Are your Weta pieces still precious to you?

[Alice Adrenochrome]

I'm wondering, with the hype of the movies far behind us, how do you feel about your Weta statues now? Do they still have the same value for you, emotionally and financially? Do you still marvel at them, from time to time? Are you still waiting on a opportunity to buy that one Weta piece you could never lay your hands on? And how do you think these pieces will be looked at in the future, in let's say 5 to 10 years from now. Will they remain sought after high end collectibles (with a descent market value), or will hardly anybody care about them, and will we find Balrogs for $300 all around? Nearly all of my Weta pieces are still in their boxes, since I still haven't thought of a descent way to display them. That makes that I didn't see many of those pieces in person in a long time, even though they are stored away in my apartment. I'm still longing for the day to put them all on display, along with all the other collectibles I have. Which reminds me, I need a bigger house if I want to display all of that...

 

[Calle_Sandell]

My WETA pieces are everything to me!!!!

Their value will only increase with time.. I'm still on the hunt for several of them! Even if the market value hit rock bottom I wouldn't think less of them.

I can't imagine selling them!

 

[bonsey]

Their value will only increase with time.. I'm still on the hunt for several of them! Even if the market value hit rock bottom I wouldn't think less of them.

Have you looked at prices recently?I hate to say this but..If you think Weta stuff is going to increase in value I'd think again.Modern day collectibles peak at certain points then go into freefall from what I've seen seen and experienced.I have just tried to sell a load of Weta stuff(including a Cavetroll) but have now given up due to the lack of interest and the prices I was generally offered meant that they were not worth selling - I may as well keep and enjoy them myself.A few,very few pieces may stay at a stable price but even items like the Witchking are now selling for half the price they were last year.
People in general want the next big thing and get excited by new product and nothing in the world can change that.Buy stuff you like and try to enjoy it while you can but if you want to make money(not saying that you do)..take out some shares or put the money in the bank or something!! xx

 

[JohnnyFavourite]

I started collecting statues in 2003 because the SSW pieces.
They are beautiful work of art and Weta was the special effects team of the Lotr trilogy.(What makes them kind of special for me)

 

[WrathofSauron]

I don't know for sure but I would think that most of them will be valuable enough but not for about 10 years, I think that the current companies that are licensed to make LOTR need to stop soon and allow us to enjoy what we have because at this rate there will be overkill! I do believe that the original WETA line that came out when the movies were first released will always be special and valuable as they are the originals inpsired by the trilogy but thats years from now, as the focus is on new stuff now. Who really knows though..... ? we can all soumise till the cows come home ( weird saying that!!)

 

[FrodoEyes]

I'm still collecting stuff! I got a few helms etc for my birthday and xmas and am nearly there. Also always going to be after the balrog and cave troll to complete my collection, but not yet, until the finances are up a bit more.

 

[larbob]

I don't know for sure but I would think that most of them will be valuable enough but not for about 10 years, I think that the current companies that are licensed to make LOTR need to stop soon and allow us to enjoy what we have because at this rate there will be overkill! I do believe that the original WETA line that came out when the movies were first released will always be special and valuable as they are the originals inpsired by the trilogy but thats years from now, as the focus is on new stuff now. Who really knows though..... ? we can all soumise till the cows come home ( weird saying that!!)

Have to agree with this, as had been said before, the WETA line is the original LOTR collectibles and will always have that going for it. Personally all the years I put into collecting everything SS/Weta made for LOTR makes me a little bias. I like the thought that only 400 people could have my complete collection with no APs.
Would like to find a bronze gandalf at some point at the right price.

 

[Customikey]

I only have the three pieces (I guess four pieces) that came with the DVDs, plus I got a Frodo bust for free and I grabbed a Sauron helm.

I think they're very classy. They look great on display with the books and DVDs on my LOTR shelf. I like them quite a bit.

 

[Wetanut]

I came into collecting relatively late in my life and Sideshow/Weta LOTR was the sole reason. No, they have not diminished in value for me -- but then I display everything I have so they haven't been relagated to boxes in closets and dark corners to be emotionally devalued from lack of exposure. I never got anything I couldn't display immediately. I will keep them and pass onto my future generations. Maybe one of my great-greats will say -- "Gramma really had some strange tastes, but didn't realize she had that much passion about anything." And hopefully, they will appreciate and honor my choices.

I don't know what their market value will be later, but I didn't get them for profit-making so it bothers me none that the fickle collecting world will be salivating for the next greatest/baddest/bells-and-whistles/etc. Those who had thoughts along those lines maybe need to think about other investments like land or real estate which will be much more stable for the longer term.

 

[The Josh]

They're very precious to me. They capture the movies that made a impact on me as a fan and movie goer. I do think over the years the value will go up because of the limited nature, but honestly either way I'm not gonna get all worked up over. The pieces themselves are invaluable so the monetary value of them ranks down my list of cares.

 

[customizerwannabe]

The problem is that the line is dead. No further pieces. That decreases interest and causes price plummets over time. The good thing is the subject matter. Lord of the Rings. Loved, collected, and sought after for decades by geeks (myself included). Don't expect to retire on them but don't expect to lose your shirt either. My 2cents.

 

[woodsy]

And how do you think these pieces will be looked at in the future, in let's say 5 to 10 years from now. Will they remain sought after high end collectibles (with a descent market value), or will hardly anybody care about them, and will we find Balrogs for $300 all around?

I think the older statues will always retain some of their value, though even they have dropped significantly in price in the last year. Will be ever see Balrogs, and Cave trolls selling for there issue price again?...I don't think so.

Unfortunately, I don't think alot of the pieces whose edition size was greater than 2000-3000 are ever going to be worth much. It appears that too many of the newer pieces were bought by speculators looking to make some money which is why we saw edition sizes hitting numbers as high as 9500. SS definitely played a role in this with their TBD edition sizes, which created an artificial market.

Once the editions [eg sauron, morgul lord,GWS] were set people obviously started cancelling their orders all over the place and now we see a market flooded with them. It's unfortunate in one respect because these are some really nice pieces and fine additions to any LOTR statue collection...but are they "high end collectibles"?
Strictly from a financial point of view, I don't think so. High end collectibles should at the very least, retain their value. Other than my PF Lurtz exclusive and 1/4 scale Predator maquette exclusive, I haven't bought anything from SS in years. Why...because I know I can get anything SS produces for significantly less money elsewhere after they release it to the public. This doesn't take away from their artistic or emotional value, but it definitely takes away from their financial value.

 

[Fritz]

Well the Weta items are what got me started up again with collecting and with Sideshow so they still have some meaning to me. But I sold most of them off and just kept the pieces I really liked. I had almost everything at one point. But for me, as soon as I had my first Premium Format figure, I knew that this was the format I wanted most.

In addition to keeping my favorite Weta items I also have a separate shelf I use as a tribute to Weta that has a representation of every type of item. A creature, a helm, the filmstrip collectible, a DVD EE item, a statue, a bust, a weapon set, a medallion, an environment and a plaque.

 

[Calle_Sandell]

Have you looked at prices recently?I hate to say this but..If you think Weta stuff is going to increase in value I'd think again.

Sorry if I expressed myself unclear.. I meant that even if their value hit rock bottom their emotional value to me will only increase by time!

this was the line who got me collecting and will allways have a special place in my heart!

 

[spaceman]

this was the line who got me collecting and will allways have a special place in my heart!

Me too - my sentiments exactly. Haven't sold a single piece that was purchased with intention to keep, and I don't plan to. I'd still love to pick up a Witchking in trueform someday. Also, maybe a Bilbo and Frodo.

 

[Seretur]

Hi, Spaceman!

I keep track of my SS/W collection via ToyTracker, more out of curiosity than anything, and no, I haven't noticed any significant decreases in value. Sure, some items peaked a while ago, but it's not like any one of them is worthless.

What is priceless, though, is this line's direct connection to the moviemaking process, and the unparalleled artistry of the pieces. They're just more than collectibles made by a collectible company for the collectors' market. Many of them display characters, creatures and environments in the way their designers themselves envisioned them, and the love and creativity just shines through.

New lines will keep on coming along, based on comics, videogames and film hits du jour. The LOTR movies, for all their failings, are and always will be a major milestone in genre filmmaking; and the SS/W collectibles will be just as major a milestone in the history of high-end collectibles.

Over the past few years, after Weta abandoned the line for the follies of whatever it is they did afterwards, I've tried collecting other stuff. And I've discovered that neither action figures, nor Marvel pieces, and certainly not videogame pieces hold any sort of an emotional value for me; the sole exception are the Sideshow PFs of the Star Wars variety.

So I'm getting closer and closer to just selling off everything that's not SS/W and SW PF, and concentrating on getting the few remaining SS/W statues I still lack. I'm pretty certain that this course of action would bring me much greater satisfaction than any number of newer things.

 

[woodsy]

I haven't noticed any significant decreases in value.

I don't know Seretur, I just bought my legendary scale morgul lord and cave troll busts [both look fantastic!]for $145 and $210 respectively. If that's not a significant decrease in value , then what is?
I truly love these pieces and look forward to hopefully seeing SS produce more, but I know I would have been a bit upset had I bought them at issue price when they have obviously come down in value.

 

[Seretur]

The Legendary Scale busts are not a part of the Sideshow/Weta line.

Although it is sad to see them fall so low.

 

[woodsy]

Point Taken! But GWS, morgul lord, sauron, eowyn, battle troll, shelob and many other are...and they are all selling at well below their original issue prices. Not that many of these aren't really good pieces, both aristically and emotionally, they have simply failed to hold their value financially.

 

[RoboDad]

Point Taken! But GWS, morgul lord, sauron, eowyn, battle troll, shelob and many other are...and they are all selling at well below their original issue prices. Not that many of these aren't really good pieces, both aristically and emotionally, they have simply failed to hold their value financially.

None of those pieces ever sold for more than their retail value in the secondary market. Heck, none of them even sold FOR their retail value. The problem was that toward the end of the SSW line, Sideshow's popularity was on a dramatic rise, and they miscalculated the edition sizes for many of the later SSW pieces.

The earlier pieces are still holding their value pretty well. And, over time, I have no doubt that the rest of the line will increase as well. People who think that it would take more pieces continuing to be released to keep interest in these collectibles don't really understand the mindset of hardcore LOTR collectors (people who have been collecting LOTR stuff since long before Peter Jackson announced his intent to make the movies).

As a case in point, there was a mural painted for use on the paperback book covers many years ago. Eventually, the mural was released in poster form. It sold for a whopping $4 when it was first released (at least I think that's what I paid for mine). Today, that poster typically goes for $250-300 on eBay.