It was with great skepticism that I announced the launch of the "Phanatic of the Month" promotion last March. At the time I mistakenly labeled the $50 bobble head figurines as a target for "die-hards only" – believing it's price would make it a niche collectible. Instead, it turned out to be the biggest Phillies collectible on the market over the past year.
Since launching with a bunny-eared Phanatic figurine in April 2013, each successive sale date has attracted an increasingly large crowd. While that first bobble head hung around the Citizens Bank Park Majestic Store for several days, recent releases have attracted a swarm of collectors (and a few aspiring entreprenuers) who buy up inventory in a matter of minutes. What is the secret to their success? There are several factors, among them: good design, limited availability and value appreciation.
If you have not seen these bobble heads in person, the first thing you'll notice is their size – they stand 10" tall, a full three inches larger than standard issue ones. And while I have favorited a few figurines over others, each release has demonstrated a high level of creativity with interesting themes – often showing the Phanatic in related holiday garb. In addtion to their impressive visual features, the production run for the bobble heads is only #/150. It has been suggested that a portion of each edition never make it to the shelves because of shipping damage – making them that much more limited. All of this has resulted in the figurines regularly fetching two to three times retail value on the secondary market.
I don't know what the Phillies have in store for us next, but they surely have a tough act to follow…
Check out a gallery of all 12 Phanatic of the Month bobble heads
Photo of March 2014 Phanatic via twitter.com/DrBobblesWorld
More Phillies Collecting Updates:
A preview of the 2014 Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce On-Deck Reception
A review of items from "The Bobby Wine Collection" sold by Hunt Auctions this week
Phillies Through the Mail Autographs – Getting back in the habit of collecting
