The Energon Pub

This idea hit me after reading and commenting on the topic regarding opening a rare hard to find figure. As I said I think it's foolish because you wouldn't use an expensive ancient vase to store things in. So why open it? I would think one would do their best to preserve the precious piece like the crown jewel of that persons collection. I was surprised to see how many would choose to actually open that item and to hell with it all, but hey what do I know.

So what I would like to know is would you open a Transformer that is AFA certified? Are you that same person who opened up that rare and hard to find TF and decided to also open that AFA TF too without hesitation? If you do own a AFA and have opened it did you regret it perhaps after? I have yet to own an AFA TF and I can easily say that with zen like patience I could never open a rare hard to find TF let alone an AFA. So what say you?

With all due respect to a good friend who actually enjoys AFA grading and the displays they create...

I greatly dislike AFA and the market that they have falsely created. This isn't a collector market deciding that a figure is rare or desirable and thusly worth paying for; this is a company, making money by telling people that a process that THEY created, determines how much other people's toys are worth.

They are an expensive fairy tale creating machine, in my eyes.

Now, my father was into the toy/hobby business as a profession, so I think that my skew my perception of things because I've seen first hand how this bullshit gets rolling.

That all said, AFA makes a nice product for display purposes. I would still probably open the thing, so long as I didn't pay for it. Otherwise, I'd sell it, get a loose mint item and profit along the way.

Counterpunch wrote:With all due respect to a good friend who actually enjoys AFA grading and the displays they create...

I greatly dislike AFA and the market that they have falsely created. This isn't a collector market deciding that a figure is rare or desirable and thusly worth paying for; this is a company, making money by telling people that a process that THEY created, determines how much other people's toys are worth.

They are an expensive fairy tale creating machine, in my eyes.

Now, my father was into the toy/hobby business as a profession, so I think that my skew my perception of things because I've seen first hand how this bullshit gets rolling.

That all said, AFA makes a nice product for display purposes. I would still probably open the thing, so long as I didn't pay for it. Otherwise, I'd sell it, get a loose mint item and profit along the way.

Completely agree. I despise AFA and would never buy a graded figure. First because I'm not willing to pay that inflated price and second I do open all my figures. Not a fan of the comic book or sports card grading companies either.

This topic puts me in a tizzy. On the one hand, I always open figures. But on the other hand, if it were a rare figure, I'd feel real bad opening one and reducing the number of MISBs of it in existence. I have no real beef with or respect for AFA grading, but I recognise that it'd mean more to other fans.

Ultimately, I too would probably sell the figure on, get a loose version instead and profit.

I thought AFA just seals them up and grades the boxes and such on their condition before the were locked away. I have no problem with that. If a MISB collector wants to encase his items so their quality never diminishes that's his own choice. For new items that people buy and immediately AFA, well then they better not expect to get more than retail price +cost to grade and seal.

Everything is driven by demand anyway in the secondary market, so regardless of what service AFA provides, isn't it only based on what people are willing to pay? Assuming the grade and seal every item they possibly can, there will reach a point where the only remaining buyers would have preferred something non AFA graded and pay as such.

I for one will be happy to know that in 20 years there will still be G1 figures encased in plastic and pristine. Hopefully they will be on display somewhere so I can go oogle them and their perfect corners/bubbles.

Plain and simple, I'd never open an AFA graded figure. This is due mainly to the fact that I'd never buy an AFA graded figure, because I like opening my figures.

- Sam

I thought about AFA Grading one figure (more my wife wanted me to) but decided that the figure was too awesome to not enjoy.

I'd open AFA graded items. I'd open as many as I could, hell I'd open all of them.

Then run like Hell because I'm sure not paying for them. Must be a little terrorist/anarchist streak left from my teens...

FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT OF ALL OVERPRICED PLAYTHINGS!

I don't care how expensive a TF is or how it's graded. It is still a toy. And, frankly, I play with toys.

If that AFA graded toy was the only one I found like lets say I was looking for a G1 Fort Max and there would only be an AFA graded one to buy then yes I would buy it and open it, then I would throw the box away, play with Fort Max, determine he wasn't all to awesome, put him on my shelf and use the AFA box to store something inside or throw that away as well.

Personally I don't see the point in AFA graded stuff other than it serves as a nifty way of protecting the toybox so I can experience the full pleasure of ripping that cardboard apart, god I love ripping cardboard boxes and the plastic windows it's half the fun of a TF.

If it was the only one availabe, damn skippy I would open it.

The big thing about AFA that annoys me isn't AFA itself, it's Hasbro selling AFA graded figures on HTS. How can they not be completely mint if someone from Hasbro plucks them right off the line and ships them right to AFA?

--B-- wrote:If it was the only one availabe, damn skippy I would open it.

The big thing about AFA that annoys me isn't AFA itself, it's Hasbro selling AFA graded figures on HTS. How can they not be completely mint if someone from Hasbro plucks them right off the line and ships them right to AFA?

You'd be surprised at how few would be completely mint. I collect hockey cards, in a time (pre-NHL Lockout) before Upper Deck Monopolized the NHL License, In the Game used to, literally, make hockey cards, have them graded and slabbed, and then put in packs. The percentage of cards that came back grading a 9, or better, wasn't really high.

As for opening AFA, well, I'd never buy a graded hockey card, unless it's the best chance from not getting scammed on eBay, or other places by being tricked into thinking a counterfiet as being the real deal. Chances are, I won't be buying AFA stuff.

Counterpunch wrote:With all due respect to a good friend who actually enjoys AFA grading and the displays they create...

I greatly dislike AFA and the market that they have falsely created. This isn't a collector market deciding that a figure is rare or desirable and thusly worth paying for; this is a company, making money by telling people that a process that THEY created, determines how much other people's toys are worth.

They are an expensive fairy tale creating machine, in my eyes.

Now, my father was into the toy/hobby business as a profession, so I think that my skew my perception of things because I've seen first hand how this bullshit gets rolling.

That all said, AFA makes a nice product for display purposes. I would still probably open the thing, so long as I didn't pay for it. Otherwise, I'd sell it, get a loose mint item and profit along the way.

Yep.

zodconvoy wrote:
FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT OF ALL OVERPRICED PLAYTHINGS!

LOL! Best post this month!

I believe the 80's said it best...

IT'S HAMMER TIME!

I wouldn't buy AFA graded figures as they're too expensive and I just don't see the point in keeping a TF in it's box. They're made to be transformed. They're also made to be super poseable, therefore they should be transformed and posed. Simple. I wouldn't buy a bar of chocolate to admire the wrapper.

Alot less MISB collectors on here than you used to see... or Counterpunch scared them all off.

I always have the motto - a toy was made to be played with. You can't play with it inside the box. However, some people have a deep passion for keeping a figure in the box as I have for taking it out.

I respect MISB, and the people who have the strength to not play with figures. However.. I don't believe toys should be used ever as an investment. Yeah, a few years later you might get a big lump sum back from the figures. In the long run, is that going to make a big difference compared to the amount of money people make from their daily jobs? The answer is no.

Toy fairs, conventions have bins full of used Transformers in pretty decent condition. They have been my saviour the past few years. I just can't look at boxed figures that are 3x the retail cost with a straight face anymore.