Ever since I started "SERIOUSLY" collecting Transformers, I've become familiar with AFA. However, I still don't know exactly who they are. What does AFA stand for, where are they, and do they have a web site?

I've only purchased one AFA graded figure years ago and haven't since cause their just too damn expensive. Will recent re-issues ever get AFA'd?

 

Action Figure Authority ? Home Page

And they'll grade anything you like, so long as they're paid for it. This includes, embarrassingly for them, TF KOs graded as if they were the genuine article.

 

Action Figure Authority - Transformers Wiki

 

Thank you! End of thread.

 

You bet!

There's this guy from a local forum in Singapore that goes AFA-ing his Reissues & became the butt of joke in town.  

 

I wouldn't thought AFA would deal with reissues as their not as valuable as originals?

 

Nope, not really.

As a matter of fact, your question was answered earlier by this quote:

 

Than what's the point of AFA?

 

Nerd-Peen/bragging rights.

Having a MISB Optimus Prime isn't enough. Some people want "THE BEST" MISB Optimus Prime and are willing to hork over the $$$ for it.

 

AFA - cuz toys graded by them cost A Friggin' Assload.

 

People who want to protect their collection will have it graded and sealed in an acrylic box. I know I've used AFA's service for a couple of my transformers collection and am very satisfied with their service so far.

 

This! and personally i find it repugnant and a false way of boosting value for nothing but someone's personal opinion of the figure even if they have a set of rule to go by.

 

So how much are we talking about here for a toy to get graded by AFA?

 

I'm always hesitant to post in a thread related to AFA, but I figured it may be good to add some info for new AFA collectors.

It's normal that AFA graded items are sold for higher than ungraded items. The person who sends his toy to AFA needs to pay for shipping (twice), the acrylic case and for having the item authenticated and graded.

The people who work for AFA grade many toy lines and they need to keep up to date with a lot of information. They are human and they make mistakes. As someone pointed out, they have graded KOs and Chinese reissues in the past. These items were graded a few years ago when AFA had no knowledge about them, but today they are aware of KOs/reissues and they know how to discern them. They have improved their casing and grading method through the years. I guess they must be more consistent now than they were earlier.

Some reasons why someone would want to send his item to AFA:
- the case protects the item from UV/light, dust, rubbing, etc.
- items are protected when shipped/moved/displayed
- they generally sell faster and fetch more money
- sellers have to be a bit more honest when selling a graded item (can't say that the item is mint when it's graded AFA 75..)
- as a buyer, it gives a certain layer of protection
- they can spot paint retouch and such using a microscope, which can be though to see with the eyes
- the AFA population report is an interesting tool for collectors. We don't know how many sealed Megatron there are in the world, but we know there are at least X.

I'm not 100% behind AFA, but after getting ripped a few times by shady sellers on ebay you kinda have no choice. I still buy some ungraded items but only from reputed sellers. Remember, you should know at least as much as AFA do about your items. It's always important to check everything carefully before buying a collectible, graded or not.

A lot of information about AFA/reissues/KOs can be found here on tfw2005 and on highendtfs.com. Feel free to ask questions, I'm sure someone has the answer