Let me begin this article with a controversial statement: I am not a huge supporter of a lot of modern era mass-produced collectibles. In my opinion, most of these items are simply made to excite starry-eyed speculators who, at best, will get an education in economics (which most likely wont work out in their favor) and, at worst, will end up considering the entire antiques and collectibles trade a scam. Obviously, the antiques and collectibles trade is not a scam, and if you are a knowledgeable collector who wants to invest in certain specific markets over the long term, I assure you that you can make money. Sadly, in the current mass-produced collectibles environment, every speculator believes they are a sophisticated investor simply because they went to their local Target store first and managed to get the last few limited-edition collectible widgets that some billion dollar company produced in smaller quantities than usual. Most of us have all seen this play out before: Beanie Babies, POGS, 1980s baseball cards, and 1990s comic books are prime examples. At present time, there are now several mass-produced collectibles sought after by starry-eyed speculators. I have written about most of these products at one time or another, but astute readers may recall that I continue to refer to one such market as Beanie Babies 2.0. Funko Pop vinyl figurines came on the scene in 2010 and continue to be produced and sold to this very day. Funko Pop figurines are soft vinyl figures that are created and based on pop culture icons and licensed properties. There are Funko Pop figurines based on everything from obscure 1980s television characters to Star Wars to Pokemon to comic book characters. The company that produces them, simply known as Funko, has taken the playbook that started with Beanie Babies and multiplied it by a thousand. There are retailer exclusive Funko Pops, retired Funko Pops, and even scarce limited Funko Pops that collectors go crazy for. Funko enthusiasts continue to incorrectly assert that since these items are based on popular licensed properties like video games and comic books, then these particular collectibles have staying power and are unlike Beanie Babies in this regard. This, of course, is patently false, because by that logic, everything that has Star Wars stamped on it would be extremely valuable at present time. This is simply not the case. Very few people buy post vintage Star Wars action figures for their investment potential. If you dont believe me, just look at what Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars figures go for in near mint and factory sealed condition right now. Mind you, these products hit store shelves in 1999, which was 23 years ago! Factory sealed cases of these figures can still be had rather cheaply, and I personally know several speculators that would love to sell you some just to get them out of their spare bedrooms, closets, garages, and storage units. I even had one individual contact me to ask who he can sell his storage unit full of 1990s and more recent Star Wars toys to. Very few of these items are worth substantial amounts of money today, and this individual is well aware at how foolish he was for hoarding so much of this stuff for so long. The rent on the storage unit alone is over $120 a month. Being fair to Funko Pop collectors, I fully understand that Funko uses mass-produced scarcity to market and create ongoing demand for some of these figurines. Some do sell for a significant premium. That said, you need true organic demand to make something collectible long term, and as much as Funko Pop collectors keep emailing me to advise that Funko Pop figurines have been going strong since 2010, 12 years is nothing in the antiques and collectibles trade. Mass-produced scarcity is something these starry-eyed speculators need to research and understand. The dealers who sell to these same collectors and speculators understand this concept perfectly and profit in the short term. They are not trying to invest in this market long term (speculators, please learn from this). During the pandemic, the collectibles marketplace experienced a massive boom. I am now confident that very few collectors understand what has been happening behind the scenes as a result. Grading companies have been set on expanding now that they are flush with cash and backlogged with submissions thanks to a market for collectibles that soared to new heights. Several grading companies suspended new submissions during this time. Other companies exponentially increased prices that collectors were all too happy to pay. Behind the scenes, a lot of these companies wanted to ensure that the easy money would not stop. The Certified Collectibles Group, which owns companies that grade everything from coins to currency to comic books, announced plans to get into the market for grading video games. Meanwhile The Collectible Grading Authority, home of toy grading company AFA and video game grading company VGA, among others, started to grade factory sealed VHS movies. Rest assured, if a collectible item can be encased in plastic and graded relatively easily, expect these companies to capitalize on it. Just imagine if the massive amount of third-party grading companies that exist today were around back when the Beanie Baby craze was in full swing? What could possibly go wrong? Would Beanie Babies still be a force to reckon with today if third-party grading existed for them back then? In an interesting turn of events we may almost get to find out. The Certified Collectibles Group broke news very recently that they are looking to start grading Funko Pop figurines. It should be noted that several lesser known grading companies without the credibility and staying power of the major players in this field already set out to start grading Funko Pops. This announcement, however, changes the game entirely with the development of a major company who can afford to advertise and create hype for the products they grade. I almost never thought I would see the day when someone would willingly pay thousands of dollars for a factory-sealed and graded VHS movie. Now that market is not only being hyped by third-party grading companies, but also by high profile auction companies. And lets not talk about how vintage factory-sealed video games were already being graded with little fanfare by the Video Game Authority (a division of the Collectible Grading Authority), but it wasnt until WATA Games and certain high-profile auction companies got involved that prices started soaring. If hype and (in some cases) market manipulation can be used to convince Funko Pop collectors that third-party graded figurines are a good investment, then this market can very easily attract big money. This, however, would not be beneficial to the trade long term, which concerns me. Eventually that market will deflate, and when it does a new generation of collectors is going to be left with a bad taste in their mouth (along with empty pockets), just like the Beanie Baby crowd was back in the early 2000s. More to come on this topic as it develops. In the interim if you want to invest in collectibles, may I suggest you go after proven vintage pieces and more established markets? And please for the benefit of your future, only risk what you can afford to lose. On second thought, maybe I can recommend a good, old-fashioned S&P 500 index fund for your investment pursuits. Nah, this is 2022 after all, Funko Pops and Bitcoin to the moon! Shawn Surmick has been an avid collector since the age of 12. He currently resides in his hometown of Boyertown, Pa., and is a passionate collector of antiques and collectibles. His articles focus on various topics affecting the marketplace