You may or may not have heard about this by now:

http://www.morphyauctions.com/auctions/view?id=14

This is a humongous collection that is going to be auctioned off in mid-November. Before you ask, "Is there going to be any _____ in the auction?" the answer is a resounding YES. Sofubi, die-cast, tins, 80s mecha toys, old Popy Chogokin, modern stuff like Real Head, it's all going to be in there.

Continuing coverage, including many photos is currently up on Toybox DX:

http://toyboxdx.com/brog/?cat=55

See you there?

http://skullbrain.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=32145

wow Roger...you're slipping

Absolutely. I should have just ego-searched for my name!

Honestly, I thought of re-posting it all here, too.

I'm not sure if EVERYONE who checks out the modern Japanese vinyl stuff here also checks the vintage vinyl section....

Anyway, to put things into perspective, folks, there are over fifty vintage vinyl lots...and they're fucking breath-taking. HOWEVER...there are hundreds of *modern* vinyl lots! That includes SHIT-loads of designer stuff (Real x Head, Blobpus, Secret Base, Gargamel, etc.) and SHIT-loads of character vinyls (Marmit, Marusan, M1, Yamanaya/Tsuburaya, etc.).

I touched every single fucking rubber dinosaur in that whole gods damn warehouse. Trust me...just find a way to get there. You will NOT be disappointed.

Jesus, everytime you post I get more excited.

Which I figured you did so I put your name into my post on that thread.

So, who is this Solondz douchebag?
And why are we supposed to get excited about what is, basically,
the biggest flip in history?

I managed to find this actual factoid amongst all the bollox in that blog:

If I am not correct, and do not want to speak out of turn, but I believe this sale is part of a divorce settlement. Additionally, this collection is not a small one, but a ton of years being sold off. It is one of the biggest collections in the country.

Prices are going to be pretty high I imagine...but everything (vintage) I've seen so far looks super minty fresh. A very rare chance to score some vintage toys that are in like new condition...and maybe get a decent price on them.
I don't think I can make the trip...but I'm still looking forward to this big time!

If it's true that the poor chap has to sell everything due to divorce...ouch.
You have my deepest sympathies 'collector'.

Is there a list of who is making this trip? I've got no money to buy anything, but I'm only an hour and a half away from this place and I think I might go if there are more then a few skullbrainers showing up. Any of the West Coast brainers showing up?

phil

Morphy's is less than an hour and a half away from my home. I might just take a skip down to see this stuff in person.

You are correct on both points, but I am sure the parties involved would probably not want to get into the personal reasons beyond that. It's truly unfortunate this is going up for sale. I've known Marc for over fifteen years and he has collected toys since he was a child and his collection is one of the largest and finest that will probably ever see auction. It's sad to know it's gone. From shopping for it to carrying each and every custom made cabinet into where he displayed the collection only to work in his storage unit with him for weeks separating, categorizing and re-boxing almost every piece of for Morphy to pick up, I been there. Just disappointing and frustrating to see it's gone.

wow. just wow. I need a minute.

I wish I could be there. I don't know a lot about what he's selling, but I would just want to be there for the learning experience. ...hold on, I need a minute. ...this is just so amazing.

...

Did you happen to have the doctor look for any handlebars up your ass when you had your accident?

I haven't known Mark for years, but I had a chance to hang out with him a lot the weekend we were down there. He's a solid dude. In fact, I don't think I've ever met someone so grounded in spite of being forced, essentially, to liquidate his passion.

But despite the fucked situation with the divorce, he was upbeat...almost Zen-like! We had fun, shared some drinks, shared some stories...but never ONCE did he ever--even remotely--get defeatist about his situation. Never once did he feel sorry for himself. Whenever the topic came up, he just calmly said that he definitely was not done collecting and that he'd rebuild his collection.

Pretty damn amazing, if you ask me. He knows they're just toys...and that you can't take 'em with you when you die. At the same time, though, he understands that if it's a hobby you're genuinely passionate about, why not? As long as it's not some harmful addiction or anything like that, go for it. That's what life is about. So ya have to give up your collection...so what? You keep collecting because that's real and that's what makes you happy. The journey, not the destination.

Pretty inspirational dude.

Sanjeev, great post. Thanks for sharing.

i bet he'd really like to bid on his own stuff. that would be amusing ... i'd probably do it if i were in that situation (and wasn't, you know, legally barred from doing so).

Two words for toy collectors: pre nup

If you aint no punk, holla We Want Prenup!
WE WANT PRENUP! Yeaah...



Definitely thinking about making the trip--which is totally effing insane given where I'm living right now. Need to see that catalog and a lot more pics before I book my flight, though...

--
jJ

Sorry for the double-post, but this is sorta important...

Guys, I have semi-bad-ish news. Well...it's something.

There's a bit of a massive fuck-up: see, a lot of the modern designer vinyl lots (Secret Base, RxH, and the like) were fucking GIMUNGOUS. At first, Morphy's photographed only a few pieces from each of these lots. These are the *same* pictures that are currently online for the auction, and the same images that will appear in the hardcover catalog.

Now, they sent us these pics a while back so we could write the descriptions and put in price ranges...but they sorta neglected to tell us there were TONS more toys in the lots not pictured!

As a result, the estimates we posted for many of these lots are way off. The estimates are for ONLY what's pictured. Granted, this isn't a huge deal: y'all know what these toys are worth. The real problem, obviously, is that you don't ACTUALLY know what else is in these lots.

I'm told that approximately 60 lots have additional toys in them. I recall at least a few of the lots filling whole fucking shipping crates! So this is no joke. Anyway, they've told me that they will be taking additional photos of ALL the toys in each of these massive lots soon and sending them to us for evaluation. Again, the estimates we provide aren't super-critical (to US) because we all know what these things are worth...but it will FINALLY be our first opportunity to see *all* the toys really in these lots.

The additional photos will be printed into an addendum to the catalog, and those who show up to the auction in person will receive not only the main hardcover catalog, but also a copy of the addendum. The images and adjusted price estimates/descriptions will be posted online as soon as they're ready.

I hope.

The reason I'm a bit nervous about this is because I've yet to see any mention of this little problem anywhere online. None of the auction pages seem to talk about the missing toys in each lot. I was told that the main hardcover catalog (which I believe is being printed as we speak) will have a major announcement in the front stating that the images of the large modern designer vinyl lots are missing items, and that customers should look online for the updated pics/descriptions/price estimates. If anyone has seen a note like this already online, please let us know.

Also, please not that the vintage vinyl is completely unaffected by this. That shit is airtight.

Morphy's Lucky Bags.

I call the lots with the good stuff.

No one bid on them, 'kay?

Sounds like unless I've got over $1000 to spend in one go, there won't be anything within reach?

There will be plenty below that.