[Quintillus]

A few months ago, I wandered into Adventure Games Plus Hobbies and Toys in Waukesha, WI, to discover piles and piles of Aurora boxes. Apparently, a relataive of the owner had passed away recently and he was in the process of cataloging all of the kits that had been stashed away in the house.

Unfortunately, that is about all I know. The store does not seem to have a website, and the owner does not seem to have e-mail. He specifically mentioned that some other relative or friend was going to be posting the items on e-bay "this fall". I do not think he was planning to keep them in the store.

Owner's name is Rick Thomas. Phone: (262) 548-9177. Store hours: Tues- Thur 3-8, Fri-Sat 12-8. Sun- Mon closed.

 

[sprayray]

Thanks For The News !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Quintillus]

Sprayray: You asked me a good question via PM that I thought I would respond to here.

I saw all types of Aurora kits (figures and vehicles), and saw lots of multiples (3-4) of the same kit. Why I didn't mention this before is the owner had said that he was just getting started sorting through stuff. There were a few boxes that were open and you could see the contents, but there were many, many more that were still sealed and stacked up. I got the impression that what I was seeing was only a small portion of what was available.

Sorry I couldn't be more informative, but the Aurora stuff just doensn't interest me that much (blasphemy!). I was impressed enough by the shear quantity of stuff that he had that I was sure someone here would want to investigate further.

 

[sprayray]

Anybody out there alive??? or just biting there nails , lol





Robert

 

[razorwyre1]

quintillus, did you offer to help him sort it/ post it? you could provide some valuable information about the actual worth (as opposed to the perceived worth) of these. is he into the hobby enough to know what he's got?
he might see aurora and think each one is worth buku, not knowing about the repops, or he might see the repops and not know that an original is still worth more, although not as much as a kit that hasnt been reissued.

an anecdote about a similar incident: i had a friend whos dad had passed on a few years before i met her. her father had worked for a theatre, and had been collecting movie posters and lobby kits since he started working. this stuff dated back to the silent era. all the posters had been kept rolled and were in good condition. knowing that i knew a lot about movies, she asked me to help her and her mom catalog them and determine their value. (they had already been ripped off by one "appraiser", who had stolen some of the cream of the crop.) talking a little more with her i realized that the job was way beyond me, and i told her that she needed to call sothoby's or one of the other major auction houses/galleries. ony then would her family get a fair shake.

this might be a situation like that, and they might need your knowledge to help sort the gold from the chaff. personally im champing at the bit to know whats there.

 

[Auroranut]

Financially I'm out of the picture right now, but it'd still be interesting to know what's there.
I hope some of the guys here get a chance to fill some gaps in their collections.

Chris.

 

[mcdougall]

Yes it would be sweet to see what's there...There have been other 'Treasure Troves' found in the past, just recently, but the prices were all either at, or above Book prices... I'm not sure how well they sold for but I found the price took away the desirability for me.:drunk:..Will these be sold on Ebay?
Mcdee

 

[sprayray]

I agree with Mcdee would be nice if the clubmembers got a chance to get some of their gaps filled and not go into a bidding war on Ebay , or let someone who does not know about the history of the kits and overprice them , They should look at Tom Graham's AURORA Model Kits for refrence and guidance .

Robert (Sprayray)

 

[otto]

Odds are most would sell for less on ebay than book prices. I think. On the other hand, if they are minty mint sealed, who knows? It seems a bad time to try to sell collectibles at present. Ebay has flooded the market for years. And with the economy in the tank, there isnt much extra spending $$$$

 

[Quintillus]

quintillus, did you offer to help him sort it/ post it? you could provide some valuable information about the actual worth (as opposed to the perceived worth) of these. is he into the hobby enough to know what he's got?
he might see aurora and think each one is worth buku, not knowing about the repops, or he might see the repops and not know that an original is still worth more, although not as much as a kit that hasnt been reissued.

If I was interested in the Aurora stuff enough to offer to help him sort through it, do you think I would tell all of you hounds! :tongue:

I figured someone here would be interested enough to call and find out more information. I spoke to him months ago, and posted now because I came across his business card. But I am remembering bits and pieces.

The shop does sell some models, but it is not the main focus. He knew enough at the time to be checking the prices both in a 10-year-old price guide and online, so I don't think you're going to get a great deal on a couple of kits.

He did mention that he had already been in contact with someone that was buying $200- $400 worth of kits at a time (hiding it from his wife, if I remember correctly).

Really, that's all I know! Someone call him up, figure out how he's selling them, and then post it here.

You know how every few months there is a discussion about how many kits people have in their stash, and that it will take them centuries to build them all?

This is the end result. So go build!

 

[sprayray]

Hey To All Clubhouse members , i did call him and QUINTILLUS is correct he is using a 10 year old guide and prices are pretty high starting off at $100.00 UP TO $450.00 depending on the kit and rarity , he is selling off the estate of kits from a cousin that recently passed away , he told me he has alot of kits and been selling some to collectors in the area for about month now , and so far has made $10,000.00 he sold off the planes cars etc ... to another hobby shop but kept the good Aurora stuff like figures, monsters etc... so let your imagination run wild , im not rich but i spend as much as the next guy but would like A good deal every now and then , seems like those days are over , however on ebay i do seem to do pretty good every so often just have to be patient and keep your eyes peeled .

Sprayray


P.S. he will be listing them on ebay sometime around the fall .

 

[scooke123]

Thanks for the update Robert!!!!

 

[Auroranut]

Well done Quintillus and Robert!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
It's good to know you're looking out for us.

Chris.

 

[sprayray]

No Prob , Steve and Chris got to watch out for our fellow club members and help each other when we can !


Robert

 

[TAY666]

Odds are most would sell for less on ebay than book prices. I think. On the other hand, if they are minty mint sealed, who knows? It seems a bad time to try to sell collectibles at present. Ebay has flooded the market for years. And with the economy in the tank, there isnt much extra spending $$$$

That is what you would think.
But I have been very surprised at what I am seeing kits sell for.
I still keep an eye on the Prehistoric Scenes stuff, even though I am sidelined due to monetary drought.
And some kits have been getting unreal prices while others are going for a song.
It just depends on the day, and the bidders interested.

I just saw a Taarna on Bird kit go for $330.
I bought one at WF this spring for $80.

 

[sprayray]

Wow what a difference from $330.00 to $80.00 seem , was it the same kit from Raven hood ? or a recast , just curious would like to know as why the one on ebay went for so much and you getting a sweet deal for $80.00 COOL SCORE !!!!!!!!


Robert

 

[otto]

I think ebays just odd, a few years back I got $160 for a comic scenes Lone ranger, ( the going rate for recent auctions was $35-50) But last year I sold a minty mint longbox Hunchback for $100 ( had been sealed but the cello had just about fallen apart, so I cut the last remaining inch or two of cello to see the kit) Hard to figure sometimes, just real hard to figure...

 

[TAY666]

Wow what a difference from $330.00 to $80.00 seem , was it the same kit from Raven hood ? or a recast , just curious would like to know as why the one on ebay went for so much and you getting a sweet deal for $80.00 COOL SCORE !!!!!!!!

Yep, both were from Ravenhood.
Just happened that there were a few people on ebay who wanted the kit, and were willing to pay for it.

 

[sprayray]

Yep, both were from Ravenhood.
Just happened that there were a few people on ebay who wanted the kit, and were willing to pay for it.

Very cool bro, just goes to show you it pays to go a model show every now and then and get a good deal , i get good deals on ebay from time to time , just have to be patient and hit it when the time is right, like on some older kits that i seen go for $100.00 i picked up for $25.OO , Timing plays a major part but when it comes to collectibles there should be a set price that everyone should agree on or market value and maybe increase a little every year but sometimes it gets out of hand and makes it bad for collectors and dealers alike some get greedy for Aurora kits people should grab the Aurora bible "Thomas Grahams" Aurora model kits" is a great refrence but others think they got gold and hike the hell out of a kit which leaves a bad taste in some , where you have to becareful with who you deal with , im glad this and other forums excist where we can help each other out sorry guys if i got to lengthly . Just trying to keep it real !

Robert ((Sprayray)