vintage joes sealed on custom vintage cards

[iostream71]

i saw a few ebay auctions with vintage joes sealed in new custom cards with new bubbles. how are they made?

 

example

[toonces]

i saw a few ebay auctions with vintage joes sealed in new custom cards with new bubbles. how are they made?

 

example

 

all you would need is access to a site like this GI Joe Card Art

and a good photoshop program and printer. as for the bubble, i don't know where you could get new ones like that.

[iostream71]

i sent a message asking where he got the parts and he replied that he makes it. trying to see if he would sell me the parts to make my own. since i'll never be able to afford the real stuff, would be kind of fun to have the next best thing

[Snow_Serpent]

To me this represents a disturbing trend in the MOC figure market. I know TF's went through some issues of custom packaging to make fake MIB G1 Transformers.

[Ren]

scary, I don't like the road this goes down.

[JoeRhyno]

yeah, there's a lot of UK sellers on ebay that sell recarded SW figs.. and their description is very very vague, they don't list it as being recarded on the title, probably hoping to trick a buyer

[JoeRhyno]

i saw a few ebay auctions with vintage joes sealed in new custom cards with new bubbles. how are they made?

 

example

 

wow.. that guy should really edit his card art so people do't try to buy those and resell them as originals.

[cobrasaboteur]

those look pretty indistinguishable... some of them say "replica" over the bar code, and some do not. I would LOVE to see someone send one in to AFA, get it graded, and then post the results all over joe boards. That would absolutely ruin any reputation AFA may have had with the joe community.

 

-saboteur

[Ren]

those look pretty indistinguishable... some of them say "replica" over the bar code, and some do not. I would LOVE to see someone send one in to AFA, get it graded, and then post the results all over joe boards. That would absolutely ruin any reputation AFA may have had with the joe community.

 

-saboteur

 

 

 

That would be crazy, I wonder of they found out about it they would get there lawyers all over the Joe collector, because

that would be a pretty serious nail in the coffin.

[cobrasaboteur]

there is NO way the joe collector could get in trouble for it. IMO it NEEDS to be done. AFA is the BIGGEST scam going. They are getting $$ for doing NOTHING. Who made them the "action figure authority" anyway?? Its such bs.

 

Especially now with their new "loose grading"...there's gotta be tons of refurbished figures getting through with great grades.

 

For one of many examples...a cobra de aco with chipped no chrome left on his head might be worth $30. One with Shiny never touched chrome can fetch over $100 easily. AFA would NEVER know if one was re-chromed. There's just too many things that they cant verify. They aren't doing scientific analysis with carbon dating...there's no way for them to know if something's original except by looking at it----which is exactly what any knowledgeable collector could do for FREE.

 

Even a figure with a little superglue in his leg will tighten its joints up and bump up a grade. I highly doubt AFA takes apart the figures it gets. The figure could even be GLUED together and get a perfect grade!

 

If anything joe collectors should get their lawyers on AFA for selling them a flawed service.

 

Stupidest thing EVER. The day AFA goes down is the day i celebrate.

 

-saboteur

[lance838]

there is NO way the joe collector could get in trouble for it. IMO it NEEDS to be done. AFA is the BIGGEST scam going. They are getting $$ for doing NOTHING. Who made them the "action figure authority" anyway?? Its such bs.

 

Especially now with their new "loose grading"...there's gotta be tons of refurbished figures getting through with great grades.

 

For one of many examples...a cobra de aco with chipped no chrome left on his head might be worth $30. One with Shiny never touched chrome can fetch over $100 easily. AFA would NEVER know if one was re-chromed. There's just too many things that they cant verify. They aren't doing scientific analysis with carbon dating...there's no way for them to know if something's original except by looking at it----which is exactly what any knowledgeable collector could do for FREE.

 

Even a figure with a little superglue in his leg will tighten its joints up and bump up a grade. I highly doubt AFA takes apart the figures it gets. The figure could even be GLUED together and get a perfect grade!

 

If anything joe collectors should get their lawyers on AFA for selling them a flawed service.

 

Stupidest thing EVER. The day AFA goes down is the day i celebrate.

 

-saboteur

 

I have to agree with your statement about grading loose figures.... but with original carded figures thats a different story. You can tell vintage from fake card backs. Custom card-backs look new... are in perfect condition (unless you are just using sissors freehand) are most likely not even printed (but are color copies of the original card-backs and then dry mounted on poster board with adhesive). So I highly doubt a service like AFA could be fooled....

 

...But I also agree with you as to who makes these companies the AUTHORITY in graded toys or sports cards for that matter? The manufacturers? Collectors? I'd like to find out who since I already have a vested interest by owning several carded joes graded by AFA... makes me wish I started a grading biz... @hmmm@

[cobrasaboteur]

yeah you make a very valid point lance... the cardbacks no matter how good cant ever be EXACTLY like the originals. But I think AFA can be fooled. After all...how "EXPERT" can they actually be on how a 1982 snake eyes MOC figure looks like? Bend the corner, crush the bubble a little bit maybe, throw an old $2.99 price tag on there. I think you could pass of a fake C6 repro cardback no problem. You're right though, loose figures would definitely be easier than moc ones.

 

I've actually heard of some resealed star wars figures getting through graded...cant confirm that though but i know i did hear it.

 

Does anyone actually KNOW the process AFA goes through to grade/verify a figure or do we just throw figures at them blindly so they can put their stamp of approval on it??

 

-saboteur

[iostream71]

the guy wrote me back and said he might offer recard kits on ebay in the future. i noticed that he had to relist his auctions because people thought they were the real thing @smilepunch@

[Ren]

Man, talk about another reason to worry, don't even get me started on AFA/Toyfare.

[AirborneRigger]

The guy that listed the Repro 1982 SE and 1983 CC had "replica" printed on the back of the cards. SE's was on the upper right of the FC and CC's was in the barcode.

 

I'm really curious as to how many ppl have bought fake MOCs. If I ever bought a MOC figure and found out it was a repro and wasn't listed that way, I'd definitely take legal action against the seller.

 

As for AFA, I'm not even gonna get started on that crap. Hell, I'll bet that there've been ppl to fake the AFA label. All you need is an acrylic case for the figure and a fake AFA sticker and BAM! $500 extra! WTF!

[lance838]

yeah you make a very valid point lance... the cardbacks no matter how good cant ever be EXACTLY like the originals. But I think AFA can be fooled. After all...how "EXPERT" can they actually be on how a 1982 snake eyes MOC figure looks like? Bend the corner, crush the bubble a little bit maybe, throw an old $2.99 price tag on there. I think you could pass of a fake C6 repro cardback no problem. You're right though, loose figures would definitely be easier than moc ones.

 

I've actually heard of some resealed star wars figures getting through graded...cant confirm that though but i know i did hear it.

 

Does anyone actually KNOW the process AFA goes through to grade/verify a figure or do we just throw figures at them blindly so they can put their stamp of approval on it??

 

-saboteur

 

Actually I own almost the entire 1982 moc AFA graded pieces. They are very particular to any crease, spider vein, scratchs, bends, dings...etc... I just got my 11-back snake eyes back from them and it came back a 70 out of 100. It's real nice condition but there are some slight surface paper tears on the back which is how they arrived at the 70 grade overall. I know AFA has some sort of partnership with TOYFARE magazine which is probably how they become the authority in toy grading. They have serial numbers associated with each graded piece that you can look-up on their website to make sure the sub grades etc. match up! There is also a population report as to how many for example: (9-back snake eyes there are out there that received a grade of 85). The bottom line is you have collectors that like the idea of graded pieces and you have collectors that don't.... so to say, "I don't like this or that about grading" is fine...to each his own! I like having an AFA collection because they look nice cased with the grades and I have piece of mind of an untampered MOC joe.... and I know there's a pretty good market out there that like AFA graded stuff as well as i do (hence the high price tags for them). It's a preference thing is all... just like people loving the new 25th anniv. vs. RAH figures. There's market out there for everything....

 

FYI: If you were to compare a vintage card back to a custom card back (even a 25th anniv. cardback) they look/feel different. Vintage card backs will never look brand spank'n new compared to the new stuff or custom cards. The cardboard feels different and doesn't have that new varnish-like-finish as they did when they were new in their hay day! There's just no comparison really... yes you could try and make a new card look old but it still wouldn't have that same look a vintage card would. The white borders aren't true white anymore...