VINTAGE 1/72 "MARX BORDER BATTLE MINIATURE PLAY SET ALAMO" (on eBay)

Enjoy!

Currently at $765.55 with three days still to go, starting June 1st at $39.99.

Sat at $655.55 for a couple of days.

One of the bidders has over 8,800 auction wins. That's serious. I've never seen someone with so many wins. I'd guess a Dealer.

It wouldn't be unusual to see that the winner actually stays silent until the last day; last 30 seconds, then pounces with the winning bid.

It was ten years ago I last saw this set on eBay. I get notifications whenever anything 1/72 Marx Alamo is listed. This set is described as incomplete but looks complete to me. I bought a Playset Magazine just for the story on a supposedly complete set, but I don't know if there really was a standard set.

I mention this here on the forum because Strelets was asked for some time to re-run the ACW Commanders sets when they sold out and prices skyrocketed.

I'm curious to know what's the highest someone has paid for an out-of-production Strelets set and the mold has been retired?

I often wonder why Companies do not re-issue sets when there is such a demand for them and this reflects in the price people will pay. Airfix. Astronauts, Guards and Foreign Legion. Micro Machine Star War figures and the company we do not mention also has some.
As for models same story. The going price for an Airfix 1/76 poly Elefant tank/SPG is around $100.00 sans box. the last one I tried to win went for 137 bucks (damaged and painted). Also a lack of pirated copies is puzzling to say the least.

Here's the link for anyone who wants to take a look:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MARX-BORDER-BATTLE-MINIATURE-PLAY-SET-ALAMO-INCOMPLETE-SET-/113031430839

I thought $655 was an absolutely ridiculous price to ask but I didn't realise this was on auction, which means this really is the price someone is prepared to pay. And there are 37 watchers.:astonished: Well done to the seller for starting the auction at $40. Must be very serious collectors, I can't see a dealer buying this, who could he sell it to?

All of the Strelets sets I have were bought at normal retail price or less but I have bid for one very rare set on E-Bay auctions a couple of times. Adding the cost of postage to Australia usually knocks me out about half way through the auction. The last couple sold have gone for about AU$70-80 which I think is an irational price for a set of plastic figures. One chap in the Netherlands had one for sale, not auction, at a price I would have paid and I would have bought it on the spot but he wanted $30 for postage, It didn't sell.

Good luck to the sellers for getting what they can for these rare sets but I think the people buying them need to keep a grip on reality. The words of Hugh Walter from "Small Scale World" are always in the back of my mind when I enter an auction, "It's not rare, it's mass produced cheap plastic ****".:face_with_rolling_eyes:

Johnny, I think that making figures just does not fit in the current thinking of some companies like Airfix and Revell. My congratulations go to Strelets and the other companies who make new sets and those who restock their old stuff.

There are many reasons why companies don't run molds anymore. Sometimes the mold has been destroyed or is worn out. Some companies operate on a limited production business model and after so many runs they recycle the metal. In the case of Marx they are long out of business and their molds are in at least three different countries. Many of the molds are missing or are sitting in a crowed warehouse and the owner is not sure what they are. There are several people working on finding Marx molds and they often bring them back into production.

Just because a single set will bring a few hundred dollars does not mean they are economically viable. To run a mold of figures you usually have to run several thousand to make it worth the trouble, often 5,000 sets. You might sell two sets at $500 each but might be hard pressed to sell 5,000 sets at $10 each.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
https://bunkermeister.blogspot.com/

To let you guys know, I read up on this Marx Miniature Playset in my Playset Magazine Jan / Feb 2016 issue and it states the gentleman who purchased the set paid $2,200 USD. It doesn't say if it was an auction or private sale. Never the less, it looks much like the set in the auction now, except one set has cannons and the other has trees.

I bid and won one of these several years ago when I lived in Texas. But it was the building only, plus 3 walls and no box. It set me back I recall about $700. And that was my limit. Just got lucky. I would never pay any higher simply because it was only the Alamo Chapel I wanted. I prefer other soldiers to use with it. But I'm glad I got it. I was just in my 50's and figure I'll meet my maker around 80, so that's $23/year to have fun with it for 30 years. ;-)

So, that's all I am aware of, today's auction, the 2016 set in Playset Magazine and my Chapel Fort only from an auction.

BTW, the auction ends Friday, about 6:00 p.m. U.S. Pacific time.

I'm really curious to see how this ends. It may end here, or it may be a last-stand outrageous bid during the last seconds at the closing of the bell. Exciting!

Graeme - what set are you looking for?

Marc.

013 Napoleons General Staff set 1.

I suppose if you are one of those with 'bankers bonuses' to spend it would be small change. Its no different than buying a Roy Lichtenstein or a new 'roller' to some people.The only pity is that it will disappear as do most paintings into a private collection.

Lets hope for the buyer that the mould is not found in good condition as in the the past people have paid silly money only to have product re-released!

Hi RCD,

To update you, the gentleman who paid $2,200 takes his set with him to toy shows and displays it. I'm guessing that makes him a dealer. His purchase goes well with the Marx Museum online resource, and gives us a more current value someone would be willing to pay on that day for the Marx Miniatures Alamo. His Alamo hasn't disappeared into his collection, in fact quite the opposite, he also took pictures and published them in Playset Magazine. He's more gregarious than I am!

My father in his day sold real estate. I asked him how does anyone know what a piece of R.E. is worth, and he simply said, "Willing seller; willing buyer." So then I bought and read Donald Trumps book, "The Art of the Deal." The only magic advice I found in it was, "If you find something you like, pay your money and be happy with it!" Thank heavens I only paid for the paperback edition, but he was right - there is no avoiding hard work - there is no "magic bullet; but I do believe sometimes we just get lucky. Not Las Vegas kind of lucky, but being at the right place at the right time kind of lucky. You know, such as an estate sale kind of lucky discovery! He couldn't take his collection of Alamo and toys with him. You'll never find a U-Haul at the end of a man's funeral.

BTW, I've been paying my own way since I was 14, have been compensated with hourly wages in school days, or daily rates as an adult, been an independent counsultant or worked over seas most of my career - and never was given a "bankers bonus." I have a tiny house and drive a 1987 car, but all paid for in full. No mortgage, no car payments. When I paid an outrageous amount for my incomplete Alamo, I was ready to do it and have never regretted each time I take it out, set it up, and say, "Someday I've got make the missing pieces and make a Diodrama out of it."


Lastly, the Marx Alamo Playset is far from a mass produced piece of plastic. It was a short-run master piece, like Strelets, but was made in Hong Kong by hand, in a far different time, super rare, and has never been topped. If someone finds the Moulds, then please rerun them and I'll buy 10. I've bought every edition of the Airfix Fort Sahara - the original soft plastic, the next rock hard plastic, and now the medium hard plastic. And also all of the Giant of Hong Kong HO Castles. If you buy enough of each model, the total investment is quite reasonable - except the house - Ouch!

OK, my friend. Count down is 35 minutes to end of auction. If no one else bids on this pristine, complete Marx Alamo set than the current $765.55, then everyone can call me a "Sucker!"

Cheers - GC

G.C.
I didn't see what it sold for in the end, the listing has already been replaced by something else. I would be interested to find out if you know.


This one is a bit cheaper but not as complete and no box, which is important to a collector.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/1970s-Vintage-Marx-Alamo-Play-Set-Near-Complete-set/173268835428?_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D50544%26meid%3Dd308984e7cba4b6bab629d34988792ce%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D2%26sd%3D113031430839%26itm%3D173268835428&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

I see someone is also selling just the gate and the walls without the rear building for $49.


Your man who bought the Alamo set for $2,200 might well be a dealer and if someone offered him $4,000 for it he might even sell it, but I suspect he didn't buy it as a dealer he bought it as a collector. When people pay these prices for this kind of thing they are buying the item because they want to own it not because they want to sell it for a profit. This one was on auction so it sold to the highest bidder. If a dealer bought it he has no-one to sell to, if anyone was prepared to pay a higher price they would have outbid him at the auction. Someone might buy it to sit on it for 20 years and then sell it but that's something collectors do not dealers.


I said Airfix was not interested in producing figures because there was practically nothing on their website last time I looked. But now it seems they have re-released some of their WWII sets:


https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/new-for-2018.html

And have plans to release some "Vintage Classics" including the 5 WWI sets and a bunch of WWII guns, tanks and ships.


https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/shop/airfix-vintage-classics.html

Hi Graeme,

The HO Scale, or 1/72 size Alamo Playset sold for $2,400 USD yesterday. That's $200 more than the other one sold for in 2016.

The size of the HO building is only 6-3/4 inches wide, 3 inches to the top ledge or 4-1/4 inches including the front hump and 2-1/2 inches deep. Pretty small! And then you get the walls and gate to enclose an area like a fort. It actually is well detailed on the front and back.

It is also made of cast hard plastic.

The other auctions you are looking at are 1/32 scale, or for their 54mm and 60mm soldiers (not for HO Scale soldiers).

Those others are quite a bit bigger and called "tin litho". They're made of flat metal and all details are painted on. They are not rare. You can find them everywhere.

It's nice Airfix is re-issueing some of their HO or 1/76 sets. I still like their 50 cent soldiers in today's better colors.


P.S. Dear Strelets, Thank you for letting us post this here and follow this auction. When someone buys one of these, really, they are only renting the playsets. Anybody can turn around and resell them for the same prices and get their money back. And there is no upkeep costs. Actually one of the better investments. Truth be known, I've never bought a toy soldier for resale. Always to keep. Especially your fine figurines!

OK, have a nice weekend! - GC

Thanks for the info GC I did wonder if the other listings were the same thing.

looking at the final sale price one thing is certain, it's gone to someone who will love it.

Tanks GC for telling us about this and the final price and thank you Strelets for allowing these sort of posts