It’s well known 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figures can fetch extremely high prices.  Find one in an unopened box, and the price escalates dramatically and you can expect them to be well over four figures.

Take this item for example, currently for sale on Ebay. It’s a little rough around the edges, as these boxes frequently are; but all the contents appear to be inside:  action figure, the red insert card it’s supposed to be attached to; and the B&W poster.  All of these items are present but is there anything missing?  Yes, actually.  There is. 

Taking a closer look at how the arms are secured in place (Above Right), an inspection reveals a rubber band is holding the figure onto the red insert card.  Kenner never used this stabilisation method during the production run of the figure.  Kenner’s ALIEN was secured in place by black laddered zip ties.  Seeing this rubber band holding the figure to the card means this box has been opened, the figure has been removed and it has then been returned to the box using this improvised method – and then the box has been resealed.

Here’s what the ties holding the arm in place should look like (See Below).  It becomes obvious, then, that this sale item is neither using original sealing tape across the top of the box (which looks suspect, anyway) nor is it using original zip ties to hold it in place.

I’m not making any accusations here.  The vendor may not even be aware of the discrepancy – let’s afford him the benefit of any doubt, shall we?  Nonetheless, it’s important to be aware this is a figure that’s been previously removed from its package and the box itself has been resealed – and the proof is visible through the window on the front of the box.

The figure for sale here is still worth a lot of money, being present in the box certainly helps to command a high figure – but it’s condition is simply not matching the claim being made on the listing.  You can buy a figure loose in an opened box and not pay as much as what is being asked for here, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars.  Maybe even a thousand.

If you are a potential purchaser of this item, it’s important to know exactly what you’re getting for your money; and in this case, it’s definitely advisable to ask the vendor some questions before you make an offer or buy outright.

-Windebieste.