the latter is an example of an older card?

FASA: I hate it when sellers only offer local pick-up. So if you were a Star Trek collector who wanted this big $271 lot, you were SOL unless you could convince the seller to ship to you.

GAMES WORKSHOP: The LOTR trolls always seem to sell well, especially the armored variety. This Troll Chieftain sold for $29.

GRENADIER: Back in December, I picked up the Goblin War Giant for $50. January saw me acquire the other big Grenadier giant - the Battle Giant, and for only $21. Gottta say I'm happy to finally land him and at a decent price. There were plenty of other Grenadier bargains to be had in January: Princess Achmiri for $11 (ambitious sellers sometimes want upwards of $75 to $100 for this set); the iconic Balrog with the flimsy sword help upwards for $8; the Colossal Lords Female Frost Giant for only $16; and four Giants Club giants for anywhere from $8 to $13 - the Fire Giant (complete sans box) for $8; the Dwarven Giant for $10; a complete and minty-looking Fire Giant for just $11; and the Stone Giant (no box) for $13. My kind of bargains! Even this 6-pack of dragons was only about $10 per blister.

HERITAGE: The Demons & Devils boxed set always moves well, as evidenced by this $86 example. Another popular but uncommon (if not truly rare) model is the Great Dragon. This one originally showed up as a generic dragon, but someone alerted the seller they were selling a nice piece. It is missing the tail, and has no packaging, but still sold for $32. On the other hand, if you sold a complete Great Dragon with the original packaging, you could expect prices in the neighborhood of $120.

LEADING EDGE GAMES: This...is my boomstick! While not as popular as Aliens, LEG's Army of Darkness sets are still pretty cool, especially the Death Mobile ($58 at an S-Mart near you). Death to the Mortals and Deadite Champions were only $11 each, great finds if you're into Ash & Co.

MITHRIL: $26 for a NIS Balrog of Moria? Yeah, I'd take that deal. Even better was Shelob for $13! 9 of the 12 minis in this $12 lot are Mithril, so if you love bargains, this lot qualifies.

RAL PARTHA: I've always thought the Minotaurs of the Imperial League were pretty neat - very ornate armor, shields, and weapons. Not your traditional minotaurs by any stretch of the imagination. This complete trio sold for $19. Lately, it seems like prices for the 11-series (at least those still carded) have been trending down for the most part. Here are a few examples: $24 for a Marilith; $21 for the Sahaugin; $18 for the Birthright Chimaera; $15 for the Skrag; only $10 for the Ettin; and a bargain I missed out on, Birthright's Bansheigh & Justina for a mere $2.25!!! Lord Soth (mounted & on foot) for $25. Mimics for $16.

One of the only 11-series exceptions is of course the Remorhaz. Still going strong, like this example for $72. And RP boxed sets are still highly valued and sought after, even if they are open like this Planescape set for $70. Almost doubling that price was Dark Sun's People of the Land for $138.

Oh, and there was another Molydeus sighting! This lot that sold for $183 had Molydeus and a gaggle of dragons, among other items. I like the buyer who asked the seller to list it for a $65 BIN. Nice try!

BattleTech minis continue to be an unstoppable force, both on the table and to the wallet. This modest lot sold for $123, while this 5 Mech lot (on orange cards) sold for $161. It's still going to set you back close to $40 to get a minty Warhammer, like this one for $39. Dig a little deeper if you like Marauders, to the tune of $58 for one like this. Lots of Mechs and parts in various stages of use can still net the seller $84.

REAPER: I could buy a lot of Reaper minis for $79, or you could buy one Cyber Demon. Your mileage may vary.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES: Want a big old lot of OGRE? Then you're going to part with a big old lot of cash - like $305 for a nice lot like this. Have you hugged your OGRE today?

TARGET GAMES/HEARTBREAKER: Fear the Dark Legion! This big & stompy Bio Giant sold for $41.

WEST END GAMES: $34 for The Return of the Jedi, a Storm Skimmer, and the Imperial Speeder Bikes seems like a good deal, especially the two vehicle blisters. Or you could have spent your $34 on this lot of loose minis, including some speeder bikes. Take your pick! And someone paid only about .50 per mini on this lot of 38 that sold for $22.