Given that obsessive fans are typically only found here in
the Philippines, are prices of certain Voltes V memorabilia going through the
roof as they are approaching serious second-hand car prices?
By: Ringo Bones
At almost 150-thousand pesos (3,000 US dollars) for a meter
high pristine condition Voltes V battery operated robot toy seems insane to
most Filipinos – given the widespread endemic poverty and what have you. But
such exorbitant prices are what you typically find at eBay and OLX these days
if you are looking for an original Japanese made Voltes V toy that was probably
originally manufactured back when Ted Nugent’s Cat Scratch Fever was still in
heavy rotation on mainstream FM radio. But if you are a regular viewer of Pawn
Stars, outrageous prices typical of eBay and other online flea markets is
typically not reflective of the official valuation of ultra rare memorabilia –
especially when it comes to Voltes V and especially here in the Philippines.
But what is the official valuation - if any - of these items anyway given that
they are not like easily valuated items like official Major League Baseball
trading cards and what have you?
In short, it could be at the end of the day is where
snobbery and fashion eventually dictates the price. Back in 1998, I managed to
trade my still complete but in good condition Voltes V playing cards for a
7-inch 45 RPM vinyl single of Dead Kennedy’s Holiday in Cambodia. That 7-inch
single probably goes for around 200 pesos these days based on a Japanese online
used vinyl site who prices their products in Philippine pesos. But recently, I’ve
just found out on eBay that a complete set of Voltes V playing cards in a
similar condition to the one I have goes for 700 pesos, I now wonder if Voltes
V memorabilia items are now starting to be valuated rather exorbitantly.
