Question About SSW Statues From Newbie Collector

[warlock664]

Yes, believe it or not, I have just recently decided to start building a collection of Sideshow/WETA LOTR Statues! ( right after they announced the end of the line, lol !) How I've neglected them until now, I have no idea; I've been a Sideshow collector (mostly 1/6, but also some 1/4) for years, and also a LOTR collector as well ( Topps cards/autographs, ToyBiz figures, etc). Thus far, I have Gandalf the Grey, Frodo, Boromir, Legolas, Eowyn, Gimli, King Elessar and Arwen. I've noticed some of the pieces are pricier than I expected, specifically "Sam & Bill the Pony" and "Aragorn". I'm mainly interested in the main characters, not items like the Cave Troll, the Orcs, etc. How much can I expect to pay for some of the "tougher" pieces (I've checked ebay, but haven't found all of them available) ? I am particularly interested in:

-Sam & Bill the Pony
-Merry
-Aragorn ( is it worth getting this one if I already have Elessar?)
-Saruman
-Ringwraith on Horse

Thanks in advance for the guidance!

[cherno]

This is an excellent source to find the average ebay prices and trending for any piece you are looking for:

www.toytracker.net/weta/ (http://www.toytracker.net/weta/)

[kierbaudy]

Check out auction tracker from spaceman:

www.perspectivevirtual.com/weta/ (http://www.perspectivevirtual.com/weta/)

It has most recent ebay prices, these are estimates only.

[Bodie The Cursed]

Get Saruman while its stil obtainable at a decent price

[Nemo Nint]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Aragorn ( is it worth getting this one if I already have Elessar?)<hr></blockquote>

Only if you really like him like the ranger!

I do, so I spent money to get him.


If you want a Ringwraith on Steed, better buy very soon before prices go over 800 USD.

[LOTR Fan]

Sam and Bill and the RWOS are the two I would get first, they show no signs of coming back down.

[Mr Fell Beast]

Sam and Bill and the RWOS are the two I would get first, they show no signs of coming back down.

As is the case with most of the older fellowship items...:google :x

[warlock664]

Thanks, all, for the advice, and for those great links! Lets me get an idea of what I'm up against. I would probably have "Aragorn" on my must list, if the likeness were better AND if there wasn't a King Elessar statue, but for now, unless I happen to find one at a great price (unlikely!), I'll probably concentrate on Sam & Bill (likely to run me $1000 or more, I guess!), Merry, RWOS, and Bilbo. I was able to pick up a Pippin on 2nd chance at Sideshow, and I've pre-ordered PJ, Gimli & Legolas on Arod, and Aragorn at the Black Gates. If I'm able to find a RWOS at a "decent" price, I'll probably get Gandalf on Shadowfax as well. Regarding Merry & Bilbo, how hard-to-find are those 2 pieces? I haven't been able to locate many auctions for either, especially Merry, on ebay.

[Bodie The Cursed]

Mark My Words.. Saruman.. He is relatively cheap now.. And is like an Environment and Statue wrapped in one..

[lakeshouse]

I'm thinking of unloading my Sam & Bill. PM me if you want. :dance

[Nemo Nint]

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>And is like an Environment and Statue wrapped in one..<hr></blockquote>
Never thought of it exactly like that before, Bodie! But you're totally right. It's two statues in one, but one being an environmental item! I can't think of anything else that has two separate components that have pegs on the base... except maybe Eowyn with her little helm, which is more like a statue and a helm in one <img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif" />

[leebgb]

Both Merry and Bilbo tend to pop up on ebay every couple of weeks. Just keep an eye out for them.

The Sam & Bill is a must IMO.

[cherno]

For those statues that you have preordered, unless they are sideshow exclusives, I would recommend checking out some of our friendly boards shops. They have lower prices and excellent service.
Darkshadowcollectibles
Firesidecollectibles
Alteregocomics
Mike Richards
to name just a few and in no particular order. You can find info on them in the dealers boards.

[jlcmsu]

Welcome first of all.

Sam and Bill is a really nice piece. Captures a lot about the story that I love. I hope you can get this one its a must have IMO. Strider you have to have it if you are wanting both versions of him. A lot depends on if you want the Ranger version of the character. I would personally go after it but this is my favorite character. Merry you have to get since its the only statue of him but its much better than I thought it would be, and I've been known to like most of the pieces :p Saruman is a sweet piece. The likeness is dead on and captures a very important turing point in the story. The RWOS is one of the best they have done anyone that says it sucks well......:rolleyes Another piece you really have to get is Sauron!! Unless you have been lucky enough to see this in person the pics dont do it justice.:thud

[B Electronic]

the pics dont do it justice

You're kidding me right? Is it even possible to make the thing look even better?


Welcome to the board!! You'll love it here (or not :lol )
The auction tracker mentioned above is a really good way to check the value of a piece. And like some others here mentioned aswell, you'd better start off with the pieces that are relatively cheap right now, like Saruman and the Ringwraith on Steed and Merry. The are allready somewhat expensive but those are pieces that will go up in price more and more.

[jlcmsu]

You're kidding me right? Is it even possible to make the thing look even better?

Yeah, see it in person then it will look even better!

[Heart Of Stone]

I wish you luck Warlock . It's tough getting started this late in the game , but atleast you have a good idea of the few pieces you want . I have a feeling that this will become a much larger situation , especially as more people discover these collectibles for the first time . Get them while you can !

[CaptainCaveTroll]

My advice would be don't start buying them as it is an expensive addiction that will leave you pennyless, will do nothing for your appeal to the opposite sex (or same sex) and will put you onto the geek spectrum.

These are wise words...

[tielo1]

Go for it warlock664, it's a great addiction. My collection gives me joy everyday!

[FrodoEyes]

Are we talking about the dild-Orthanc again? :lol

[serfup]

First off welcome. Aragorn is a great piece and my favorite piece from the book. If he is to expensive the Aragorn at the Black gate might be an alternative, while not Strider he is Aragorn before he became king.
Saruman is an excellent piece and still not that expensive and ROS is awesome. Merry is also excellent and not that pricy.
Then you have Gimli, Pippin and Bilbo(a little expensive at this point.)
Other great pieces that are not to expensive are Theoden, Galad. Archer, Elrond and Treebeard.
Sam and Bill is a great piece, but very expensive at this point.

[mrichards2002]

Hi Everyone,

First, welcome warlock664 to the wonderful world of LOTR Polystone. Some good advice is (if you can afford it), start to concentrate on the older pieces with a low production run. Once they dry up (which is about 6 months ago), pieces tend to shoot up. Don't try to buy everything because it will break your bank. You can concentrate on a theme like the Fellowship or all Horse/Rider type statues. Have patience, just because you see one of them available, doesn't mean more will be available in the future. Watch the price guide and spend your money wisely. Instead of a Sam and Bill, maybe go for a newer piece like Legolas and Gimli on Arod and with the difference you will spend, buy a King Elessar.
The expensive pieces will always be available for a price. If you can learn the market price on this line, you can see what is starting to rise in price and snatch it before it goes up to a ridiculous level.

Good Luck. It's a wonderful line.

Thanks,
Mike
:ted