[presto247365]

i would agree with Barliman that spending that amount of money on a chunk of fantasy gaming metal with limited classical artistic value is crazy. But I do understand and agree with Gildor’s microeconomic point that the sale of this item benefits others by circulating that money into the general economy instead of squirreling it away under the mattress.

[presto247365]

I would expect the final price to be in the 300-400 Euro range. I don’t have the info in front of me, but I believe buying all the sets on E-bay from Chris would have cost a bit more than that, plus the three that were never part of the buy-it-now auctions.

[presto247365]

It may be a new E-bay record for mithrils, especially if it is all 20.

[presto247365]

comparing the gallery photos with the auction photos, this set seems to be missing the spearman with a hood, the archer with the mohawk, and one swordsman i can’t identify, in addition to the lost guardsman and archer which nobody has. Quite a trove really, and I tremble to think of the final cost. I hope our friend “D” doesn’t shoot the moon with his bids to secure this lot. I most certainly won’t be bidding, but will observe with interest.

[presto247365]

Hmmm…the idea of “ranks” based on numbers of posts is a bit troubling to me. I know it is a common convention on many message boards. I believe it often leads to an air of superiority amongst those with large numbers of posts, where the opinions of more frequent posters are somehow more valid or “important” than the occaisonnal visitor. I’m not speaking of MMP here, but some sports team sights I often visit.

More to the point, limiting some forums to those with certain levels of posts seems contrary to the open discourse of ideas or concerns. Someone who is very new or infrequently posts may have something valuable to add to a discussion.

Besides, if there is something we truly want to keep from prying eyes, there is the message function. Perhaps it is the recent Independence Day holiday here that has me feeling egalitarian, but that’s just my opinion!

[presto247365]

Yes, this is true. I’ve already given thought to giving my collection to others in 30 years or so, but who can say what the future will hold? Perhaps a Tolkien or Mithril “museum” will emerge that can house a great many collections.

[presto247365]

Many thoughts…

First let me say that I am glad we can openly discuss this issue. It has been skirting about the fringes for some time, with copies of rarities for friends and potential fakes on E-bay being bought by MMP members.

I don’t believe any of our well-known members of MMP are actively trying to to make money by selling fakes. I think we may have fallen into a trap of getting copies for several reasons. 1) Placeholders in our collections until we can obtain an original. 2) Figures for gaming. 3) Figures for dioramas.

I am thirty-eight. I have been a Tolkien fan since I was 10 or so. Mithrils (and Chris’s other works) were a happy accident that I discovered in the early 90’s and I have been smitten ever since. I also am a historical wargamer, and have visions of producing Middle-Earth battles on the tabletop.

That being said, I must admit I fall in a grey, if not criminal, area where copies are concerned. As I mentioned in the Tharbad thread, I do have a good many copies of mithrils that, if painted, could be misrepresented as originals. This has caused me much pause as to what to do with them when I pass or fade from usefulness. Happily, many are cast in resin and are therefore obvious copies for filling in army ranks. I know I can’t sell them, the tertiary market is uncontrollable. I think that unless a proper heir for my passion appears between now and my Great Journey, destruction of these is the only answer. I can only say that I have never, and will never, have any intention of profiting from these figures. But who can believe just words typed on a screen? A poor way to take take the measure of a man.

I think it is good and well that we be mindful of the consequences of our actions. A seemingly honest copy to a friend can have far-reaching effects on other collectors and on the creator of these minis.

[presto247365]

This is something that does concern me for the mid to long-term future. Can I really expect my son to have the same passion and interest in collecting mithrils? He’s only 6! He will have his own passions to discover! Eventually, I will pass or will no longer be able to enjoy such a collection as this. How does it get dispersed?

I have a good many copies for gaming purposes that, if painted, could easily pass a genuine mithrils. I long ago decided i could never sell them outright, as some unscrupulous individual could pass them on as genuine. I think on some way to “mark” them as copies. Cut off the bases? Alter them all in some way? Or, perhaps, just destroy them outright and remove them from circulation. I now think the latter is the best course of action, unless I can bequeath them to a collector who would share my view of the integrity of the work.

[presto247365]

Perhaps Chris realized that by having three rare mini’s on auction at once, the M7, M16 and DoW, he was splitting the pool of bidders up and possibly lowering the prices each might fetch individually. So end two of them and re-list later. Very savvy, and I don’t begrudge him the opportunity to make as much money off each one as possible. Or it may be as simple as others stated, he might not have as many to sell as he thought!

[presto247365]

319 euro puts the lady well beyond my comfort level. Interesting.

[presto247365]

Good luck on the other two Milo! I’ll see how the lady looks in a few days!

[presto247365]

Not to trump Milo, but I’m considering a serious run at the M16. I’d rather spend a lot of money and have it go to Chris than to some unknown seller. Plus, as Barly mentioned, you can be assured of the condition of the mini.

[presto247365]

Coincidently, my m39 in the same condition as the m66 weighs in at 20g.

[presto247365]

My m66 galion weighs in at 18g. It has the grey undercoat and typical engraving on bottom, but was purchases loose out of the blister.

[presto247365]

Well, to the best of my knowledge, I have originals of most of the M series figs. That’s where averaging multiple weights comes into play. Toss out any outlying data points and average the rest to obtain a reasonable standard by which to measure each figure. Really it becomes a tool to ferret out anyone who is attempting to pass on re-cast figures as originals. It would be a level of protection for collectors trying to fill in those last few rare references. Granted, a skillled artisan with the proper alloy could still pass muster.

[presto247365]

I have a kitchen scale that is accurate to within 1 gram. I’ll take some time this weekend to weigh a few key figures for reference purposes. It might be interesting to include this data in the figure references to help buyers verify that their purchases are genuine. I’d be willing to compile and average out any weight submissions and supply that data for the community.

[presto247365]

Gildor, that’s my technique too. I refresh as soon as my computer clock hits the hour designated for the sale to start. It works pretty well, but this time my browser loading was just too slow to keep up with demand! ( I’m running a VERY outdated processor).

I think I’ll just chalk this one up to karma, and wait and see if a second set is put up for sale. I’ve pestered the man about extra sets too many times in the past when I’ve messed up my time-zone conversions and missed the sale completely.

He has always been generous and accommodating, and I’d feel like I was taking advantage of his good nature contacting him directly about more dwarves.

Also, I don’t recall what the total number of sets were for previous releases. Does anyone know?

[presto247365]

I have to chuckle at the fact that Chris just earned about $50 a second for 48 seconds! Good for him! Perhaps there will be another chance at these fine fellows, but I tend to doubt it with this one.

[presto247365]

WOW!! That was fast. What, 48 seconds?!?! I tried to enter one with the count showing nine left and was shut out! Darn old, slow computer!! It seems that most bidders were restrained and only took one or two, so I can’t really complain about hoarders. Ah, just as well, saved me some Euros!

[presto247365]

Indeed, a hale and happy birthday! What a great day in Mithril History as well! Congratulations!

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