We’ve heard of “holding back stock,” but THIS is ridiculous: Imagine finding a mountain of original factory shipping cartons from the 1970s, all FULL of vintage, NOS, NMIB action figures and their related uniform and equipment sets. Sounds like a toy lover’s dream, right? Well, that exact fantasy has recently became a hardcore REALITY in Germany, where a horde of almost 1,000 items of never-sold, never-opened, nostalgic treasurse has been discovered and will be put up for sale—for the first time EVER—during a worldwide auction to be held on October 18, 2014. (Photo: Uwe Winkler)
Toy auctioneer Uwe Winkler of Germany. (Photo: Landsberger Spielzeugauktion)
Donnerwetter! Time Travel IS Possible.
In a stunning revelation made today by famed toy auctioneer Uwe Winkler, a horde of long-ago forgotten (vintage) Action Team and Big Jim action figures and related equipment sets have just been discovered in Germany and are about to be sold to the highest bidder(s) in an upcoming worldwide auction. Regular readers of The Joe Report will be excused if they feel a sense of deja vu, because this event seems reminiscent of a similar find (detailed HERE) in which we reported on the discovery and sale of another unbelievable cache of NMIB GIjOEs, ones that had been hidden away in a museum—in Dearborn, Michigan—since 1965!
Holding the Past in Your Hands: With almost 1,000 items in the NOS auction, it’s impossible to show them all here. Nevertheless, Winkler has dumped out a pile of assorted pieces to serve as an example of the treasures included. Keen-eyed collectors will spy items from Action Man, Action Team, Big Jim, Mr. Double Action, Fighting Furies and many other action figure lines. You could stock an amazing recreation of a 1970’s toy store if you bought them all! Click to enlarge. (Photo; Landsberger Spielzeugauktion)
If you wanted to buy a brand new GIJOE in 1974-77, one of your best bets was an “Action Team” figure from Germany. Click to enlarge. (Photo: at-hq.blogspot)
Apparently the Unimaginable
—Is Now Imaginable!
What makes Winkler’s upcoming NOS sale so exciting is the untouched, never-sold, mint-condition of the items being offered. You can tell by looking at their packaging that they simply haven’t been handled or probably even touched for decades. These are highly desirable vintage ’70s toys that have never been owned by any child or adult toy collector; never been played with, and never even exposed to sunlight. In fact, many items are still packed in their original factory shipping cartons. Holy minty-fresh, Batman! For action figure collectors, handling such “virgin” vintage merchandise—manufactured over 40 years ago—is about as close an experience to time travel as we could ever hope to experience. Hello, Marty McFly?
Imagine being able to hold vintage perfection— This photo of NOS, NMIB ’70s Big Jim figures reveals picture-perfect packages with razor-straight, crease-free flaps and no bent corners or scuffed windows. There are multiples of numerous extremely rare Mattel figures including Big Jim, Big Jeff, Dr. Steel, etc. These would instantly make everything else in your current Big Jim collection look worn and OLD by comparison. What a Time Tunnel trip! Click to enlarge. (Photo: Landsberger Spielzeugauktion)
We asked Herr Winkler to fill us in on his backstory and this upcoming NOS auction. He replied:
If you can make to Germany to attend the auction in person, this is what the auction room will look like. But don’t worry. If you can’t attend in person, you can still view the catalog online and place your bids via phone or email. Have fun! (Photo: Landsberger Spielzeugauktion)
“After leaving the Army, I studied economics and business taxation and worked as a tax consultant. I am now the owner of the auction house Landsberger Toy Auctions in Germany / Bavaria where I’ve sold vintage toys since 2000 (as a sole proprietor), mainly tin-toys and die-cast cars from the 1940s to the 1960s. During my 31st auction (April 2014), I offered many mint and boxed action figures from Mattel (Big Jim) and Action Team (Hasbro’s German GIjOE) and will do so again in my 32nd Toy Auction on October 18th, 2014. I am happy to offer almost 1.000 items from the 1970s. We present every lot in a high-quality catalog, fully pictured on the internet, and give bidders the opportunity to place their bids by phone, email, writing, or in person.
As to this upcoming toy auction, the consignee is an elderly gentleman. He told me that he bought all of these toys in the 1980s from a wholesaler (in Germany) and then stored all of them in his cellar—for decades! On the one hand, he likes old toys. On the other hand, he’s expected an increase in value over time. He also told me that he has a lot of early Star Wars Figures from Kenner from the 1970s and 1980s. But that’s a story for the future. I’ll keep in touch!” —Uwe Winkler, Germany
Bottom Line: It boggles the mind how almost 1,000 unopened, NOS (new old stock), NMIB (new mint in box) Action Team and Big Jim toys from the 1970s were squirreled away in an old man’s cellar in Germany and are only now (finally) emerging for a modern-day resurrection and resale. Gott im Himmel!—That’s almost 40 years!
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