Grail pieces

[bearmodel]

Hey guys!

Someone laughed when I said that IM Mark VI maquette might become a grail and then I realized that I'm not sure what being a grail means....

I'm curious to know what are the requirements for a SS piece to become a grail. DId people know that Doom was going to become a grail piece? or the Hulk PF? Has any piece met all requirements to be a grail but didn't become one?

Let me know please..

Confused Bear...

 

[spidermonkey]

I came in a little late in the game so I'm not sure about the Hulk PF or Doom. I think the main thing for a piece to become a grail would be a low es. The latest "grail" I can think of is Patient Zero ex. I also think people should keep an eye on the TMNT line. That's my opinion anyways.

 

[chris rankin]

I am not sure what qualifies for a grail but look at the Man-thing, it has a low es of 300 and it is a great sculpt but I would not class it as a grail piece. I think sometimes it is all about how much hype a piece gets and how much it is liked by collectors. I'm no expert though just an opinion.

 

[rabid_wolf]

1. quality of sculpt
2. popularity od character
3. dynamic appearance
4. edition size
5. significance of the piece

These are my qualifications

 

[rabid_wolf]

I also think people should keep an eye on the TMNT line. That's my opinion anyways.

I completely agree with this. Especially the Donatello which has so much more of a lower number due to the regular ES mistake

 

[fuzzylojiks]

Also the term varies from one person to the next based on preference. Some pieces may be grails to you but not to others. It's a very subjective term, so if someone knocks you for saying you think something is a future grail the guy is probably an ass, thinking his opinion supercedes yours.

 

[Jediguy]

GRail items to me are items which are high in demand but are difficult to be found. For instance, HT USCM Hicks. He was made in a decent no., but he is not pretty difficult to obtain due to the scarcity of him and the high prices being demanded by the market. Also though he was made like 5 years ago, he is still very much loved and a very popular piece.

 

[creature4000]

Grails are the peices, that when you look at them, you get a tingely feeling! (I'm not talking in the pants either )

 

[Darth Madden]

GRail items to me are items which are high in demand but are difficult to be found.

Thats what I think too. It doesn't have to be a low ES but just popular enough so you don't see one on ebay every day.

 

[bearmodel]

I guess, to me, a grail would be something that lots have it and don't want to get rid of...Many people buy and sell things here n the forum, right?But some of them, Like Doom or IM comiquette don't show as often....

If a piece sells for a lot of Ebay, then sometimes it means that the ES is small or people just like to keep it... SIM had a ES of 1250 and it sells on the secondary market for at least $400. Is that considered a grail?

I believe that all that went up in price like Hulk, Doom, IM, Wolverine comiquette, Predator Maquette, Saber Diorama, Captain America PF, they are all considered grails. Would that make the price of an item a direct relation to a grail status? Have we had a piece gone up in price and be not considered a grail by most collectors??

I do not collect because i think something might become a grail one day, but I truly think that some pieces collectors are not going to get rid of because they love it so much, such as the new pieces like Sabertooth PF, Iron Man and maybe Rocketeer

I think the more rare they get, the more the price go up and the more "grail status" it becomes...

Does that make sense?

 

[greatwall]

Anything i had, thats fetch at least 2-3 times more than its original price, it's consider a true grail for me. Therefore, i had alot of grail pieces.

 

[Boba Ben]

One man's grail is another man's fail.

 

[Apone]

Anything i had, thats fetch at least 2-3 times more than its original price, it's consider a true grail for me. Therefore, i had alot of grail pieces.

I think a Grail piece is a bit more rare than that...its a Grail...which there was one of...obviously there will be more than one but the true definition of the term suggest rarity and power..and in this case i think the power is the cost. To me it is a rare piece..maybe obscure at its origins that is now sought after by many and had by few. Basically i think people throw around the "Grail" term a bit too freely. But in the same sense it could be a personal view, id love to have the speeder bike PF..but i wouldnt consider it a grail..but maybe one of my grail pieces.. though its easily found.

 

[Chapter 2099]

I don't really know of any SSE pieces that I would consider a "grail" other than maybe a select few of the SSC SSE Monster busts.

If by grail we mean "my favorite piece," than it's the Black Dress Buffy PF - Ex. That's my favorite by far, and was for a long time, my most saught after.

 

[matt85]

I think its personal preference. I dont think edition size has anything to do with it. I dont think people should chase items just because they are so called grail pieces . If you like it buy it if not leave it

 

[greatwall]

I think its personal preference. I dont think edition size has anything to do with it. I dont think people should chase items just because they are so called grail pieces . If you like it buy it if not leave it

Case closed. Well said.

 

[lcummins]

A grail should be a piece you have to search long and hard for. Not just expensive, but almost unobtainable even if you have the money. I don't consider Doom PF a grail really, because if you have the cash, you can get him every day of the week off of eBay. It really needs to be something that is almost impossible to find or obtain. Some true Sideshow grails... Ardeth Bey SSE 1:1 bust limited to just 15 pieces... SSE Son of Frankenstein 12" figure limited to 10 pieces... Dracula SSE 1:1 bust limited to 35 pieces... Grey Hulk VS Spider-man limited to 50 pieces... you get the idea. Most of these don't turn up on eBay that often, but even out of these, the busts and the diorama turn up enough to be bought if you are patient; only the Son of Frankenstein figure doesn't turn up. Just my opinion, but a grail should be something you have to search for, for a long time.

 

[V!C]

A grail should be a piece you have to search long and hard for. Not just expensive, but almost unobtainable even if you have the money. I don't consider Doom PF a grail really, because if you have the cash, you can get him every day of the week off of eBay. It really needs to be something that is almost impossible to find or obtain. Some true Sideshow grails... Ardeth Bey SSE 1:1 bust limited to just 15 pieces... SSE Son of Frankenstein 12" figure limited to 10 pieces... Dracula SSE 1:1 bust limited to 35 pieces... Grey Hulk VS Spider-man limited to 50 pieces... you get the idea. Most of these don't turn up on eBay that often, but even out of these, the busts and the diorama turn up enough to be bought if you are patient; only the Son of Frankenstein figure doesn't turn up. Just my opinion, but a grail should be something you have to search for, for a long time.

I agree. If its readily available on eBay on any given week, and can just be plucked off there, its really not a grail per say. Unless you are really hard up for cash and can't afford it, and it takes you months or years to save for it.

 

[LOTRFan]

There is a significant distinction between a piece that has appreciated rapidly versus one that is almost impossible to attain (due to rarity), I very much agree with Lonnie.

 

[furystorm]

This is the experience I had trying to locate the Bowen Grendel Bronze. I started out thinking I would not be able to locate one, since it was released twelve or thirteen years ago. But with persistence, scouring the very useful internet, and word of mouth, I was able to locate one for sale. Actually two, but one was more than I was willing to pay, which is likely why it has not sold, and has been available for so long. Then when I was finally ready to make the deal for the statue, communication became non-existent with the seller. Of course then I blew my saved cash on some other item, and the seller finally came back to me ready to make the deal. I had to wait another five or so months before I had the expendable cash again, then got back in touch with them.

Happily, I have him here now, and he truly is the "grail" of my entire humble collection.

So, yeah, while I really wanted a PZ, he was, as many say easy to locate. You just have to have the cash to blow and "pow," he's right there on the bay for you. Then the McVader. I'm sure that will be a future grail for somebody, but I could never call it a grail for myself because I simply ordered it. You get the picture.

For me, personally, a grail should be one you have to do some digging to locate, while at the same time having a rather limited run. In the end, I have spent a lifetime following Grendel, and subsequently, about 9 months seeking out the bronze. The quest was not really that impossible, but for me he is my grail.