junkyardjeff Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 Now I know what that trailer came from,I picked it up in boxes of spare parts a few years ago.
Tom Geiger Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 If guys had a problem with the $600 Coronet, someone will have a heart attack over this one! I checked my email and eBay was bating me to look at this auction as "Ending Soon!" It had two minutes left so I decided to watch. The auction was at $725 showing, and I was thinking that Christmas eve wasn't a great time to end this auction. Then the fireworks happened! Look at the last three bids that all came in within a second of each other! And with seconds to go on the auction! It was exciting to watch! So indeed there are people out there with money to spend on quality items. Good for Paul, I'm pleased to see he made out so well with this car. And it's nice to know this market does exist! And I included the bidding so you can see how different people have different opinions and limits. Note that the first bidder was rather optimistic, thinking he could snag it for $50. Bidder two had a limit of $501. The next two bidders valued that model in the $600-800 range. And in the end the snipers brought out the big money. Those are all opinions of value and everyone voted with their wallet. And the fattest wallet won!
Khils Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 35 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said: So indeed there are people out there with money to spend on quality items. Wow!!! Fantastic for ALL! ....lets hope the postal service has NO detrimental impact of this!
MrObsessive Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 I was watching that one too Tom and good for Paul! One thing that might have been in its favor is that this is truly a one of a kind model. No kit has ever been done of the two door hardtop and Paul's excellent conversion work I can see had them tripping over themselves to snag it. A while back Paul had up for sale a 1:1 '59 Plymouth four door hardtop. I don't know if he ever sold it, but I saved every pic that he put up of it. That's one conversion I'd love to attempt one day as I have a rather forlorn '59 Plymouth model that could stand rescuing.
Can-Con Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 Paul has an excellent customer base and a reputation that's taken years for him to build. He is an excellent builder but there are builders on this forum who you can't deny would clean his clock in a regular contest. But most of them would never see numbers like that on an e-bay auction simply because they don't have the recognition Paul does there. Those bidders were bidding on "a Paul Hettick Model" ,, not just "a model of a '59 Desoto".
Tom Geiger Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 Bill, I was watching his 59 Plymouth too! Only I was buying lottery tickets to get the real car
iamsuperdan Posted December 25, 2019 Posted December 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Can-Con said: Paul has an excellent customer base and a reputation that's taken years for him to build. He is an excellent builder but there are builders on this forum who you can't deny would clean his clock in a regular contest. But most of them would never see numbers like that on an e-bay auction simply because they don't have the recognition Paul does there. Those bidders were bidding on "a Paul Hettick Model" ,, not just "a model of a '59 Desoto". Yup. It's kind of like the Barrett Jackson syndrome. People pay a more for the prestige/thrill of owning a BJ vehicle. Even though there are often similar or better examples out ther.
GMP440 Posted December 26, 2019 Posted December 26, 2019 8 hours ago, Can-Con said: Paul has an excellent customer base and a reputation that's taken years for him to build. He is an excellent builder but there are builders on this forum who you can't deny would clean his clock in a regular contest. But most of them would never see numbers like that on an e-bay auction simply because they don't have the recognition Paul does there. Those bidders were bidding on "a Paul Hettick Model" ,, not just "a model of a '59 Desoto". I would debate statement number 3. In no way I am putting this builder down. There are buyers out there that will buy a built model for big bucks regardless of who built it. For example, a buyer has always wanted a model of his pride and joy and there never has been a kit of that vehicle , but sees someone selling a scratchbuilt one on ebay for $2000 or $3000. That buyer who always wanted it will pay the price for it. If it looks exactly like the vehicle he owned and that's what the person wants, he could care less who built it. He probably would not even know if the builder was well known.
Tom Geiger Posted December 26, 2019 Posted December 26, 2019 37 minutes ago, GMP440 said: That buyer who always wanted it will pay the price for it. If it looks exactly like the vehicle he owned and that's what the person wants, he could care less who built it. He probably would not even know if the builder was well known. Me thinks that Paul has a following and that small pool of monied buyers have a bought from him before. As others said, you can find excellent and even award winning models on eBay that don’t bring anywhere near these numbers.
GMP440 Posted December 26, 2019 Posted December 26, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Tom Geiger said: Me thinks that Paul has a following and that small pool of monied buyers have a bought from him before. As others said, you can find excellent and even award winning models on eBay that don’t bring anywhere near these numbers. That is very true, but that was not the point I was making. Edited December 26, 2019 by GMP440
Brutalform Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 That Coronet sold for $600, with 27 bids on it. So there was more than one person willing to fork over the cash. Some kits seem to go for ridiculous amounts, while others go for a few bucks. I look at the price guide, and I see kits that are valued at a higher price sell for a surprising lower amount, and some kits that are valued at $15, sell for $50? I guess it all depends on how much someone is willing to pay, dictates the real value.
jefropas Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 I just picked up the 68' Coronet R/T, albeit not nicely built, for $36 plus shipping. The only thing missing is the front bumper. I saw the $600 car, no way. Does anyone in the know, know if they killed the tooling like most yearly promos? I'm sure it would be a big seller yet again... Jeff
Joe Handley Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 On 12/25/2019 at 9:31 AM, Tom Geiger said: If guys had a problem with the $600 Coronet, someone will have a heart attack over this one! I checked my email and eBay was bating me to look at this auction as "Ending Soon!" It had two minutes left so I decided to watch. The auction was at $725 showing, and I was thinking that Christmas eve wasn't a great time to end this auction. Then the fireworks happened! Look at the last three bids that all came in within a second of each other! And with seconds to go on the auction! It was exciting to watch! So indeed there are people out there with money to spend on quality items. Good for Paul, I'm pleased to see he made out so well with this car. And it's nice to know this market does exist! And I included the bidding so you can see how different people have different opinions and limits. Note that the first bidder was rather optimistic, thinking he could snag it for $50. Bidder two had a limit of $501. The next two bidders valued that model in the $600-800 range. And in the end the snipers brought out the big money. Those are all opinions of value and everyone voted with their wallet. And the fattest wallet won! Check this out, thought the NADA lists original selling price of $3831.00 was interesting! https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1959/Desoto/Fireflite/2-Door-Hardtop-Sportsman/Values
Bucky Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 7 minutes ago, Joe Handley said: Check this out, thought the NADA lists original selling price of $3831.00 was interesting! https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/1959/Desoto/Fireflite/2-Door-Hardtop-Sportsman/Values And that's for one you can actually sit in!! LoL
Tom Geiger Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 9 hours ago, jefropas said: I just picked up the 68' Coronet R/T, albeit not nicely built, for $36 plus shipping. The only thing missing is the front bumper. I saw the $600 car, no way. Does anyone in the know, know if they killed the tooling like most yearly promos? I'm sure it would be a big seller yet again... Jeff Good for you! Those of us who want to build a specific car can start with an old built up (which gives me more satisfaction than building a fresh kit) or a resin copy. The people who buy expensive OOP kits are collecting pretty boxes. The Coronet tooling is no doubt long gone. Probably was modified to the 1970 promo and kit. And that may be for the best since it was of that era’s detail level. Round 2 has later and better detail tools like the 68 Roadrunner, which a new Coronet kit could be based on, just like they did with the 1970 Coronet body.
gtx6970 Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 Price / value is entirely relative to timing https://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-1968-DODGE-CORONET-R-T-KIT-1768-200-FACTORY-SEALED-/163972792661?epid=0&hash=item262d8a4155%3Ag%3Aq-AAAOSwG8ld5qdh&nma=true&si=%2B%2FCnr47hcWdmZw5oojhMa2i61Dg%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
Brutalform Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143480103125 How about this one. I’m thinking his opening bid is probably $350 over what this kit is actually worth. I’ve seen these go for $150 or less.
Deano Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 1 hour ago, gtx6970 said: Price / value is entirely relative to timing https://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-1968-DODGE-CORONET-R-T-KIT-1768-200-FACTORY-SEALED-/163972792661?epid=0&hash=item262d8a4155%3Ag%3Aq-AAAOSwG8ld5qdh&nma=true&si=%2B%2FCnr47hcWdmZw5oojhMa2i61Dg%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 ... And condition. This listing is a black moldy mess. That would explain the relative de-valuing.
lordairgtar Posted December 27, 2019 Posted December 27, 2019 It seems like many 1968 MPC kits go for big money.
64Comet404 Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 3 hours ago, lordairgtar said: It seems like many 1968 MPC kits go for big money. MPC was the main player for accurate GM cars for 1968 (AMT released most of their GM kits for '68 as customs), and the Mopars have always been popular subjects. Then again, the AMT '68 Ford lineup also brings serious coin, so there must be something about that particular year for modellers.
Rob Hall Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 52 minutes ago, 64Comet404 said: MPC was the main player for accurate GM cars for 1968 (AMT released most of their GM kits for '68 as customs), and the Mopars have always been popular subjects. Then again, the AMT '68 Ford lineup also brings serious coin, so there must be something about that particular year for modellers. I can't think right off of a single 1968 annual that still exists today in it's original form...pretty much all '68 annuals were retooled into 1969 versions. So '68s haven't been reissued countless times like many 1969 annuals... (the Johan '68 Cadillac convertible, '68 Chrysler 300 and '68 Fury are the only ones I can think of that were reissued in the last 40 years, but they are long gone now).
Bucky Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 Some of the MPC kits on into the 70's are getting serious money recently. I saw a sealed 1973 Dodge Charger kit with a price of $300 on it. The Impala kits get up there in price, also.
ChrisBcritter Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 On 12/25/2019 at 9:31 AM, Tom Geiger said: If guys had a problem with the $600 Coronet, someone will have a heart attack over this one! Thanks for posting that, Tom - I have a 2-door conversion started and I grabbed every picture for my research folder. I wonder if we could get those kind of results for Tom P.'s widow - if his builds were promoted right and could get such a following; there won't be any more...
Bucky Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 My very first 1:1 car, which I purchased in 1973, was a 1966 Dodge Coronet. I gave $600.00 for that 1-owner, low mileage beauty. Amazing how things have changed.
Phirewriter Posted December 28, 2019 Posted December 28, 2019 (edited) I guess I don't see what the big deal is. When you factor values of toys of this era (yes in 1968 models were just toys) and consider that rare Hot Wheels from the first years of production regularly dive deep into four (sometimes five) figures and rare large scale slot cars bump into the low thousands, I'm not surprised to see rare/htf kits reach big money. I'm not even going by auction dollars, just basing it on what I've witnessed at slot car specific shows and Hot Wheels conventions. It's all relative I guess. As for Mr Herrick or any other true pro builders out there, if they can squeeze that kind of money out of a buyer, more power to them! Edited December 28, 2019 by Phirewriter
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