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[g.ijoecollecter3400]

I was poking around ebay earlier tonight and discovered something new about the 25th ann. cobra Eel figure. Apparently there is also a " varaint ". Just like the mail away Doc figure, the cobra Eel has 2 diff. versions. One with a #1 on the gun and another has #2 on the gun.  The one with the #2 is the supposed " variant ". So i mossy on over to my collection and check to see witch Eels i have. Low and behold there a #2 on the gun. YIPPY right ?

Anyway, this lead me to search and try to find out how much more this supposed variant is worth compared to the regular #1 gun one. Surprisingly! LOL, there's some people on ebay trying to get 30$ for a figure that is exactly the same as its 8$ to 10$ ( #1 gun ) counterpart. But in the collecting world a variant is a variant is a variant i guess...? Me being the completist that i am i was happy to see that i have the supposed RARER version. And someday im gonna have to get me witchever Doc ( #1 or #2 ) that i don't have.

So in searching for the info. on the variant i came across an argument on hisstank.com. People where pissed off @ Hasbro for sending in figures to AFA. Hence making it available for Hasbro to sell you a 8.5 or 9 graded uncirculated figure for 89.99$. Others said that  only vintage stuff should be graded. A lot of people agreed that the whole grading thing has gotten completly out of hand in the last few years. ( And i agree )
Anyway, it was a long argument with lots of back and forth.

Don't get me wrong i would love to be able to send every last figure and vehicle i own to AFA so that i can have there value go up 10 fold for no reason. And i would imagine @ the end of that process the value of my collection would be equal to or less then what i spent on sending then to be graded in the first place.

We are already seeing cases like this pop up. Take the sdcc 2008 black suite cobra commander graded @ 8.5 or 9. People used to ask 150$ and above for that. Now you can get one easy for 70$ - 80$. 80$ for one of those is basically what the thing cost and to get it graded.

Ok, so we know grading modern aint worth poop. That was almost a no brainer from the start. ( UNLESS you have anything 9.5 and above ). And still you have no garentee EVER that something is going to come back the grade you figure it might get. So it still a crap shoot right out of the gate.

THE POINT: ( Even though i dont collect vintage ) What gets me is the grading of the vintage stuff. How in the heck now-a-days is a vintage mosc collecter going to complete his or her collection...? Can you imagine being the guy that has sunk 10, 15, 20 years and god knows how much $$$$$$ into there collection, taking there time trying to find really nice ( not beat to hell ) versions of the vintage toys they need.

I mean just about anybody who has a half desent figure or vehicle has already sent it to AFA. And it now has a double or triple price tag then what it was ungraded.

Supposes that the collecter i speak of has 80% of everything vintage g.i joe ungraded, and wants to continue collecting and displaying, ungraded. What is that collecter to do...? Does he kick in the 3 times what he would pay for ungraded. And when it gets to him, crack the case open ? Or does he spend 10's of thousands getting the rest of his stuff graded...?

Again, i guess the point is. Eventually the only vintage mosc figures and vehicles you will be able to buy will be graded ones. You won't even have the option of collecting ungraded anymore. It's almost @ that point already.

Now, what is going to happen when ever last vintage MOSC figure and vehicle is graded.....?  Ill tell you what...Having em graded ain't gonna be worth ANYTHING! Why..? Because there all graded.!!!!

The only next logical step to make your 10 GEM graded 1982 Snake Eyes better then my 10 GEM graded Snake Eyes is, we each send our figures in to AFA again and whoever's graded case grade's higher wins!!!!!! And so on and so forth till then end of time.

So to close, in my opinion grading is wrong. It just ruins the love and fun of collecting by jacking up prices. The only people that win in the grading scenario are people who resell the figures after they are graded. And AFA offcourse they win big time ( by convincing us to use a service we never needed in the first place ). Lets not forget we as collecter's can dictate the price of our toys in the secondary market place we all deal and live in.

WE HAVE THE POWER.

[Sundance]

AFA grading is pretentious garbage that's an excuse to jack prices.

[ARROW]

AFA grading is pretentious garbage that's an excuse to jack prices.

This. Absolutely this.

[latinjoe22]

AFA grading is pretentious garbage that's an excuse to jack prices.

This. Absolutely this.

Ditto.

[grunt 4 mvp]

AFA grading is pretentious garbage that's an excuse to jack prices.

This. Absolutely this.

Ditto.

I agree as well.
However businesses are designed to make money, not help the collector finish his collection as cheaply as possible. It exists because there is a demand (or you could argue, they created a demand). Either way there are people who enjoy keeping high grade figures, not only reselling them (I've met them). Like you, I don't agree with them, but they might not agree with how I display my collection. Or they may think completionism and having every variant is a waste of money. Chacun sont gout, as LJ or Martin might say.
I would never use AFA (though I received 2 years ago in a trade) but I have no problem with people collecting what they want, in the way they want. I think scalpers at the store who take everything to resell are a bigger threat to "ruining fun" and "jacking up prices". If someone wants to encase their collection in plastic - go ahead. I want to display mine on a shelf. Some one else packs their away and stores it. Either way they are out of circulation and privately owned.
My only query is what will they do when that o-ring inevitably snaps?
Just my 2 cents...er....nickel.   

[silentdusty]

I'm no fan of AFA grading, but I agree with G4MVP, people can collect how they want, if they have the bones to collect and pay for only AFA graded items, go for it. I personally collect loose, cause I like to 'play' with my toys, and I can also replace those pesky o-rings when they dry out  . I'm more concerned with scalpers who go into stores, buy out all of the hard to find figs, and then sell them on E-Bay or at local toy shows for a premium. AFA is for those who can afford it.

[g.ijoecollecter3400]

Where this runaway train of jacked up Afa graded figures went wrong was in the begining when Afa first came out.

When a mint on card 1983 cobra officer ungraded was worth 300$. Grading should have only validated that the figure was worth so.
Not jack it to 850$ overnight.

[ARROW]

Slabbing toys is like wanting to have sex with a gorgeous super-model..........who you've just wrapped head-to-toe in plastic wrap.

Sure you could have some bragging rights, but it totally misses the real fun.....

[ARROW]

My problem with slabbing......well.........anything ........is that it ends up becoming a thing unto itself.  The toy/comic is preserved in plastic to keep it's condition intact, but then.......what about the slab?  The condition of the slab itself, over time become part of the intrinsic value of the slabbed item, because the presentation of the slab influences the appearance of the item inside. Doesn't matter what the grade or the assigned value of the contents are, if the slab has scuffs or buckles.......it's NOT going to be as valuable as a slab that doesn't have faults.  Taking the item out to replace it with a fresh slab means the item has to be re-appraised and could take a hit to its condition.

So the answer to this is to.............oh, wait for it..........to slab the slabbed item. 

And the stupid just snowballs from there. 
That and you never actually get to "enjoy" the contents themselves..........you get to enjoy the slab. Yeah, that's a load of fun.

[g.ijoecollecter3400]

I'm no fan of AFA grading, but I agree with G4MVP, people can collect how they want, if they have the bones to collect and pay for only AFA graded items, go for it. I personally collect loose, cause I like to 'play' with my toys, and I can also replace those pesky o-rings when they dry out  . I'm more concerned with scalpers who go into stores, buy out all of the hard to find figs, and then sell them on E-Bay or at local toy shows for a premium. AFA is for those who can afford it.

This is why we have 60$ P.O.C Lowlights running around. LOL

[canprime]

It was all about ego and money in the beginning, and of course collectors bought into it like crazy.

Then the problems started.  Completely sealed cases led to unexpected deterioration and discolouring.  Then AFA branched out into loose items, then vintage and finally they started to get fooled, and found out, by knock-offs. 

Is it worth it to you to pay a large amount of money to get an item graded, only to find out later that it may not be worth that much more?  There is an article from Toyfare a few years ago, if I find it I'll post it, about this very topic and how even then prices were dropping.

Yes it is up to each individual collector as to what they find value in while collecting.  However, there is a larger market at play and you can see more and more that the whole AFA grading thing has past it's prime.  Yes there will always be valuable, rare items that go for a lot, but the days of people paying $1000+ for figures is pretty much done. 

I still think back to the Ebay auction I watched about 2 years ago.  This guy was auctioning off a MISB Wolverine (US version).  It was not AFA graded, just in really nice condition.  It went for over $3000!!!!!  I just don't see how it could have gone for anymore by simply being graded.  It was the absolute rarity of the item that I believe pushed it so high, and grading wouldn't have added enough extra value to offset the cost of getting it graded in the first place.

Then again, as others have said, to each there own.

[g.ijoecollecter3400]

Canprime makes some really good points of how AFA is past its prime, but even with people catching on and seeing that buying graded figures is not a " great thing " like it once was the damage is non forever and will continue to forever be done as long as AFA stays in buisness.

Look @ the situation im facing right now trying to get a 25th ann. Yellow variant Stalker figure. None of my other figures are AFA'd so he would just look studid in this big plastic case next to my other joes. Also im not in the market for paying 220$ to 300$ for 8 or 8.5 grade of him either.

NOW. lets look @ my alternative. I'd have no problem finding one ungraded with a big dent, or a ripe on the card or a slightly unglued bubble for 120$. But I don't want that either. The reason those haven't been sent to be graded is because the owners know the would come back as  5's or 6's. And they will only be able to sell it for surprise, surprise 120$.

It a case of people having there cake and eating it too! And it rediculous!!!  They are all to happy when they have a high grade figure and can jack up the value to 220$ to 300$  no problem. But when they get one not quite AFA worth they stick to the same price range as if the thing was MINT on card and ungraded.