Jordan is in Austin, Texas, and his first stop is Wonko’s, a shop that sells new and vintage toys. The shop’s owner, Eric, takes Jordan to the infamous “back room” which has shelves filled with toys. It doesn’t take long before Jordan buys something–a Canadian 1985 Darkseid Destroyer, which he buys for $75–less than he might expect to pay for a U.S. release.
Jordan is excited to find a Masters of the Universe Snake Mountain playset, and states that he has never seen one out of the box <insert record scratch sound effect here>. Whaaa? He goes on to say he’s only sold ones that are sealed in their original boxes, and that playsets are highly collectible, with some commanding up to $500 dollars. He isn’t interested in buying Snake Mountain, but he is happy to get a pair of 12″ Battle of the Planets figures
for $75 (which seemed awfully high to me!).
The next items to be unearthed from a bin got me to sit up and take notice–a full set of Mego KISS dolls. Those figures are so iconic of that era, Id love to have a set on my shelf. These were not in the greatest condition, so Jordan is able to haggle his way down to $100 for the set.
The next stop has Jordan visiting his friend, Rebecca, who has a house full of Barbies, Care Bears, Cabbage Patch Kids, and stuffed animals. Not much to see here folks, move along. Oh fine, I’ll tell you more…
Rebecca doesn’t have much that interests Jordan until she brings out the big guns–a #1 Barbie. (I’ve learned way more than I want to know about the #1 Barbie this week.) Rebecca asks $3,200 for it, but agrees to sell it to Jordan for $2,900.
Jordan’s last stop was one that literally had me on the edge of my seat so I could get a better look at everything on the screen. Tim is a Superman collector. Now, I call myself a Superman collector, but guys like Tim make me feel a tad inadequate. His collection is impressive and not just in quantity but also in the quality of the items–Tim has the good stuff. Everywhere you look, there is a Superman collectible ranging from a pinball machine to a screen-used cape from Superman II!
Jordan is interested in a 1977 Superman string puppet that is in its original box and in excellent condition. Tim wants $500 for it, but Jordan gets him down to $350. Again, this price seemed awfully steep to me. Among all the Superman items, Jordan finds a Comic Action Heroes Batman figure that looks like it’s fresh off the peg, and is able to buy it for $115.
At the end of this episode, we actually get to see Jordan sell the items at an auction in New Jersey. It doesn’t seem like he does all that well–the Darkseid Destroyer sells for $80, and the Superman string puppet sells for $300. The saving grace is the #1 Barbie, which sells for $3,500.
All in all, there weren’t too many treasures on this episode, until Tim showed up with his Super collection and saved the day, but any show that features vintage toys is definitely fun to watch!
lol your right I’ve learned way more than i’d ever care to about the #1 Barbie with Collection Intervention and Toy Hunters both showcasing it. I loved the comic shop guy and his collection and his enthusiasm, but one thing really bugged me about this episode. The way the pronounced Darkseid, both the comic guy and Jordan said it weird. I figured the comic book shop guy would at least know how to pronounce it right or at least correct Jordan on the pronunciation.
I always thought it was Dark-SIDE, but they kept saying Dark-SEED. Maybe They know something we don’t? 😉
Damn, I always thought it was Dark-seed too…I’m just gonna assume you guys are more in the know than I am on the matter.
It is pronounced darkside on the cartoon show.
That’s good enough for me. Thanks Jon! 😉
Yeah, it wasn’t until they did the Grant Morrison reboot of the Seven Soldiers of Victory that I realized it was Dark-side not Dark-seed. In my defense, “seid” looks like it should be pronounced “seed” not “side”.
Anyway, I know it’s a Morrison reboot and everything, but int he Mr. Miracle reboot they introduce the Dark-Side club, and it was then that I had my forehead slapping moment and realized it was probably pronounced that way all along.
I never saw the cartoon, and I always just assumed it was some sort of dramatic pronunciation cooked up by Kirby.
I always thought it was Dark-Side myself and I am pretty sure if I pulled out my Super Friends DVDs that what’s they call him. I absolutely loved the Superman collection. Collections like that make me drool.
Thanks for the recap, stupid Tivo stopped recording when the Barbie bid got up to 3K and I was left hanging.
I was surprised to see the BotP figures. I wouldn’t think something mildly obscure would be on the show.
I’ve always heard and said it Dark-SIDE.
And sorry Jordan, there is nothing that beats out vintage Star Wars. Not even KISS. =)
I was happy to see the Battle of the Planets figures, since I didn’t really know much about them. That’s one of the main reasons i love these shows–the chance to learn about toys that you might never knew existed!
I’d be fine if they threw in an obscure item in every episode.
I agree that his estimate was on the high side. I have that Jason Battle of the Planets figure, and boy did my ears perk up when he pulled those out. Can’t remember now what I paid for it originally but I don’t see getting much more than $25 bucks for it if I were to sell it on eBay.
You know, it’s kind of funny to think that when the “Toy Hunter” pilot aired, a lot of folks were giving the show flack for lowballing all the sellers. Now that the show is a series, Jordan seems to be paying too much. He’s not going to make a living making a few bucks here and there, but it seems to be more appreciated by the viewers.
I got all excited when Jordan found the Micronauts Space Cruiser and hoped we were going to get a history lesson about Microman/Micronauts/Transformers. But we didn’t. 🙁
Me Too! We kept getting half-second glimpses of that box and I was hoping Jordan would give us a little Micronauts close-up. Maybe next time!
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one then. How frustrating.
I know it’s because I’m a girl, but I enjoyed the visit to Rebecca’s house. I saw a lot of things I used to have. I’d love to visit her collection!
Sorry I breezed over that part of the show Stacey, but I didn’t know anything about any of it. 😉
Your record scratch comment on the fact that Jordan had never seen a loose Snake Mountain because he claims he’s only sold sealed ones is not exactly a way to appear endearing to those of us who collect this stuff. Likewise, how can you call yourself an “expert” if you’ve never seen a loose example of a relatively common but also relatively popular playset?
Thank you for these recaps. I’m morbidly curious about the show, and now I don’t even have to tune in!
Just to be clear, I inserted the record scratch in my recap, it didn’t actually appear in the show. 😉
Ben, I just checked out your site and really liked what I saw. Great score with that MASK collection!