Cobra Commander GI Joe action figure sold for a premium-inclusive $37,533 (£27,400) at LCG.
It took a massive premium-inclusive sum of $37,533 (£27,400) at the auction which ended on October 24.
The saleroom said: “The rare, unopened collectable hit the market in 1983, when Hasbro in 1982, after a six-year hiatus, revived the GI Joe toy line with 3¾in figures, branding it: A Real American Hero. The relaunch was considered by many the most iconic toy line of the 1980s and that is why, to collectors, there is no carded figure more coveted than the Cobra Commander.”
Graded toys from the 1970s-90s are now being regarded as serious investments. The buyer of this Cobra Commander was Rally, an investment platform for buying and selling equity shares in collectables. On November 24, the item was listed with a $45,000 valuation with shares priced at $9. It apparently sold out in hours.
LCG launched last year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, calling itself the “first auction house exclusively for high-end vintage toys and pop-culture collectibles from the 1970s, 80s and 90s”.
Mark Montero, founder of LCG, said: “Over the past year, the financial markets have experienced a movement away from traditional slow growth investments to exciting tangible properties. Collectors are looking for items they care deeply about that also have potential for more rapid growth.
“The sports cards and memorabilia market has seen explosive growth and as a result many people have been priced out. In contrast, the vintage toy market is in its infancy. These vintage toys and pop-culture artefacts from the 1970s through 1990s provide the ideal mix of passionate memories and scarcity.”
He-Man in demand
1982 Castle Grayskull from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – premium-inclusive $22,206 (£16,650) at LCG.
Underlining the current healthy demand for 1980s toys, another highlight in this LCG sale was a 1982 Castle Grayskull from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. Rare in its original packing, it took a premium-inclusive $22,206 (£16,650).
In November 2019 a Mattel He-Man Masters of the Universe Heroic Warriors three-pack, containing He-Man, Teela and Ram Man, mint, within “Good to Good Plus (some creasing) sealed packaging” sold for £10,000 at Vectis (20.83% buyer’s premium) of Teesside against an estimate of £800-1200.
