VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by JoeMan, Aug 3, 2019.

  1. JoeMan

    JoeMan Mini Boss

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
  2. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    Inneresting. Those Gargantuas were actually kind of a steal!
     
  3. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    I didn't want to past too much info on this aforehand - live auction and all - but I can definitely say a lot of the vintage nutters like myself had their keen eyes on it, and were following the lead up to the even for several months. Some others can probably give a lot more detail than I, but in short this auction (the links shown) was for a Peekaboo Gallery event, VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys, which consisted of an incredible collection from Mark Livolsi. I will save the auction specifics for others I think - especially once the dust settles from all the hectic bidding! - but for reference here is bit more info on the background of the event and the collection:

    https://www.peekaboogallery.com/exhibitions-and-shows/



    I really wanted one of the event catalogues - a veritable trove of gorgeous toy pr0n in and of itself, but sadly the 61$ for international shipping was a major deal-breaker. :( From what I have seen (and thank you very much to everyone for all the generous image sharing that has gone in) it is a really lovely compilation.
     
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  4. chimply.kaiju

    chimply.kaiju Side Dealer

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    :shock:

    Sold for $4,750.00 + ($1,092.50) buyer's premium. + applicable fees & taxes.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    :shock:

    $2,700.00 + ($621.00) buyer's premium. + applicable fees & taxes.
    [​IMG]

    :shock:

    $3,000.00 + ($690.00) buyer's premium. + applicable fees & taxes.
    [​IMG]
     
  5. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    Going through all the listings was absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this!
     
  6. JoeMan

    JoeMan Mini Boss

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    Yes, I hesitated to share because of the live auction rules, but figured since I wasn't drawing attention to a single auction, and a whole catalog, maybe some people who didn't know it was happening would be interested. I didn't know until shortly before the auciton, when instagram served up an ad.

    I've changed the thread title to now mention the auction name, if people want to discuss any of sales post auction.
     
  7. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    No, it's all cool Joe, I was just talking about how this auction was sort of hanging in the shadows - but actually very actively discussed, in private - before you posted the iCollector links. It is great that you did, and now that it is over I am eagerly looking forward to reports, some positive hopefully, but I imagine one or two crushing defeats as well. Those were some tough prices, but also, a lot of great pieces up for grabs, hence the attention, especially with die-hard collectors. So, in that way, while maybe it is not for everyone, this sort of auction has the potential to generate a lot of stories/toy history, which is precisely the sort of discussion which makes SB such a cool place! :)
     
  8. deafmetal

    deafmetal Comment King

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    It was a very interesting experience to participate in a live auction focused exclusively on Godzilla items. Everything from gachapon to the rarest of the rare vintage and modern sofubi and tin toys. It also included things like laserdisc sets, film props, and vintage film posters, but the vast majority of the collection was straight-up toys and models. I was not aware that Mr. Livolsi was a hardcore Godzilla collector, but the book is an excellent archive of the collection he built during his lifetime. I was actually watching The Devil Wears Prada a few weeks ago with my family and caught his name in the credits as the editor of that specific film. He certainly created quite an impressive collection, and I hope his family is pleased with the results of the auction.

    Regarding the auction experience itself, I never imagined I would hear an auctioneer's chant to include things like "Bullmark Megalon Hawaiian", haha. I was participating remotely over the live feed, and I got a bit droned out with all the fast-paced bidding and chanting, but it was still a lot of fun. You could hear the crowd react to some of the competitive and high bids that were going down. I have never used icollector.com before, but it was interesting that you could see the location of the bids coming in from the Internet. Lots of competitive bids between Hawaii and Hong Kong for most of the Bullmark Hawaiian grails, and I also saw a bootleg giant goji selling to a winning bidder from Mexico. Although I did not win my top choice from this auction, I did manage to score some wonderful pieces that I will certainly treasure. The fact that they are documented so well in the hardcover book is also a really cool artifact as well.

    For anybody who is interested, you can download and save the high-res images used in the auction listings. They are some of the best quality photos of many of these rare toys that I have ever seen, and there are additional photos that were not included in the book. I would grab some photos before they take down all the listings.
     
  9. ElvisFromHell

    ElvisFromHell Comment King

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    I concur - it was a lot of fun to watch online via icollector though it went on for a long time until they got to the good stuff I was waiting for (the vintage figures). I snagged a couple of Bullmarks at really excellent prices, missed a couple more because I was too slow clicking my mouse (the auctioneer moved fast! He had to because of the large number of lots) and I backed off from bidding on some other items because of the buyer's premium that would be added to the price (and now regret not going a little higher on some of those). And it was fun to watch others compete for the really high end items and hear the applause from the floor when the successful bidder won. This is only the second auction of this kind I've ever heard of - the first being the (now) legendary Morphy's auction many moons ago. Too bad they don't come around more often and who knows how many years it will be until the next Japanese vinyl auction by a real brick & mortar auction house.

    I'll also add that for me, it's kind o' cool just to own a couple of figures that are in the catalog and were part of Mark's incredible collection.

    And a final thought - I backed off going higher on some items for fear of any undisclosed charges that would be added to the final tally. That was a big unknown with this auction. The auction house disclosed a 20% buyer's premium plus another 3% fee to icollector for using the online platform but the fine print also said that the auction house would send an invoice that includes "shipping charges." We don't yet know whether there's going to be an additional fee for packing items as well as shipping them. I couldn't help thinking when I saw some online bidders racking up lots of items: "I hope they read the fine print and know there's at least a nearly 25% surcharge on all purchases." - FWIW.
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2019
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  10. akum6n

    akum6n Vintage

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    I realize everyone was probably starry-eyed over the rare vintage, but there were some choice Marmit and Bear Model vinyls in that auction. Things that I've never seen for sale, in my memory.

    Also someone won a green Buta '62 Godzilla for $150 (excluding fees).
     
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  11. akum6n

    akum6n Vintage

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    So, did anyone else pick up things from this auction?

    The invoice and shipping process was a little frustrating. I won a few Marmit items/lots.

    First, it took them almost a month to invoice me. After I paid, there was no notification of shipment, even though it was sent via USPS Priority. Just showed up one day.

    And second, they packed everything into the smallest box possible, with basically no padding between or around the figures, save for some butcher paper at the top to fill the box. I kind of expect more from a 'professional' auction house that charges a ~23% buyer's premium. Hopefully they did a better job with the vintage stuff.

    Nothing major, but it seemed like Peekaboo struggled with the fulfillment process.
     
  12. Roger

    Roger Vintage

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    Ugh, every time there is an auction like this I hear similar complaints, regardless of the auction house running it.

    I put in a couple of bids but lost out. I ended up buying both items from other collectors for far less. No regrets.
     
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  13. deafmetal

    deafmetal Comment King

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    @akum6n - My experience was similar, but not exactly the same. I received a shipping notice and tracking info from Parcel Monkey, but did not receive a USPS tracking #. I assume they shipped all packages through PM. I'm not a fan as you could not sign up for delivery notices and tracking was vague, etc. The vintage toys I received were packed much better than your description. Each was individually bubble-wrapped, and then placed in a decent-sized box with some butcher paper throughout. That said, I did receive the wrong item for one of my lots, and then had to quickly work out an exchange with the auction house. That was a bit nerve-wracking. I feel every toy should at least be protected from rubs when packed together though, whether it's new or vintage.
     
  14. ElvisFromHell

    ElvisFromHell Comment King

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    VINYL CONFLICT: The World of Godzilla Toys auction
    Yeah, it took about a month for Peekaboo to invoice me but I wasn't concerned because that let me wait longer to pay. I don't think they sent me a shipping notice either - the box just showed up. But they shipped quickly - I got it within a few days of paying and stuff was packed OK. I got 5 vintage figures that were in separate bags which prevented scuffing - not much packing material in the box but all-in-all, I was happy with the experience. My items arrived safe and sound. Because the not-so-rare vintage stuff I bought went really cheap, I can overlook the delay in invoicing and eventual shipping. In the end I got the items and they were exactly as depicted in the photos. A gripe I had with the Morphy's auction was that some items showed up with damage or writing on them which was not disclosed in the pics or descriptions. I think Peekaboo did a much better job in that regard.
     

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