Are we having fun yet, kids? How about checking the price on this forty year old B&W ALIEN poster from 1979. Currently, it is for sale on eBay for the hilarious price of US$274.99. Wow. Now that’s funny, hey! It’s got to be a joke, right? Probably not; but it’s worth a giggle if nothing else.
Personally, I find this expectation on part of the seller very amusing. While this item is for sale in the US, let’s see how much it translates into currency where I live, in Australia. hmmm… The international currency exchange rate is in an outstandingly bad situation right now, so let’s have a good laugh here… Continue reading
Kenner ALIEN Poster for Sale.
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Sure, it’s now a vintage item with a reputation (rather than scarcity) being the driving force behind the value of these notorious old play things originally marketed to five year olds. That doesn’t justify a price tag of this magnitude. This item is incomplete missing the head carapace and tongue parts. These three critical absent pieces severely reduce the value of the figure. For US$200 less, you can purchase a 100% complete with all of those parts present. At the price of US$500, you may even be lucky enough to score one in a box. Although I must add, the box itself will not be pristine condition and likely to be rough around the edges to say the least. At he end of the day, the seller for this toy will most likely need to revise their expectations (and price) before this item sells. Unless you really want to spend over five hundred US dollars on a forty year old toy missing valuable parts, I’d say look elsewhere. These things aren’t all that rare and if you are looking for one on eBay, about a dozen options are available right now.
These are common pieces missing from these toys today and while the dome, crest and both tongue halves are considered the most valuable parts of this vintage toy, I feel it’s when the limbs go missing it becomes degraded at its most. After all, missing tongue parts don’t affect the appearance of the toy as they are concealed within the elongated head. The dome goes missing so easily but is compensated by having the glow in the dark detail of the head constantly exposed. Losing the crest on the back is annoying but at least it’s on the rear of the figure and its absence is not apparent when viewed from the front. 
Bidding started at just US$1.00 for this mutilated package item. There are significant tears and other deformations throughout the box but it does include the red insert card. No figure or poster is included. It’s just the empty box being offered for sale. Nonetheless, these four decades old vintage boxes are in high demand. How much will this item eventually sell for? It could easily sell for well in excess of US$200. It will be interesting to watch and see how much this item escalates during bidding and is notable to gauge for determining what the value of one of these boxes actually is. Even if it is empty and in the decrepit and substantially less than desirable condition this sample certainly is.
It’s an average condition toy. No box. No dome. Missing its dorsal crest. Other than that, it looks very good. Nonetheless, the starting price of US$200 will attract solid attention from bidders. This sale of an average condition figure will serve as a measuring guide of what one of these vintage toys is worth now. How much will it eventually sell for? It could certainly sell for in excess of US$250. This is well within reason as dictated by those who are prepared to spend money on an average quality, ugly, forty year old toy that no one particularly thought was a good idea back in 1979 – but therein lies the value behind these old toys.
The hierarchy of desirability with these old toys is simple. Samples in unopened pristine condition are rare and highly valuable; while opened samples with the toy still attached to the red insert card are pretty close to being next. This sample is being sole by the vendor and touted with this claim. It’s for sale with the understanding, ” it was never removed from the carboard (sic)” as noted by the seller. The problem here is simple. This item actually has been removed from the card. 
It’s been said many times before and the use of reproduction parts are very much divided in collector’s opinions and arguments from both sides are valid. On one hand, for many people, there is no other option than to use reproduction items. About 90% of all Kenner ALIEN toys today lack the dome; and around 70% are missing the crest. It makes sense to owners of the toy who want it to appear “feature complete” to use such parts when genuine parts are so rare. They are in high demand and priced much, much higher when you do find them. There’s a small industry surrounding the creation of facsimile items. 
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It’s a little dog eared and slightly creased but this poster is still in very good condition considering its age. Nonetheless, such a low starting price is important. Bidders will escalate the selling price well above it’s current value. This is inevitable. During the past month or so, there’s been around four of these listed on eBay. Each one has been listed for around US$200 and then sold for around that much. How much will this item sell is anyone’s guess; but right now, it’s a safe bet it will easily top the triple figure mark. Importantly, this item will demonstrate the true value of these forty year old posters as bidders determine what it’s worth – not the seller under these auction conditions. This will be a fun item to watch.
This is the real deal, alright. Mind you, these do crop up from time to time and there’s been a few of them appearing on eBay lately. One appeared recently and was sold while I was in the process of was writing up a News item about it. That was pretty funny, actually. 
Eric Fischer has had a 25 year long interest in this “wacky Arachnid Alien” toy, ever since it was first released. The article is well worth the read and if you are interested in this toy line, you’ll find it informative and rewarding.
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Here’s what remains to be sold at the time of publishing this post. Prices are in USD and seller will ship international:
Shirts are available in 15 colours, fit male or female, feature a variety of styles and cover a full range of sizes. I’ve previously seen similar items to this and much like those other merchandise, it appears to be 100% unlicenced. Nothing wrong with that just so long as you don’t mind buying unofficial stuff.
Widely regarded as the most screen accurate version of the Xenomorph warrior appearing in Kenner’s 1990s range of ALIENS toys, the Scorpion Alien was also one of the most popular. Here’s a snippet from the blog article, all good reading: “It’s a fine example of balance between form & function, aesthetic & practicality. One of the best & most popular figures from the line, this figure perfectly captures the look of the creatures as seen in Aliens.” It’s a fun read and a fascinating insight into how Kenner would repurpose an already extant action feature design, hone it to perfection and produce one of the true classic ALIENS toys ever made.
