So, I took my first step into carded vintage with a 65 Back Palitoy Darth Vader. It's kind an almost mystical experience to hold this figure after 35 years through who knows where. But I need help with it.

The seller was very upfront. The pics showed some lifting (which did turn out to be much worse than it appeared) and when I asked, he said that it had also been judged to have been a reseal. So, I offered him a lowball price and he took it, and I'm giddy. But looking at it in person, I find it only has maybe and inch and a half of glue still attaching the bubble to the card. So, I need to figure out what to do to maintain this as well as possible.

I'm hoping someone might be able to better tell if it is a reseal. If it is, would it be a great harm to simply reseal it again? Maybe not, maybe better left alone, but then how do I store/display it so that it's stable enough the bubble doesn't completely detach?

As you'll see in the pics, it doesn't look as if the glue simply dried up. The color is lifted off the card. And in the lower left corner, I believe I can see what looks like residue of white glue. Now, the edge that's still sealed is perfectly aligned, but that might mean nothing.

Cant help you on the authenticity of the seal, but the top loader method is very good for such an item.
http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/t7561-cardback-partially-attached-bubble-what-to-do

I believe in this thread it is using just a toploader to hold the card and bubble, but there is another method also where you cut the toploader into a front and back pieces, cut it out around the bubble the same as the method where you use the folder whole, then placing that one side of the loader over the cardback and bubble you slide it under the rails of an acrylic case. Toploaders are fairly rigid on their own so you can use it in one piece, but in conjunction with an acrylic case it is even more protection.  Hopefully after seeing the thread with pics my explanation makes some sense as I am not the best at describing the methods.

Here is an even more in depth conversation about it, but the pics are gone thanks to photobucket mess.
http://forum.rebelscum.com/showthread.php?t=1117762

Thanks Bryan. That should work perfectly.

Now I just read that Palitoy cards are subject to the litho coming off where the bubble is attached once the bubble starts to separate. Maybe it isn't a reseal then.

Also curious how the mostly detached bubble affects value. I think I got a really good price, but then again I know little about valuing MOC figures. It's a PBP Vader, which I understand is common. But with "MADE IN HONG KONG" on the lower right corner of the card it's a little odd. Was it common to keep the MIHK label on cards where the figure wasn't made in HK?

Calrissian_Charm wrote:

Thanks Bryan. That should work perfectly.

Now I just read that Palitoy cards are subject to the litho coming off where the bubble is attached once the bubble starts to separate. Maybe it isn't a reseal then.

Also curious how the mostly detached bubble affects value. I think I got a really good price, but then again I know little about valuing MOC figures. It's a PBP Vader, which I understand is common. But with "MADE IN HONG KONG" on the lower right corner of the card it's a little odd. Was it common to keep the MIHK label on cards where the figure was made in HK?

Hey guys,

Echoing you Bryan - The top loader has worked for one of my Palitoy Luke Jedi 65-C MOCs. This carded Luke originally belonged to Shawn K ((Click Here), he sold it on to me when he found another whose bubble survived the journey to the US. He used a Top Loader to secure the card and it still works well to this day.

It seems this is a common problem for Palitoy 65-B and 65-C cards - I believe these are the Palitoy cardbacks that were actually sealed in the UK with palitoy's own card stock and bubbles.

The Palitoy 65-A carded figures that I have, all were sealed in the Hong Kong factory, so the seals are much better - with the waffle pattern (but they are more prone to yellowing as they have the same bubble as USA Kenner cards).

Please in ignore the “Made in Hong Kong” printed on the front bottom right of Palitoy cards. It is generic; I have seen all sorts of variations/COOs being carded. They never bother to correct the front declaration to match the figure inside.

Thanks Craig, that's great info.

You asked about pricing and I again would be of no help. I don't know if palitoy are in the "rare enough for reseal" club. Some cardbacks are so rare that people will pay a bit of premium for them when resealed so they are worth more than their components. Lili ledy for instance, I have seen ledy reseals sell for higher than ledy cardback and figure as seperate pieces. I imagine poch/pbp would be the same, and Harbert possibly; but palitoy....I just don't know enough to say confidently that it would. For me as a loose collector if I was looking at this, my buy mark would be that of a cardback plus a loose figure, a palitoy collector though may go higher because of reseal value. Hope that makes sense the way I am working it.

I believe one of my Palitoy Lukes has be reasealed, the problem is you can’t be 100% then, that the contents are original to the figure.

Pricewise you might perhaps justify paying more than a loose figure, becuase you have the card back and bubble.

Thanks for the help guys. Much appreciated