How does AFA grading work? I assume they look at the figure, make sure it's not damaged and all its accesories are there, if it's carded, they make sure the condition of the card and the blister are good then rate it according to set parameters.

One thing I haven't been able to figure out is why a MOC figure that is AFA rated seems to be a whole heckuva lot more expensive than a MOC figure that has not been rated.

I've also seen some sites that sell their stuff as AFA rated what ever number and the figure or vehicle isn't even complete. I bought a Tomahawk on eBay for $36.00 a few months ago, it was in awesome shape, no decals applied, but included and was missing only one rotor blade, yet in that same search found a Tomahawk that was missing the bombs and all four wings but was AFA rated as a 9 (the seller claimed he had the documents from AFA to go along with it) and he was selling it for almost $150, BIN $200. (Amazingly with all the other Tomahawks for sale, people were bidding on it) Was that guy just really proud of his Tomahawk, an idiot seller who didn't research the going prices, or does having an AFA rating warrant a higher price? I've seen several AFA rated items going for much higher prices than their non-rated counter-parts.

Even on the Hasbro Toy Store (I think that's where I saw them) the AFA rated figures were considerably more spendy than the non-rated figures.

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Oh boy, here we go again!

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Feel free to peruse this thread: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=18941

Long story short: AFA is a joke, a scam, and maybe worse. They have NO authority save what they give themselves. But as long as people fall for it, they're not going anywhere.

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OK, so AFA is just a group of so-called experts who think they know something about action figures. I suppose they're no different than any company that might appraise your classic car, vintage Les Paul or authentic Viking map of the new world.

But looking at the Hasbro Toy Store, for example, a Resolute Trooper is $7.99, not a bad price, but in that same selling area you can buy an AFA 9.25 graded Resolute Trooper for $69.00 or 9.25 graded Trooper for $89.00 ($20 for a .25 better grade?).
How much does it cost to have AFA grade your stuff? I'd go buy $7.99 Trooper, have them grade it and resell it for $69.00.

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A loose Tomahawk missing several parts graded AFA9?

They are a joke indeed. At least it gives us something to ridicule and talk about.

...

No offense to the people here who actually own AFA graded stuff.

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I just think that some of the sellers are just too proud of their stuff. I'd also found a Moray, missing the spot light lens and two depth charges for $2,500. It did come with an opened good condition box, blue prints, instructions etc. But $2,500?!?!? Just because t had an AFA rating? Yarg! Wish I'd saved that auction so I could see if he sold it.

When I first got back into collecting, I found an AFA 10 grade Obi-Wan Kenobi from 1977 going for $20,000 on (I think) Brian's Toys. I showed that one ot my mom, immediatly followed by questions about why I got rid of all my SW figures ("Well, mom, because you said I had out grown them [at eleven years old!] and told me I had to give them all to my cousin, who promptly blew them to high Heaven with a bunch of fire crackers").

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Ok, here's the thing. AFA maybe a joke if you can see and touch something. But if you're a serious collector very interested in the items appearance and value do you trust the seller's opinion about how good or bad a toy is or do you trust a company whose reputation and financial well being are invested in being as accurate as possible. I think they're a joke but I can't deny they've set a standard. If you need to depend on that standard for whatever reason then you will pay the money for someone to tell you the item you are getting is in the best condition.

Remember something too, any item you get an official appraisal for usual has a higher value then one that doesn't. You pointed out some great examples with the car, guitar, and antique map. The people who are using AFA and buying things that have the AFA stamp of approval on it want that assurance that the item is in good condition.

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I agree with Pluv in the respect that as a hobby that has a lot of "value" to it there needs to be an authority charged with verifying the quality and authenticity of items.

unfortunately AFA is not up to the task. They have been fooled by bootlegged joes as well as Starwars figures. How about MIB items, do they break the original tape to verify contents? does breaking that tape devalue the MIB item? Does it matter? If I take a dump in a plastic bag and put it in a mobat box seal it up nice in tidy, does it matter that it's a turd sealed up in an acrylic case and not a 1982 Mobat? I mean the cases are designed to stay sealed right? And the box will look just as nice no matter what might be in it.

The lack of standardized knowledge, and value of items coupled with a non standard grading system, both the C system and AFA's really hampers toy collecting to move on to something that can be taken more seriously. Currently we are in some sort of class/feudal system of collecting where general knowledge of the subject is different from board to board.

Now maybe if Joe collectors started boycotting AFA and started a GI JOE only verification system, staffed with knowledgeable Joe collectors, with a nice transparent website filled with joe knowledge, then maybe people that buy for values sake could feel safe. However I think the Joe realm doesn't have enough of those types of collectors to warrant it, and too many new guys buy AFA grade items because they don't know any better.

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They get 2 hats and fill each with a random assortment of numbers from 6-9 and a few zeros. From the first, usually something like a bowler, they pull three numbers. These are placed on a granite counter top, in descending sequential order. Then, they take two numbers from the second hat, usually one of those silly newsboy type hats like Kilcarr likes to wear. They put these also in descending sequential order. The first number goes on your invoice in the "Amount due" box. The second number gets slapped on some official looking card and vacuum sealed in an acrylic box with your toy. This is what they call the grade.

Then they laugh all the way to the bank.

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that afa stuff is idiotic, i don't blame sellers for using it, but buyers should be wiser than to use it as gospel.

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They use a special Magic 8 Ball.