To Err is Human but It’s Also Collectable

by Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

 

           I once learned that the trick to finding handmade items was to find the flaw.  The human hand wasn’t perfect; therefore, every handmade quilt or hand-turned vase would show some human error.  However, mechanisms of mass production do produce errors from time to time.  To most people they are mis-made misfits which are exchanged for perfect versions. Yet, to the toy collector they can be highly sought after items which command a high price.

            Not all slips are the same, however, and while some become the prize of a collection, other errors remain just that, errors.  What makes an item collectable and what distinguishes damage from demand?  Ultimately, it’s personal preference. 

 

Trash or Treasure?

            When searching through toy sales, the lure of a factory error is often hard to pass up.  From Little People to die-cast cars, the number of claimed factory errors is larger than expected.  Boasting high collectability and rarity, many of these items are simply uncollectable errors in production.  There is a notable difference between “production error” and “factory error.” 

Drawing attention to themselves are factory errors, products that left the factory in small quantities with a major flaw such as an error in printing or packaging that was overlooked by the inspectors prior to distribution.  These are the toys which draw the most demand on the resale market. 

Similar but not as collectable if valued at all are production errors.  A production error is a mistake made in the creation of a toy usually due to the mass production of the product.  These include action figures without heads, small painting errors, or missing pieces in sets.  Although they are boasted to be valuable and unique, to the experienced collector they are simply mistakes that take away from the intended piece.

This distinction can be made when examining collectable Pez dispensers.  One recent sale listing boasted a set of dispensers packaged with only one candy refill rather than two.  Clearly a production error, these went unsold.  In comparison, a Wonder Woman dispenser, valued at $1-$2, in a Bratz package sold for $10.  This is a factory error.

            Stephen Bracha, action figure enthusiast and collector, acknowledges that sellers often build up production errors to lure the inexperienced collector towards these products.  “For a factory error to hold any value it would have to be a big mistake,” he notes.  “The best factory errors are with vintage toys.  Today with even bigger mass production of toys there are many, many more errors.  Most errors from the 60s, 70s, and 80s hold very high value.”

            Two such examples are Star Wars collectable figures from the early 1980s.  True factory errors, the figures were mounted on the wrong back cards.  One Bib Fortuna figure which was packaged on an Empire Lando Calrissian back card sold recently for $595 while its properly packaged counterpart sold for a mere $17.  Likewise, a Jedi Lando Skiff Guard was mistakenly mounted upon a Empire At-At Commander 48 back card and sold for $395 in a store.  His correct format sells anywhere from $7 to $12.

            Bracha also notes that current popularity of a toy affects its erred value.  “If a toy is very hot at the time and a big factory error comes into play, then every toy collector and toy dealer will be on the look out.”

 

When an Error Means Money

            So, what constitutes a desirable and collectable factory flaw?  It seems that each genre of toy collecting offers its own list of collectable errors as well as terminology.

            In the collectable realm of Ty Beanie Babies, errors known as oddities consistently demand high prices.  The list of qualities that qualify as authentic oddities include heart tags with offset printing, mismatched tush tags, missing emblems, and improper fabric patterns.  To further verify the authenticity of such errors, one can have the Beanie authenticated by leading Beanie Baby guru, Becky Estenssoro, who is the founder of True Blue Beans Inc.  An oddity officially labeled so by Estenssoro commands a high price at auction.

            “True manufacturer oddities are rare, no question,” Estenssoro notes about the Beanies.  “When you see a large amount of authenticated oddities appear on auction at the same time, it is usually because a dealer has purchased an oddity collector’s collection.”   

            One such example is the Peace Beanie Baby oddity who is missing his embroidered peace sign on his belly.  A perfect version of Peace can sell for as little as $5 at auction.  Meanwhile, one Canadian oddity with a missing emblem recently sold for $226.  An American counterpart with the same oddity sold for $177.  Once a rare sight, the sightings of the unembroidered version have had a recent surge. 

            “When you consider that at least 25,000 regular Peace bears are sold on eBay each year, then seeing 10-20 with missing symbols is still a very small amount,” Estenssoro explains.

            Other Beanie flaws that attracted oddity collectors were Mel the koala bear and Tusk the walrus.  A version of Mel with an incorrect tush tag which reads “Hoppy” is valued at $46, while one Tusk with offset printing on his heart tag commands $69.  Perfect versions of each of these flood the resale market for mere dollars a piece.

           

Face It, Sometimes They’re Just Mistakes

            Despite the popularity of some toys and their errors, some lines seem to reject the factory error collectability most likely because of the abundance of pieces which left the factory before the error was caught. 

The best example is the abundance of the Grumpy/Bedtime Care Bear hybrid.  When he was produced in 2002, the 13” tall plush bear was formed as Bedtime Bear but given several of Grumpy Bear’s features.  The erred hybrid was formed with Grumpy’s coloring and eyes but Bedtime Bear’s smile and trademark moon and star embroidery. 

Does this make him a high priced factory error or a good for nothing goof?  This error was so big and there were so many produced that the hybrid bear has almost taken on his own persona.  Known as a maverick to the Care Bear community, this variety of Bedtime Bear draws little attention in the online auctions often going unsold for as little as $7.  However, Care Bear collectors agree that mavericks of other bear personas may draw more of a demand since there are notably less.

“The value of a maverick Grumpy Bear would be much more then a maverick Bedtime Bear just because there have not been any maverick Grumpys that I have seen,” comments Care Bear collector Laura Tarte. 

 

It’s Not Always as it Says

            One of the most easily spotted errors on toys is in the printing.  Typos are everywhere, and toys are no exception.  Yet, when the typo is found on a Lionel tank car #8397 it becomes a type of holy grail for train enthusiasts.

            The Lionel O scale  #8397 Meenan Oil tank car with a spelling error is an example of one of these rarities.  Manufactured in 1997, it is estimated that only 1100 of the cars were made.  However, a few were produced with a misspelling in the name Meenan; the ‘n’ was replaced with an ‘h’ in a few cars before the error was caught.  It is said that as few as ten were produced with this error. 

In recent auctions one of these “Meehan Oil” cars sold for $282 while a correct “Meenan Oil” car in the same condition sold for a mere $46.  It is worth noting that the corrected car still shipped in a box labeled “Meehan Oil.”

In comparison to this factory error is the Marx HO #X-415 production error.  The white tank car with the label “hydrocarbon rocket fuel” on one side and no printing on the other side is an obvious production error.  Its resale amount ended at $27.

           

It’s All a Matter of Taste

Error collecting is difficult at best.  When found, the errors can often be pricey, but that does not always determine the value of the item.  While some may flock to the imperfect, paying high prices for a piece that is unique, others find it foolish.  Pinpointing an exact value on such items becomes controversial.  Instead, it is left to the collector to decide what the item is worth personally.

            All in all, like any collection it’s a matter of taste.