Whether you still love the sport of wrestling or you are considering putting your vintage wrestling figures on the junk removal list, wrestling is undeniably a multi-million dollar sport adored by fans on a global level.
Collecting wrestler action figurines goes beyond being a casual fan. These figurines are highly valued collector pieces. Before you place these simple plastic toys on that junk removal list, consider the following to determine if your items truly are junk.
The Wrestling World
The World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) is one of the most well-known and largest wrestling promotions in the world. Its three most popular brands are: Raw, Smackdown, and ECW.
The first action figures produced by the company were 8” tall and made of rubber. Although the action figures had no joints, they were wildly popular because of their life-like resemblance to their real life counterparts.
The Action Figure Collection Revolution
Wrestling has proven to be incredibly successful thanks to its legions of adoring fans, including children and adults. Major toy companies took notice of this booming market and began marketing initiatives that saw their corporate empires grow quickly.
The major toy companies have never looked back and depend on the thriving toy market for a significant portion of their company profits.
Much like baseball card collectors, wrestling fans took to collecting their favorite wrestlers and other memorabilia associated with them. But of all the memorabilia on the market, including lunch boxes and clothes, the action figures outranked everything else in terms of popularity.
Tips on How to Valuing Action Figures
Whether you are just getting started or are an experienced action figure collector, the following tips will help you become a better collector in an easy and practical way.
- Recognize popular wrestling stars: Collectors know which wrestlers are most popular among wrestling enthusiasts. Long-standing characters such as Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin will generally fetch a higher price on the market.
- Know the difference between vintage and rare: Go online and do a little research to separate the truly vintage figurines and those that are rare to find. Both will be higher in value to collectors and wrestling fans.
- Consider the condition of your figures: If your collectibles are in mint condition, this is will ensure the likelihood of being more valuable. In addition, this can indicate future increases in value on the market.
Wrestling has been an inspiring pastime for fans throughout decades, and action figures highlight the loyalty that wrestling organizations have been able to foster. But not all action figures are valuable.
Understanding the popularity of individual characters, while observing the condition of your action figures will help you determine if yours are worth keeping. For the majority of figures out there, the junk pile is likely where they’ll end up.