Blog - disneyartprints.com

Your chance of finding a rare gem is quite high considering Disneyana is very often found at general and specialist collectors’ auctions as well as flea markets and car boot sales. Much is mass market ‘junk’, but still worth a bob or two on eBay; a small proportion will attract multiple bids and the odd rarity will always reveal itself to the experienced buyer.

So as for any collectible, you must learn to spot good from bad, genuine from fake, the unauthorised from the authorised, the rare from the market saturated item.

Thankfully, it isn’t all that difficult, if you plan in advance of your buying trips.

Importantly:

* It’s worthwhile specialising in really popular collectibles like Disneyana, as opposed to risking your hard earned cash on collectibles of all shapes and sizes that turn up unannounced at boot sales, flea markets, local auctions.

* Any popular niche, like Disneyana, is home to scoundrels and innocently mistaken sellers. Fakes abound, some items you think are rare will transpire to be mass market items which are still being produced decades after their original appearance. You must be careful, you must never assume, you must check everything you might ever consider buying to sell again later. Specialising in your chosen niche means acquiring knowledge daily and risking just a little to gain a lot later. Use those sites mentioned later to grow your knowledge.

* Research past eBay listings for whatever you chance upon at boot sales, flea markets, auctions. It’s very easy to research auction items, especially if you obtain the catalogue days ahead of the sale, and research those items on eBay at home, before going to view and certainly before bidding. Most bigger auction companies have online catalogues and sometimes illustrations that help you create a better informed buying decision about specific items and their potential resale prices. Check eBay resale potential like this: go top right of any eBay screen, click on ‘Advanced Search’, next page key words to describe the item into the long white search box, point and highlight the spot below called ‘Completed Auctions Only’, click to continue. Next page, right of screen, at ‘Sort By’, click on the menu button and choose ‘Price: Highest First’. Next page will show recent eBay finishing prices for items similar to whatever you are currently researching. This is where I discovered those Mickey Mouse phones, similar to the three that fetched £200 plus, were actually worth less than a tenner each on eBay.

* Researching eBay completed auctions works well when you’re at home, researching an online catalogue, but much harder to operate when the product of your dreams turns up at flea market, or car boot sale, or at an auction that was advertised only yesterday and starts in the next thirty minutes. Now how do you find out how much the item is worth without risking someone buying while you are still thinking about it? Well, if you have a portable computer or hand held device, you hover over the goodies making sure not to attract interest while you research their potential on eBay. You must be careful, openly researching an item’s potential on eBay is a distinct giveaway to the seller who is perfectly entitled to withdraw items from sale at any time before payment is accepted and a contract of sale formed. Far better to have a friend handle the research, in which case all you do is stand close to the booty, phone your friend, and very quietly describe what you have seen. Get them to call you back, keep a close eye on your treasure - real or potential - and if anyone else chances upon it and looks intent on buying, pick it up, study it, don’t let it out of your hands until that phone call appears. Alternatively, if you’re willing to take a risk, leave a deposit on the item, five pounds will usually do, get the seller to hide it behind the stall while you go to ‘get cash’, then research it somewhere quiet. This helps guard against the product selling while you are still researching it and arguably a deposit goes a good way to forming a solid agreement. ‘Arguably’, I said, so don’t be away too long in case the seller reneges on the agreement. If the product transpires to be not as valuable as you hoped, either walk away without telling the seller (not very nice) or go back and confess you are no longer interested in the item. Either way, the seller is entitled to keep your deposit!

* Fakes abound for most Disney items and others not authorised by Disney and hence not officially ‘Disneyana’. Beginners and experts alike find fakes hard to spot from genuine items, unauthorised sometimes difficult to tell from official. One of the best ways to determine good from bad is by checking genuine and authorised items against those highlighted on specialist web sites, which by implication provides clues to potential fakes and non official items. Though all things Disneyana exist as genuine and fake, it’s pins (badges) that fool most people and which are among the most collectable of all Disney items. The most useful sites for spotting fake from genuine pins are:

- www.pinpics.com

- www. dizpins.com

Both sites have thousands of pins listed and many illustrated BUT bear in mind no one knows the true extent of pins created by Disney or produced by other companies on license. So don’t assume your pin is a fake just because it isn’t listed on the site.

Check authenticity of items other than pins by keying ‘fake + Disney + your product type’ into Google (www.google.com) and you are bound to find many sites and forums to help you determine good from bad.

* Another maker’s name on your product does not mean it is unofficial or fake. In fact Disney has licensed many companies to create their products, including: Monogram Products Inc., Sedesma, ProPin, Brier Manufacturing, Cohn & Rosenberger, Schroco, Marx.

Disney is well known for their beautifully animated fairy tales and the characters from them that have captivated us, just as much as its icon mouse since 1928. Something that many people do not know about our treasured Disney Princess stories from the Walt Disney Company is that many of them were based on already existing works.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated feature film produced by Walt Disney in 1937. The film was originally based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm titled ‘Snow White’. The Brothers Grimm, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm were German academics and were responsible for many popular fairy tales that include ‘Rumpelstiltskin’, ‘Rapunzel’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and ‘The Frog Prince’.

Cinderella

Cinderella was released in 1950 and produced by Walt Disney. The story of Cinderella has been recorded in many works throughout history with versions included from Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. Disney’s animated film was most likened to Charles Perrault’s fairy tale. Charles Perrault was a French author and published many fairy tales and his works include ‘Puss in Boots’ and ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty was produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters in 1959. The Disney story of Sleeping Beauty was also based on the Charles Perrault works from his fairy tale titled ‘Sleeping Beauty’.

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid was released in 1989. The Disney story of The Little Mermaid was originally based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale titled ‘The Little Mermaid’. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet and his works consisted of many well known fairy tales that include ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘Thumbelina’, ‘The Princess and the Pea’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ (of which Disney based their animated feature film ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’) and many more famous stories.

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was released by Disney in 1991. The story of Beauty and the Beast was originally based on the traditional fairy tale titled ‘Beauty and the Beast’ by French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and abridged and republished by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.

The Disney adaptations of these earlier recognized stories have enabled children to experience the stories through the latest developments and technologies of visual media. Throughout history these stories in their original written and subsequent adapted visual forms have given great enjoyment to children and adults alike.

The first thing you will need to do is check out the condition of your item, be it a train, collectible Barbie doll, Disney collectible, or some other collectible item. Is it scratched, torn, clean, dirty, new, in a box, without a box? You get the idea…

Use a good light source and check the item out very carefully, noting the name, identification marks, and any copyright marks. Also, check for any imperfections, tears, scratches, color imperfections, mars, stains, etc.

Many dolls are collected with the box intact. An intact box can raise the value of an item a great deal. Some are worthless if the box is damaged badly or missing.

NOTE: Some dolls are meant to be played with and taken out of the box to dress. Examples are the Tonner Doll Company dolls: Tyler Wentworth, Sydney Chase, Gene, etc.

Remove the doll from the box for inspection. Look for forums, discussion boards, or news groups where similar collectors gather online. You can also check on eBay (or other online auctions) to see what similar items are selling for and what their condition was at the time of sale. Compare the prices with, and without a box to see the difference.

To find your item on eBay:

1. Find the category on eBay where your item would most likely be listed. (Dolls, bears, trains, Disney collectible would be likely categories.

2. If using Dolls, use the [check only in Dolls box] in the search.

3. Use your keyword to search, such as “Barbie doll”. This will bring up the current auctions window.

4. Now, check the completed auctions box, to check out the prices and descriptions on the sold items.

5. When you click on the individual auctions, you can see the price the item sold for, the condition of the item and whether it had a box. Look for terms such as NRFB (Never Removed From Box) or MIB (Mint In Box).

Note that the price on eBay is not the best price for your item. Usually, the price could be more if sold locally because the online auction buyer cannot actually handle the item and examine it in person.

Other places to find information about your item (doll) would be websites selling your item (doll), antique or boutique shops, toy or hobby shops, and resell shops. Also, check out the resource books at the public library.

Popular collectibles might have a price book that is printed for collectors. You can also use a collection of hobby magazines to price items or to locate the year the item was made.

If you have done all of the above and still cannot find the information that you need about your item, check out some local hobby clubs in your area. Most hobby enthusiasts will be willing to help you find the information you need and are eager to talk about their hobby. You might even find an expert on your items, or a buyer!!

On eBay, Disneyana covers hundreds of different product types, both old and used or brand new and in mint condition, modern and vintage, categorised as Disneyana or as specific product types such as Clothing > T Shirts, sometimes both.

Choices have to be made by people listing Disneyana on eBay and those choices must be made carefully or you will waste money listing items that just won’t sell.

From my own research of Disneyana and eBay I recommend you stick with rare items, not mass market products like CDs and videos, modern clothing, recently published books and posters. Rare is always better, rare and vintage much better still.

Focus on items made between 1928 and 1967. These items, classed as ‘Vintage’ are much rarer than their later counterparts when the Disney Corporation really got to grips with mass market production. Vintage items were made to be used or played with, and few survived the decades intact. Any that do still exist, in relatively good condition, are worth a premium over similar items created by companies less collectable than Disney. Low price early Disneyana is almost always worth risk buying at auctions and flea markets for reselling on eBay. Be careful how you treat your buys: surface dirt can be removed with gentle washing up liquid and water but never use abrasives like Brillo or Vim or you could remove what detail and colour still exists and reduce your profits significantly. Of course you should not use liquid of any sort on paper or other delicate materials.

* Don’t mask flaws with paint or take photographs from an angle that hides faults and broken or missing parts. The first is unnecessary, most collectors expect a little wear and tear, the second is unethical and contrary to consumer trading laws and likely to attract negative feedback and refund requests.

* If you find a Walt Disney autograph which you believe is genuine, it’s worth having it checked by an expert. At between £50 and a few hundred pounds, cost of having it authenticated is insignificant compared to the difference in finishing prices of a genuine signature (generally £2,000 plus) and £100 or so for a non-proven signature.

* Start selling one specific high demand collectible, such as pins or artist originals, and grow niche market expertise rather than tackle all things Disney related and risk losing money on items that collectors don’t want or which turn out to be fake.