# "Collectibles" that are never going to be worth anything **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433 "2009-11-05T16:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/81 "2009-11-06T15:29:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Tell me what it looks like. Is it like the first pack in this link: It doesn’t look like any of those. It’s not a “Booster Pack”. I think it’s what’s now called a “Starter Set”. It’s in a cardboard box sealed with plastic wrap; it’s not sealed in an aluminized mylar pouch. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/82 "2009-11-06T15:40:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It doesn’t look like any of those. It’s not a “Booster Pack”. I think it’s what’s now called a “Starter Set”. It’s in a cardboard box sealed with plastic wrap; it’s not sealed in an aluminized mylar pouch. Then, as Ender alludes to, it likely comes down to whether the packs are from a _very_ early print run (Alpha or Beta), or are from the Unlimited or Revised sets. If they’re from Alpha or Beta, there’s a chance they’ll have one or more of the “broken” cards, and that’s what’d make them worth something. > [@Recliner](#): > > I haven’t played Magic in years, but if I recall pretty much any card that gets deemed an unfair “buyable” advantage (or simply any card that can unbalance the game) gets banned from tournaments. The Black Lotus is a specific one I recall (and I remember when everyone had their own bootleg copy, heh). At least back when I played, there were some tournament types that allowed pretty much everything (though, those weren’t common). And, there was always the brag-value of having a Black Lotus or a Mox. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/83 "2009-11-06T15:46:34Z")
Gotcha. It’s harder to tell then. The colors between Alpha, Beta, Revised, Unlimited and even 4th edition are pretty similar but still quite distinguishable if you know what you’re looking for. Unlimited, Revised, and beyond will all display their set name. If you can verify that it’s Alpha or Beta, it can be worth significantly more than a booster pack. Possibly around $1200-1500. Or…er…I’ll beat Peter Morris’s offer by an additional $5, but only because I’m feeling generous. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/84 "2009-11-06T15:49:24Z")
> [@](#): > > If you can verify that it’s Alpha or Beta How can I tell? I doubt if it’s “Unlimited” – these packs are from when MtG just started being widely distributed, and nobody knew what the heck they were. They’re not later reproductions – I know, because I received them then. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/85 "2009-11-06T15:59:07Z")
Do Royal Dalton figures fall into this category? My wife has a few of those. She also has her original Barbie Dolls. She has a few Franklin Chairs also. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/86 "2009-11-06T16:04:00Z")
Well, there goes my retirement fund. (sitting on pile of beanie babies, sobbing). I have some Warren Kimble country-animal folk art plates that I’m sure are worth squat, but I loved them when I bought them. I have a glass curio case in an out of the way corner filled with various resin tchotchkes and a few Lenox porcelain princesses, also worth squat, but they sure are purdy! and…I have a handful of Marvel comics from the 60’s or 70’s (Fantastic Four, X-Men) - Comic Book Store Guy would just laugh at them, though, they’re pretty beat up…What’s that Bible quote about not storing up treasures on earth? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/87 "2009-11-06T16:14:38Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > How can I tell? I doubt if it’s “Unlimited” – these packs are from when MtG just started being widely distributed, and nobody knew what the heck they were. They’re not later reproductions – I know, because I received them then. Well one way is to post a clear picture up here for us to look at. Another is to go into a collectible card shop and let them take a look. A third way is to just sit on them for another 20-25 years. Chances are that at that point, they’ll be worth about the price you paid for them. But who knows? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/88 "2009-11-06T16:22:57Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Do Royal Dalton figures fall into this category? Do you mean Royal Doulton? If so, they’re European and have a value along the lines of Hummel. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/89 "2009-11-06T16:32:15Z")
We’ve got a number of Department 56 Christmas Village buildings. When we first started getting them, about 15 years ago, we were told to make sure we saved all the original packaging that came with them, because they were collectibles, and having all the packaging was important. I’ve got no idea if any of them have appreciated in value, and I really don’t care that much. I just set them up every Christmas. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/90 "2009-11-06T17:14:46Z")
I looked at Ebay for the prices of my comic from Archie Comics that I bought new in 1993 and it ranged from $40 to $99 with Buy It Now prices. The average was about $60. Not all comics from the 80’s and 90’s were worthless, just most. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/91 "2009-11-06T17:31:30Z")
Also, the Jack Ryan HD-DVD was recalled before it was even shipped and only a handful of copies got out. At one point, they were selling on eBay for around $800. In May of 2008, I found two copies sitting in a glass case at a Walmart in Colorado Springs for about $40 each. Since I had just hit the jackpot, I asked for both of them. They rang up as recalled and the guy put the behind the counter. No amount of bribing could convince him to hand them over. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/92 "2009-11-06T18:14:16Z")
I once spent 10-odd dollars on a Ruben Sierra rookie card! 😃 (I don’t collect much of anything, other than dust.) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/93 "2009-11-06T18:36:09Z")
> [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](#): > > I think the most valuable collectibles are things that are rare on accident, like error cards and mis-struck coins. Speaking of “on accident” and “Magic: The Gathering”: I have 5 rares from 3rd Edition, which, in themselves, wouldn’t really be worth all that much - they weren’t exactly “broken” cards, like the aforementioned Moxes and Lotus. However, they are “broken”, in the sense that because of a misprint, they are unplayable: the printing of the backs of each card is off by half (the upper half of the back is on the bottom, and the bottom half is on the top). I’ve kept them more for novelty sake; I doubt that there’s much of a market for actual M:tG misprints. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/94 "2009-11-06T19:24:29Z")
Was there not a Star Wars card misprint of some kind that is considered very rare and fetches a good price? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/95 "2009-11-06T19:29:10Z")
“Collectors Editions” of firearms virtually never appreciate in value at any greater rate than the standard version of the same gun. The best you can hope for with one, generally, is that you won’t lose your ass on it. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/96 "2009-11-06T19:39:22Z")
I don’t gamble, so I only collect things which I enjoy having around the house. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/97 "2009-11-06T19:47:37Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > You mean my father didn’t buy that one for the music?!? 😕 I was gonna say, even my father had it and it’s not his kind of music at all! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/98 "2009-11-06T19:53:03Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > Was there not a Star Wars card misprint of some kind that is considered very rare and fetches > a good price? IIRC, there’s an old Star Wars trading card on which the picture of C-3PO looks like he’s got a very prominent “boy part”. That might be the one you’re thinking of. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/99 "2009-11-06T20:05:37Z")
According to Snopes, the version without the image is rarer. > **[Is This Risqué 'Star Wars' C-3P0 Trading Card Real?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/c3p0-trading-card/)** > > A 'Star Wars' trading card seemingly depicts C-3PO with an oversized appendage. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/100 "2009-11-06T21:49:33Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Anyone want to guess who still owns the entire Barry Sadler album featuring “Ballad of the Green Beret?” You mean besides me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433.md?page=6)