eBay Roundup 2009.10.16

Not much going so far this fall.

Mattel MAJOR MATT MASON FLIGHT PAK figure1966 card MOC



eBay Auction #320431147891
Ending Bid: $550.00
End Date: Oct 06, 2009 15:05:23 PDT

Description:
Here's an awesome and rare carded MAJOR MATT MASON FLIGHT PAK (MAJOR MATT MASON WITH SPACE SLED AND JET PROPULSION PAK) astronaut figure set from the MATTEL MAJOR MATT MASON toy line, a MINT C-10 figure on a C-9 excellent UNOPENED PUNCHED CARD only with few signs of the time like minimal wears (see pic).

This toy is unopened and BRAND NEW as from the shelves of a 1966 toy store. More pics on request! This Major Matt Mason figure is the version with BLUE STRAP! Made by Mattel Inc. Toymakers in 1966 and available in stores in 1967.
Mattel Stock No. 6300. Comes with his helmet, space sled and jet propulsion pak .

The card says: “Authentic space equipment adapted from official space program – flexible space suit bends at all joints – astronaut flies on space sled or with jet propulsion pack”.

Feel free to ask me anything about this item!

I accept payments with Paypal! Priority Mail Shippings (1 week circa to arrive): 11 US Dollars.

Don’t miss this awesome Major Matt Mason brand new toy for your collection! Thanks for looking and happy bidding!



My Take:
Considering that this auction was for an item in ITALY I think the price remained very strong. If this were in the US I'd suspect a selling price more in the $750 range and perhaps higher. I think this is the iconic MMM collectible and most other buyers would probably also agree.


MAJOR MATT MASON GAMMA RAY-GARD PAK STILL IN PACK



eBay Auction #220470676037
Ending Bid: $88.00
End Date: Aug 30, 2009 21:10:12 PDT

Description:
MAJOR MATT MASON GAMMA RAY-GARD PAK
HTHIS AUCTION IS FOR A 1968 VINTAGE TOY THAT WENT WITH THE OLD MAJOR MAT MASON LINE.

THE ITEM COMES MINT STILL IN THE PACK BUT THE PACK HAS SOME SMALL CREASES AND THE TWO BOTTOM CORNERS ARE ROLLING UP AND NOT IN THE BEST SHAPE..

PLEASE CHECK OUR AUCTIONS FOR OTHER GREAT ITEMS PLUS WE ARE AND HAVE MARKED DOWN ALOT OF OUR ITEMS IN OUR STORE AND THINGS ARE SELLING FAST. THANKS

WE WILL GLADLY COMBINE SHIPPING COSTS ON MULTIPLE ITEMS TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS REDUCE COSTS.

My Take:
There's been a general decline in the price of most of the carded accessories - I believe this is due to the most recent case finds (multiple cases of one assortment was found in the spring - you'll see those 4 carded accessories on eBay for $35-50). The remaining 8 cards are still selling strong as proven by the price of this Gamma Ray-Gard Pak at $88, even in the so-so condition. I think the cards are going back into an up-swing in prices with the announcement of the MMM movie. I predict that all figures and sets will start climbing.

-- John

eBay Roundup 2009.09.09

Major Matt Mason 1967 Mint on Card


eBay Auction #300334934106
Ending Bid: $211.38
End Date: Aug 08, 2009 19:05:00 PDT

Description:
1967 Mattel Major Matt Mason Mint on Card
This is the blue strap red dot version. The Matt Mason inside sits upon his cat track in perfect Mint condition having never been off the card. The plastic bubble on the card has a crease on the side but is not broken. The back of the card has wear on the edges and is not even. The seal on the card is very good keeping Matt protected from 40 years of space debris. This Mint Matt Mason is ready to re-enter earths atmosphere and be part of your collection. Thanks for looking and Good Luck!



My Take:
I thought the buyer got a good deal on this card - the cat trac cards with gold lettering (on the bubble) are a bit more difficult to find than the yellow lettered cards. The negative here was the damage to the bubble and the deteriorated back. Note that this card has the sticker over the copyright information so it's "transitional"...

COLORFORMS ALIEN HELMET! RARE Matt Mason


eBay Auction #180394465673
Ending Bid: $81.00
End Date: Aug 12, 2009 09:53:20 PDT

Description:
Attention Matt Mason and Space Toy Collectors I am listing several Matt Mason and Colorforms items at very low prices this week. This is an ALPHA 7 Helmet. NO MELT MARKS!!!! Has usual amount of scuffs but we all know these are harder to come by than the figures themselves. Don't let it get away....Check my ebay rating and bid with confidence




My Take:
All CFA accessories are difficult to find - this one is no exception (thought about bidding on it myself) - most of the accessories sell in the $25-50 range - good complete helmets/bubbles a bit more as you can see with the final price of this Alpha 7 helmet. Note the exceptional photos - it really helps an item get higher bids when the bidders know exactly what they are getting.

MAJOR MATT MASON JEFF LONG MATTEL MAN IN SPACE #6332
WITH LUNAR TRAC & HELMET MINT ON CARD NR!


eBay Auction #300339469155
Ending Bid: $307.00
End Date: Aug 23, 2009 19:22:22 PDT

Description:
This is a vintage Mattel space toy dated 1968 that has never been removed from it's package.

Major Matt Mason's Space Buddy Jeff Long sitting on his Lunar Trac. Raised yellow lettering on front plastic reads "MATTEL'S MAN IN SPACE". There is a graphic of the moon on the cardboard behind the toy with a space ship taking off.

Small writing on front reads "(c) 1968 Mattel Inc Stock No 6332".

Back of package features Jeff Long riding his lunar trac searching for rocket launch sites. Writing reads "Flexible space suit bends at all joints! Separate space helmet with movable visor! (c) 1968 Mattel Inc Hawthoren Calif /US Patented. US Design and Foreign Patents Pending. Contains articles made in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan or US as designated theron. Printed in USA".

As you can see from the photos ~ the package has some shelf wear and there is some lifting of graphic on the upper right corner. Otherwise in excellent condition!

Shipping is via USPS Priority mail with Delivery Confirmation.










My Take:
This one sold for about what I thought it would, considering the big chunk missing from the card back (looks like it may have been glued to a display at one time and the back came off when removed). With mint loose Jeff Longs selling in the $100-200 range it's not uncommon for carded figures to go much higher than the others - I've seen mint carded Longs sell for more than $600.


1966 Mattel Major Matt Mason Space Station Man in space



eBay Auction #180399952830
Ending Bid: $153.50
End Date: Aug 28, 2009 14:55:21 PDT

Description:
This is an original 1966 Mattel Major Matt Mason Space Station. 3 roof supports All Space Girders and platforms original box with insert original instructions space radar beacon one faucet three chrome color locking pins decal stickers in station chair all blue solar panels shelf The following items are missing: center console display insert Purple bulb and bottom of beacon to hold batteries Phone one faucet I do have additional pics if you would like to see - i could only list 12. Please email if you are interested i will be happy to send. Condition as shown as is. Toy is in great condition, the box has seen its better days but is in tact. The beacon has some chrome discoloration due to age. High bidder will be responsible for $18.95 FEDEX ground shipping fee - this will arrive in 2-3 business days and includes tracking and insurance. If international shipping rate will increase. Please feel free to email with any questions. Thank you and Good Luck!






















My Take:
I remember a time when boxed nice condition stations were selling for $300 - this one is much more reasonable - but that may be a reflection of the current market and economic slowdown. Also the box has a bit of tape on it and I think collectors and understanding that the station is relatively common.

Mattel Contest Poster-Barbie and Matt Mason with access



eBay Auction #180400452866
Ending Bid: (high bid was around $2700 when it got pulled)
End Date: Aug 28, 2009 18:56:49 PDT

Description:
Mattel's Major Matt Mason deluxe space action set and Teen Age Fashion Model Barbie Doll on poster. The poster is 25" in length and 13" wide. The Barbie Doll is 11.5 inches tall. Matt Mason figure is 6" tall and includes on the poster a space helmet with moveable face shield, jet propulsion pak that mounts on the space sled or astronaut's back, ship control handle and space sled in original package. The date on the poster is 1966. This poster is a contest poster from Mattel called New "Funny Face" contest.


My Take:
I was quite excited to see this one on eBay - I know of only 2 fairly complete ones that sold many years ago (one or both were owned by a Drink Mix collector before being offered for sale - I'm not sure who ended up with them) - those two displays came from the warehouse of a mid-west grocery chain, so I was told. This store-display is very rare - from the description I'm sure the seller didn't know what he had - I've since learned that an MMM collector made an offer on the set and the seller pulled it from eBay to sell it outright. Lucky bastard!

eBay Roundup 2009.08.17

More eBay sales from July...


MAJOR MATT MASON SPACE SLED & FIGURE MINT ON CARD 1966

eBay Auction #390067277830
Ending Bid: $910.00
End Date: Jul 17, 2009 11:22:26 PDT

Description:
AS USUAL, LOW STARTING BID AND NO RESERVE! WE ARE LISTING ANOTHER MAJOR MATT MASON ITEM THIS WEEK, AS WELL AS OTHER VINTAGE TOYS, SO PLEASE SEE OUR OTHER LISTINGS. RE-LIVE YOUR CHILDHOOD WITH MATTEL'S MAN IN SPACE! THIS IS A MAJOR MATT MASON FIGURE, WITH SPAE SLED, JET PROPULSION PACK, AND HELMET. MINT ON CARD, RIGHT OF THE RACK FROM YOUR FAVORITE TOY STORE IN 1966. THE CARD OFFERS DEEP BLACK COLOR, NO FOLDS OR CHIPPING. LOOKS AS IF PURCHASED TODAY. I PURCHASED THIS FROM A TOY DEALER IN JAPAN, THUS THE INFORMATION SHEET WHICH IS SEALED ON THE BACK. THE IMAGES SEEM TO ALIGN WITH THE ORIGINAL INFORMATION. THE DECALS ARE VIBRANT WITH COLOR, AS WELL AS THE PHOTOGRAPHS. NO CARDBOARD BUCKLING, PLEASE SEE THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH. SIMPLY A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS TOY IN EVERY WAY. WE COMBINE ITEMS TO SAVE ON SHIPPING, SO PLEASE SEE OUR OTHER LISTINGS FOR OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST. SHIPPING IN THE U.S. WILL BE 7.50 PRIORITY S&H WITH DELIVERY CONFRIMATION. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING (WE SHIP ALL OVER THE GLOBE) IS AVAILBLE. QUESTIONS? PLEASE ASK! INSURANCE AVAILBLE. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER, AND THANKS FOR LOOKING!












My Take:
This Flight Carded example sold for a bit more that I would have expected - lately I've seen them in the $600 range - however not only is this is an exceptional example condition-wise (condition is everything with a store-stock collectable toy) but this is also a Japanese-market example which are exceedingly rare (I own two, an MMM Flight Card from this same seller and a Moon Suit Card accessory pack). I like the extreme close-ups, especially of the corners - you know EXACTLY what you're getting with this well done ad. It's been a while since a Flight Card example has appeared on eBay so I'm not too surprised at the winning bid. There may be some increase in premium example sales as news of the Tom Hank's movie becomes more widely known.


Leadworks Major Matt Mason Clone Pair Mint On Cards!!

eBay Auction #390067048501
Ending Bid: $100
End Date: Jul 16, 2009 20:26:12 PDT

Description:
Leadworks MAJOR MATT MASON CLONES (2)

This auction is for two (2) figures, one in each color suit. These guys are Mint on Cards. They were part of the original shipments to the US I received in the heyday of the Leadwork's figures. I was the first person to get these in the US when they first appeared :D. I was going through some boxes in storage and found that I still had a couple. My find is your gain.

As we all know Mattel shut Leadwork's down almost as soon as knowledge of these figures hit our shores. Here is your chance to get a couple of genuine ‘contraband’ MMM figures, a fun item to have with the Major Matt Mason movie Starring Tom Hanks in the works


My Take:
From what I've seen this is about the going price for the carded LB figures - sometimes slightly more or slightly less but $50 each is average. The bagged figures (usually sold unbagged but with an original MMM accessory) sells for slightly less, depending on the accessory.

Not much going on so far for August.

-- John

eBay Roundup 2009.07.13

Here are a few notable June sales

mattel matt mason space crawler new n box old store


eBay Auction #360160472760
Ending Bid: $241.38
End Date: Jun-11-09 18:15:53 PDT

Description:
mattel matt mason space crawler new n box old store

You are Bidding on a vintage matt mason new never used space craft with unapplied stickers and instructions.The box is slightly dusty and shows some signs of shelf wear,the cardboard inserts are in good condition!

(see pictures)!

What you see in the pictures is what you will get!If you have any questions feel free to contact me before you bid!

S&H is $20.00 for Canada and the USA and 37.00 for international !!(pick up is available and I combine shipping on multiple items but please inquire beforehand)

My Take:
There seems to be a lot of these OSS boxed Crawlers out there but this seems to be about the average price. I think that out of all the accessories the Crawler and Space Station are the most representative of the line, so it makes sense that every collector wants one of each.






1970 mattel matt mason star seeker new in box old store


eBay Auction #360160471200
Ending Bid: $213.50
End Date: Jun-11-09 18:08:07 PDT

Description:
1970 mattel matt mason star seeker new in box old store

You are Bidding on a vintage matt mason new never used space craft with unapplied stickers and instructions.The box is slightly dusty and shows some signs of shelf wear,the cardboard inserts are in good condition!

(see pictures)!

What you see in the pictures is what you will get!If you have any questions feel free to contact me before you bid!

My Take:
Nice that this one comes with two sticker sheets - my OSS version stickers all have spotting, which seems common to the Seeker. I've always thought this an ackward toy - anything that has an instruction manual that's more than 4 pages is to be avoided, in my opinion (from a Dad buying a toy for his child perspective). Neat toy but I wonder how many actually figured it out when they were kids? There seems to be a lot of OSS examples of this set.











RARE MATTEL 1969 MAJOR MATT MASON UNITRED SPACE HAULER


eBay Auction #250439629601
Ending Bid: $149.50
End Date: Jun-14-09 09:33:18 PDT

Description:
super vintage major matt mason unitred space hauler. amazing to find with original box. works great and even includes a fresh set of batteries. looks to have been seldom played with.has track top and trailer, plus info sheet and inner divides. box also in great shape. even includes the original christmas card from grandma. thanks for looking!

My Take:
I was taken aback a bit with the selling price - usualy a boxed Uni-Tred goes for about $100 so this is on the high side - it is the later box which is could be more difficult to find depending on where you live.



That's it for now! John

eBay Roundup 2009.05.27

Here are a couple of notable May sales (June to follow in another post).


1966 MATTEL MAJOR MATT MASON SPACE SHIP CASE NM

eBay Auction #370203460141
Ending Bid: $271.03
End Date: May-23-09 19:08:00 PDT

Description:
We just picked up a great collection of Major Matt Mason toys & figures. Most of the toys are in very good condition with all of their accessories. I will describe these a best I can but please look at the pictures and ask questions. We will combine shipping on multiple auctions & do ship worldwide.

Good Luck!

***************************************

1966 MATTEL MAJOR MATT MASON SPACE SHIP CASE NM, APPROX 19" TALL, VINYL IS BRIGHT & CLEAN, PLASTIC IS IN GREAT SHAPE NO CRACKS OR BREAKS. VERY BRIGHT & CLEAN. GOOD LUCK!

My Take:
These Space Ship Cases are relatively common - the issue with them is their fragile nature - first they are made of a vinyl covered cardboard which deforms and splits along the edges. Next the vacuform plastic snaps off if bumped, so they often are missing the nose-knubs (or they are cracked), and it's rare to see one that has all four thrusters intact. Finally, the hinge of the door is usually split and the vacuform shelf/seat is often broken or missing. Clearly the market shows what this one is worth.





And from across the border comes....

MAJOR MATT MASON SPACE STATION CIPSA MEXICO BOX RARE

eBay Auction #290318705046
Ending Bid: $102.50
End Date: May-27-09 08:43:57 PDT

Description:
VERY VERY RARE AND HARD TO FIND!!!!!
ESTACION ESPACIAL DEL CAPITAN METEORO BY CIPSA MEXICO
SPACE STATION MANEFACTURED IN MEXICO IN THE SEVENTIES
((IN MEXICO MAJOR MATT MASON IS CAPTAIN METEORO))

100% ORIGINAL 100% COMPLETE
INCLUDES ORIGINAL COMPLETE SET OF LEBELS AND SMALL ACCESORIES AND ORIGINAL INSTRUCTIVE CARDBOARD INSERT
ALL ALL COMPLETE !!!!

SPACE CONTROL CENTER ** COMPLETE DEFENSE CENTER** CONVERTIBLE DOME COMPLETE
((THE SIX SOLAR PANELS ARE IN GREAT SHAPE AS WELL )) NOT BROKEN NOT HIT
INCLUDES SET ( 3 ) OF RARE LOCKING PINS FOR SEGURING COMMAND CENTER TO PLATFORM ARE ALSO PRESENT HAS MICROPHONE WATER FAUCET CHAIR
OVERALL SPACE STATION IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND COMPLETE
(( MINOR DETAIL THE CHAIR THIS HIT OF THE LEGS ))

PLEASE SEE THE PICTURES
THIS RARE MEXICAN SPACE STATION INCLUDES BOX ORIGINAL BY CIPSA MEXICO
ALLS LITHOS IN SPANISH WITH RARES PICTURES
THE INSTRUCTIVE IS ORIGINAL IN LENGUAGE SPANISH BY CIPSA
THE BOX IN REGULAR CONDITIONS
BUT IS ONE RARE PIECE FOR YOUR COLLECTION OF MATT MASON

THE BOX SAY IN THE FRONT
*** CAPITAN METEORO***en la conquista espacial
ESTACION ESPACIAL estrategica base nuclear del año2000 para defender el universo de los terribles ataques de scorpio .........by CIPSA MEXICO

TALL OF BOX APROX 18" x 15"
PLEASE SEE PICTURES
PRESERVE TAPE IN SOME PARTS OF THE UPPER COVER
SHE LOSES PART OF THE PRINTED UPON WITHDRAWING THE TAPE IN THOSE YEARS
THE EDGES OF THE BOX SOMETHING CARVED BY BADLY STORAGE AND USE THE LOWER COVER WITH SOME SPOTS

SHIPPING COST FROM UNITED STATES 21.00USD
SHIPPING COST FROM CANADA 25.00USD
SHIPPING COST FROM FRANCE OR ITALY 30.00
REST OF WOLD 35.00

I AM NOT EXPERT IN THIS TYPE OF TOY PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR DUBS OR QUESTIONS MANY THANKS FOR SEE

My Take:
I'm very surprised that this one didn't go for much more. At first glance these Mexican version items look the same as the US/EU - however the similarities really stop at the mold. The plastics used were in general of different quality and hue, making for unusual variations. This particular auction was very desirable as the Estacion is pretty much intact (the black locking pins are almost always gone, just as the chrome ones are in the US/EU versions) and this is only the second or third set of instructions I've seen. Someone got a great deal on this - if the seller were in the US it would have gone for much, much more.










Another post for June to follow. John

Whitman Original Art

I thought I'd put up a post before the latest eBay Roundup to talk a bit about the Whitman artwork that's made it to eBay over the course of the past year. I believe the first piece was the Coloring Book, followed by the Tray Puzzle, Round Boxed Puzzle, Big Little Book and finally the Punch-out Book (if anyone has different information, please let me know and I'll correct it). The seller is/was "goldentreasures-nyc" and appears to have been contracted to sell the remnants of the Whitman/Golden warehouse - he's been selling items periodically for the last couple of years - initially it was all file copies (if you were lucky enough to get one of these there's a stamp on the inside cover indicating that it's a file copy). Most older publishers would keep copies of materials as file copies to reinforce copyright - this could be as few as a couple and as many as 10-25, depending on the publisher. OSS examples as file copies of the MMM Whitman items started appearing and sold very well, until the market became saturated - the Press-Out book sold for $300+ when it first appeared, then eventually dropped to a final price of about $70 before the seller either ran out of them or realized that the market was saturated and stopped posting.

Bidding for the original artwork was fierce - I believe the most was paid for the Press-Out book - I managed to snag the Frame Tray Puzzle, one of my friends got the Round Puzzle, Coloring Book and Punch-out Book. Alec Peters got the BLB. In most if not all cases the artwork came complete with the original color cover illustration and color or interior line art (if a book). The Frame Tray Puzzle I purchased had a white tracing paper overlay with the puzzle title located in tape-on lettering. Alec's BLB came with all the interior illustrations plus a typed manuscript of the text. As the listing for the Punch-Out Book is still active, here are the details:

MAJOR MATT MASON PRESS-OUT BOOK ORIGINAL ARTWORK 1969

eBay Auction #120414065307
Ending Bid: $4,150.00
End Date: May 12, 200906:00:00 PM PDT

Description:
Up for auction is the original artwork for the MAJOR MATT MASON PRESS-OUT BOOK published by Whitman in 1969.

Includes:
Interior Page Art 13 1/2"x 19" 3 pages
Back Cover Art 13 1/2"x 19"
Press-out Book

All art is in very good condition.

Thanks for looking and happy bidding!!

My Take:
These are all one-of-a-kind items that haven't seen the light of day previously - each sold in the thousands (yes, thousand"S") and are about as rare as a prototype item. The only thing preventing the bidding from going even higher is that most MMM collectors only search for Mattel items - so these are a bit esoteric for them.






To keep the images in a single post, here are those that were in the earlier ads.

Frame Tray Puzzle:



Stamp on File Copies:


Round Puzzle Art:


Coloring Book Art:



Big Little Book Art:








-- John

eBay Roundup 2009.04.15

Major Matt Mason and Space Power Suit #6336

eBay Auction #280330818391
Ending Bid: $260.66 (Free Shipping!)
End Date: Apr-12-09 17:11:06 PDT

Description:
When originally found in basement last year this item was 75% sealed. Since being brought to a lower humidity enviornment, the plastic bubble has lifted. Item is now 25% sealed bottom edge only. It could be glued as all print lines up. I never took the contents out and aside from some minor staining on figure, looks to be in factory condition. Original price tag of $4.92 and date of 6-69 is on package. I am not a toy expert and have described this item as accurately as possible. This item was found sealed as stated and buyer can be assured that contents have never been removed from package.

On Apr-06-09 at 04:04:01 PDT, seller added the following information:
I have changed auction for this RARE Matt Mason to no reserve,here is your chance to acquire a great rare item . How many of these have you seen on Ebay?

My Take:
Someone got a great deal with this one - either that or we're seeing directly the affect of the crappy world economy, in action so to speak. I remember when the MMM "big cards" (meaning figures that came with Moon Suit or Power Suit) went for over $1000 on eBay or at retail, at pretty much any intact condition. Here we have the Power Suit card in what I would say is typical condition - the weight of the accessories almost always force the bubble to peel away from the card and there's almost always some warpage - even in this condition under normal circumstances this auction would have sold in the $400+ range. I'm contributing the deal made here to two different causes: the economy has curtailed spending; and second many of the more "hardcore" collectors probably already have this version, so a lessoning of demand. The seller also had an MMM cat trac card that sold for $165.27 (eBay #280330807147) - another tremendous deal!



-- John