I’ve tried to compile a list of the top ten most valuable action figures released in the U.S. in the 80’s. The criteria used in the selection:
- The figure must have been released in the U.S. during the 80’s
- The figure was mainstream and not a bootleg or knockoff
- The figure had to have been widely distributed, meaning not a prototype or custom
- The figure should be valuable whether it’s loose or carded
These are figures that you may have actually had as a child and if you’re extremely lucky, might be able to find at a flea market or up in your uncle’s attic.
Top 10 List
In no particular order, here is the list…
- “Mickey Mouse” Cobra Commander
– Hasbro 1982
- Conan Jewel Thief
– Remco 1984
- Dick Tracy Blank
– Playmates 1990
- DC Super Powers Cyborg
– Kenner 1985
- Wonderbread He-Man
– Mattel 1984
- Ultimate Warrior WWF Wrestling Superstars
– LJN 1989
- Lords of Light Topen
– Pac Toys 1980
- Star Wars Yak Face
– Kenner 1985
- Transformers Pepsi Optimus Prime
– Hasbro 1985
- Spinnerella She-Ra Princess of Power
– Mattel 1987
[Note; Since I obviously don’t own these figures, I have linked to them on eBay where you can see images and the prices they are currently fetching.]
Honorable mentions:
Infaceables, Manglor, Smee from Hook, Captain Polution from Captain Planet, Nefratina from Mummies Alive, Four By from LORDS OF LIGHT, 1st Invisible Woman from Marvel Universe, Simpsons Save Blinky Bart
Contributors
I had plenty of help compiling this list from these fine folks on Twitter:
@CRPechonick, @LamarRevenger @fairplaythings @izlear @toywalker @geeky_vixen @BubbaShelby @DomBlanco @smurfwreck @paul_pants @Jonabot80 @XeQUae
If you would like to contribute to the discussion, post a comment below.
Thanks, Brian. You have just created a want-list for me.
Ha! Good luck with that! And you said you weren’t a collector. 😉
You forgot abput the 8 back he-man as well as the 8 back skeletor. Those are worth as much as pepsi optimus prime. I own a sealed pepsi optimus and an afa graded 8 back he-man. Still need skeletor though.
Great list! One correction, though: POTF85 Yak Face was never available in the US.
I never knew about the Dick Tracy Blank figure. It’s too bad it’s so expensive… it’s a pretty cool figure.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if Yakface qualified, but I believe he was PRODUCED in the US, but distributed outside of the US, so wasn’t sure if he should be listed or not. I was hoping some experts like yourself would chime in with your thoughts. 😉 Thanks!
It’s obscure, but the Star Wars Droids Vlix is probably more valuable than the POTF Yak Face. Yak Face is fairly easy to find, especially on a tri-logo card. Vlix is next to impossible to find and, like Yak Face, only released overseas.
Yakface probably shouldn’t have made the list but I really thought a Star Wars figure should be there. I doubt Yakface or Vlix will make the cut for the revised Top 10 list to be released at a later date. 🙂
So what else did I miss? I’m sure there are some obvious ones that totally missed my radar.
I also thought of vinyl cape Jawa, but that technically was released in 1978, so it doesn’t count.
I was going to suggest replacing Yak Face with Vlix.
Would G1 Fort Max be considered an action figure? Thanks for the mention!
I considered Fortress Maximus, and it was a toss up between him and the Pepsi Optimus Prime. I could go either way, but that FM is more like a playset than an action figure in my mind.
And thanks again for your input!
Then there is always the vinyl cape jawa from star wars. One of the most forged figures there is…
a carded one of those can get a pretty penny… ripped two of them open myself as a kid, dont regret it one bit. Loved playing with my Jawas!
Yep but those guys didn’t make the cutoff date. I think they were 1978. (and I bet I had a few of them as a kid. sigh.)
Oh good point. Forgot they would have hit in the late 70’s!
In researching this, I was surprised how difficult it was to find a “valuable” 80’s Star Wars figure. I thought there would be plenty, but besides the Foreign releases, I came up empty.
I list 6 of the most rare and sought after Star Wars figs in this article.
The breakdown:
Vinyl Cape Jawa was released in the 70s so it doesn’t count. Blue Snaggletooth wasn’t carded, but he’s not actually worth that much relatively speaking because he’s much easier to find than you think. Rocket firing Boba Fett is a prototype and never commercially released. Maybe the “double telescoping saber” Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader would be a good choice?
Honestly, the carded Droids Vlix is hands down the most valuable Star Wars action figure. Carded, it can go for many thousands. It’s not sexy or well known by the general populace, but it deserves to be mentioned in the list, especially if you want to consider including a Star Wars figure.
Only a dozen are even known to exist. Maybe less.
Wow, cool!
I’ve got a box of carded Dick Tracy figures in my closet, I’ll have to dig ’em out and see if I’ve got the Blank. I kind of doubt it though.
Good luck Tommy!
Crazy i have the blank and didn’t realize it was rare.
Arnie from the Star Wars Action News Podcast (http://www.swactionnews.com/) posted the following comments over on our Facebook page;
“There are tons of Star Wars figures but on your criteria not a lot are valuable from the 80s. You say “valuable loose or carded” but a lot of the most valuable Star Wars figures are really only valuable carded because of card variants (POTF Anakin Skywalker was first a free loose mailaway, Droids Boba Fett goes cheap loose because he’s like all other Boba Fetts). Then things like Blue Snaggletooth and Vinyl Cape Jawa are from the 70s…
Looking at it, a vintage loose Droids C-3PO (Vlix was never sold in USA) goes for quite a bit an is original paint and sculpt to the 80s. But “quite a bit” is a bit over $100. Is that high enough to enter the fray? There aren’t values listed for the figures on your list so I’d think $100 would be low, but it may be the highest loose 80s Star Wars figure… I’ll ask our listeners to see if there are others.”
Arnie would know. He’s the man.
For those saying Yakface should be removed, even though not officially released in the U.S., some actually did make it for sale here. A picture of one with a Kaybee price sticker can be viewed here. http://trilogo.info/intro-history/kay-bee-overstock/
I’m still on the fence for Yakface. From what I have read, it sounds like the figures were produced for the US audience but were never distributed in the U.S. They ended up being sent to Canada and Europe to be sold. maybe Yakface should stay but with an asterix. 😉
I think that The Blank figure was only released in Canada, which is why it’s pretty rare.
Well, Canada’s part of the U.S. isn’t it? 😉
No. Canada is part of North America. Totally different than being part of the U.S.. 😉
Okay, we have a strong new contender entering the ring…
“May have a contender! @JediSharon on Twitter reminded me of the “Brown Snake Yoda” variant which is $150 loose and $300-$400 carded…” [Via Arnie from the Star Wars Podcast]
The Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander isn’t even the most valuable Joe figure from the ’80’s. Starduster, the Viper Pilot, V1 Steel Brigade, Night Force Charbroil, Heavy Metal and Night Force Lightfoot to name a few all consistently sell for significantly more than a Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander.
While a lot of collectors want to think the figure rare, the reality is that he is rather easy to find. He is more “famous’ due to the name. But, the figures I mentioned above all are more expensive and more difficult to find.
Thanks for the input Mike! It seemed like the Mickey Mouse Cobra Commander made an appearance in every list I found online, which weighed heavily on his inclusion here.
Yea man loose Stardusters without accessories go for around 100+ but if its complete and nice and minty you might be getting it for 200 – 500$
Yeah, I was a little surprised to see him on other lists, too. Especially against contenders like Killer Whale Deep Six and Pimp Daddy Destro, which were technically commercially released.
Nevertheless, he’s still a neat bit of collecting history, and fun to see up close in person.
I would take a Mickey Mouse figure over any of the others, mainly due to the fact that it is the most “known” even outside of the Joe collecting community. For example, the Heavy Metal figure with its microphone is rare and valuable, but for me, I just like the story behind the Mickey mouse paint job, and it’s easy to spot.
Agreed. He’s an “accessible” grail for most as opposed to some crazy pre-production pieces, and a neat surprise when he shows up in a pile of joes.
It’s kind of like those guys that are always looking through their loose change to see what semi-rare coin might pop-up. You dive into a big pile of cobra troopers and almost always know the moment you see MM CC.
Exactly!
Thankfully, none of these action figures are of interest to me 🙂
That’s one of the great things about collecting!
Most of the toys that I really wanted and never got (barring the USS Flagg, or the Terrodrome) aren’t particularly rare, so it makes it easy to pick them up now all these years later. In fact, sometimes the newer *homages* like the new Voltron or He-Man Classics end up being more expensive than the originals.
Also, my tastes tend to run towards Crappy Knock-Offs and International Bootlegs, which can often be picked up pretty cheap.
All in all, it’s a great time to be a collector.
Great list, Brian!
Of course, with something like this, you’re always going to have debate, but it’s good to spark discussion, and if nothing else, it’s great to remember these figures and think about some of the other “grails” out there.
I really like the breadth of the list, though. Otherwise, who would have even though tof the Remco Conan or Lords of Light Figures?
What I’d really like to see, though, is your list of what figures are most valuable to YOU (ie when you include sentimental value, etc.)
The more debate the better! 😉
If you asked me for my personal list of “sentimentally valuable” figures it would be filled with early Star Wars and GI Joe figures, since those were the ones I was grinding into the dirt as a kid.
Same here – for me it would have to be my one-armed Sergeant Slaughter and a well-worn Trap Jaw. To me the memories in those are *way* more valuable than a fleet of Flaggs (though I would still also like a fleet of Flaggs 😉 )
Some fantastic debate going here. I have to mention the he-man figure put in there (Wonder Bread He-man) he is interesting because there is no official documents that actually verify that he existed (at least there wasn’t some may have been found since I last looked into it.) Now, it is obvious that he did, and a lot of people have him and proof, but the story of the figure is as interesting as the figure itself! There for why it is so valuable
What about the G1 Jetfire with Macross UN Spacey logos on the wings…that’s gotta pull a pretty penny.
Yak Face is definitely on my list.