Friday, August 7, 2009

Michael Jackson Top 5 Collectibles

While the impulse buying frenzy seems to have slowed down for Michael jackson collectibles, there is still a lot of interest in what I'll call the "true" collectibles. Of course, anything cherished to it's owner is a collectible and each items holds it's own unique value to each individual. That's what collecting is really about!

But what I mean is that items such as memorial T-Shirts and and any CD Michael Jackson put out are items that sold like crazy the first month of his death. These items were mostly bought on emotion and impulse and will hold little monetary or sentimental value to collectors in the future. That buying stage has died down a lot. Still, there is a thirsty demand for Michael Jackson memorabilia and here are what I see as the top five according to price paid and how many are being sold.

Grammy Awards Doll

Vintage MJ Grammy Awards Doll

This doll is also known as the Beat It doll. It's a very nice figure and it's a very hot item! These original dolls from 1984 are selling anywhere from $40 for a doll in poor condition to as much as $200 if new and still in the box! These are great collectibles and I'm surprised there are still so many out there. They will, however, only get more scarce and higher in price. Within a few months I doubt these will be seen too much. Occasionally clothing is offered for these dolls too and it goes for a pretty good price too! Get em while you can!

Thriller Album Sealed

This album in general (not the CD) has been hot since the beginning of July but over the past few weeks the sealed Thriller album has been in great demand. It is going for as much as $250 for a first run original release. I can see why. As I wrote about in another post, these albums, the vinyl lp's, are truly collectible because it was the last big success story on vinyl. After that CD's came along and so it has a really cool story behind. It's the last of an era and it just happened to be the biggest success too! A great collectible if you can afford it. There are still opened ones in great condition and these are nice to have for a MJ collection too. They can be found still for $25-$75 depending on condition. I'm amazed at the demand for the sealed ones and the price they are bringing but the numbers don't lie! They are hot right now!

Memorial Service Program Book

Memorial Service Program Book Kit

This is the booklet that folks recieved who attended the memorial service. There are actually several items that could be considered a "kit" I suppose. There is the book, ticket and a wristband. Some of the kits are selling for as much as $400 and usually include the verification email from the lottery. Average is around $150-$200 but many kits are broken up such as just the book, wristband or ticket. Also there are two separate tickets. The "overflow" of people were sent to the Ikea building and those tickets aren't worth as much as the premium "Staples" arena tickets. They are all hot, but the full sets from the Staples building are selling for amazing prices. For sure this memorial service kit is a great piece of memorabilia to have for a serious MJ display.

Red Beat It Jacket

Michael Jackson original design j parks beat it jacket front

I think we all know what that is! This jacket was so hot in the early - mid 80's. There were several makers of this jacket and those originals are what people are going crazy for right now. The vintage red leather jackets are selling for $100-$300 depending on condition. The J Parks is very tough to find but it's out there if you've got the cash, a cool $400-$800 depending on condition! All of the vintage leather jackets were good quality so as long as the conditon is good you'll likely be happy with it. The J Parks looks awesome though! (No, i've never held one!) These jackets are a great Michael Jackson piece too. They will enhance any display so much as this is such a signature piece of Jackson attire from Thriller!

Moon Walk Autobiography

Moon Walk First Run without Jacket

This book has been very highly sought after since Michael's passing. It is still incredibly popular and going for $50-$200 depending on condition. There are a surprising amount of autographed copies out there too and these of course are going for even more. Recently the publisher made an arrangement with the jackson family to go ahead and re-issue this book so it will be out again and of course much cheaper. But these vintage first run Moon Walk books from 1988 are in great demand and will always be for any serious collector. They can be found fairly easily but be prepared to pay well over $100 for a book in good to excellent condition.

That's my top five. There are other hot items but these are amazingly popular, selling regularly and fetching some pretty good prices too. It's still a great time to buy Michael Jackson collectibles and memorabilia. It's hard to imagine these items coming down in price though. The more they sell, the less of them there are. I didn't include autographs in here because I figure that goes without saying. Even before Michael Jackson's death autographs were very popular for a living legend.

I look for the red Beat It Jackets to become extremely rare in about a month. Why? Because of Halloween. There will certainly be a lot of people wanting to dress up as "the King of Pop" and with those red jackets being such a signature piece of clothing they will be in even greater demand. If you are thinking of getting one don't wait too long!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Ray(I have a brother called Ray).
    Thanks for your words,i think your pictures also are cool and my favoites are the Michael Jackson dools.
    Soon in my blog i upload my doll's collection.
    Which your city?I am in Los Angeles in 92 year,and i have a friend in San Diego.
    A hug from Spain

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  2. "I'm amazed at the demand for the sealed ones and the price they are bringing but the numbers don't lie! They are hot right now!"

    Of course that is great news if you are selling one, but not so great if you are buying one as an investment. That record sold millions and millions of copies, so it is not exactly what I would call rare. I have seen copies going for as much as $250 and found it a bit ridiculous.

    While, yes one could say that it was the last big success on vinyl, I would think the original CD release, the pre-recorded Mini Disc or the 180g Half Speed Mastered audiophile grade vinyl would be the safer investment.

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  3. OMG!!!!! I pulled my old 80's jacket out of the closet.....and and and the labe reads J. Parks in a flourished signature label. Still fantastic shape...helloooooo e-bay and doing the happy dance!!!! Thanks for the info!!!!!!

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  4. Good for you, I'm jealous! Yes, the J Parks ones will usually sell for a very good price, especially if they are in good condition. Hold off another month if you can, you'll get more the closer you are to Christmas shoppers. Congratulations and good luck on your sale!

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