Chicago Show Sales Results (1 Viewer)

[ucla1967]

I have attended both the West Coaster and Chicago Show since 1993; I have sold out of my room and at the West Coaster for the past ten years. I pretend I am doing it to sell off the excess figures in my collection, but the truth is I always buy more than I sell and I even buy extra figures on eBay and elsewhere to sell at the show. So clearly something else is going on here.

This year, for the first time, I decided to sell out of my room at the Chicago show, but did not get tables for Sunday as I always do at the West Coaster. All in all, I had a decent show, but if it hadn't been for three large sales of $1,500, $900, and $750, which represented more than half of my results, the Chicago show results would have been less than my typical West Coaster. However, that isn't exactly a fair comparison, since I did not sell on Sunday.

My 2006 West Coaster was by far the best show I have ever had. The 2007 West Coaster plus my 2007 Chicago show about equalled that result. However, I am happy with the results and plan to do it again next year and maybe even sell on Sunday.

 

[vandilay]

Hi Mike
what companys/ranges do you sell and what figures/eras garnered the best sales for you at the show.
Regards Rob

 

[ucla1967]

Hi Rob,

I have an eclectic collection of new metal toy soldiers, so I sold a wide variety of things. My biggest sale for $1,500 was for Frontline Figures Crimean War Thin Red Line which included 30 highlanders and 19 mounted Russians. It also included two Frontline big box sets: 19 Ancient Warriors and the 21 figure Grossherzoglich-Mecklenberg Regt. My smallest sale for $30 was the Nassua officer & drummer from their Napoleonic line.

I sold Imperial set No. 8 Ekatahuna Mtd Rifles with photographic backdrop for $200 and a set No. 45 Royal Field Artillery. However, I bought 11 new Imperial sets. Lets see, 11 minus 2 is 9; so much for reducing the size of my collection. I also sold an Officers & Men Marines at Tripoli set for $250 and a set No. 26 Black Watch Mtd Officer for $150.

In addition, I sold eight Marlborough sets, three Trophy sets, three Tradition ACW & Napoleonic sets, a Bastion HM 1st Chinese Regt. set, a Fusilier WWI Australian set, 19 Martin Ritchie U.S. Airborne figures, a Mars U.S. Marines in 1898 set, a set of Fallschirjaegers from Military Artists Guild, and a Soldiers of the World French Luzon Legion set.

I sold an early, glossy King & Country RHA gun team for $900 and K&C's Churchill & the Few and Luftwaffe Pilots sets for a combined $750. I think that about covers it.

 

[vandilay]

That realy is a good array of figures , I guess youve got a collection
rotation policy as opposed to reduction.
When ever I sell anything I always manage to spend more than the proceeds
on other sets. I think my wife is quite happy to see a few boxes stored around the place disapear even if its only a brief respite.
With a bit of luck i,ll get to check either chicago or the west coaster
next year . we where supposed to be in the US now but it got put on the backburner for a while.
Do frontline do glossy or purely matte figures .
regards Rob

 

[ucla1967]

Frontline started out doing glossy figures, but switched to matte figures with the last couple of sets in their Crimean War series (i.e., French Imperial Guard Zouaves and 50th Regt of Foot) about 10 years ago. I think everything now is matte, but the knights for the Altaya (sp?) magazine may still be glossy. I have another thread showing new Frontline releases from Chicago.

 

[vandilay]

Thanks Mike , I just checked the frontline thread out .
Some realy nice figures their ,I particularly like the german
trench mortar set . I,ll have to have a look at a couple
of websites to see their other releases.

 

[ucla1967]

Rob,

You hit the nail on the head! I couldn't have said it any better: I have a toy soldier ROTATION system not a REDUCTION system in place.