If you’re active in the Pop collecting community, then you’ve no doubt already heard about the record sale recently made on a rare Willy Wonka Golden Ticket 2-Pack, which sold for a whopping $100,000. The buyer, an avid Funatic, picked up the grail to end all grails from a private seller at Chalice Collectibles in California this May, setting the record for the most ever paid for a Funko Pop! Vinyl figure.
The item in question, a 2-pack figure featuring Willy Wonka and an Oompa Loompa in all gold, was a 2016 San Diego Comic Con exclusive and only one of ten produced by Funko. Initially, the only way to grab one of these goodies was from the SDCC Fundays event itself, where a lucky four who found the Funko Golden Ticket were able to win the two-pack.
As for what happened to the other six items, we like to think they found their way into a few die-hard collectors’ grail cabinets, but it’s hard to say given how sought-after and hard to find some of these ultra rare Fundays releases can be.
We recently spoke to the lucky buyer to find out his thoughts on the big purchase, and his collectables philosophy! Read the exclusive interview below.
How long have you been collecting, and when did you start?
GrailMonster: I've been collecting smaller pieces for over a year, but only dove into grails and rarer pieces for a couple of months now. I fell in love with the 2010 SDCC blue metallic Batman Pop and that put me on a path of hunting other rare pieces.
How long have you been hunting for this particular item?
GrailMonster: About six weeks. The "hunt" was complex because I refused to get one unless it had the ticket with it. Only four tickets were handed out at the event (2016 Fundays). Of the four, only two have been seen since the event (#2 and #4), and only one has been seen since 2019 (mine, #2). I spent a decent amount of time trying to locate #4, but made absolutely no progress in locating it. I knew the owner of #2, and after a few weeks, reached out to him and decided that that was my only pathway to acquiring one.
Other than the Golden Ticket 2 Pack, what is the highest value item in
your collection?
GrailMonster: Good question. I'm so bad at knowing the true values of anything. I guess Stan Lee Red Metallic is probably the most valued piece, after the Golden Ticket.
Which is your favourite item in your collection?
GrailMonster: I really like the Key Griffey Jr Bronze (24 pc) Luke Skywalker Gold (80 pc). I like metallic Pops for some reason lol
To you, what does collecting mean?
GrailMonster: Acquiring pieces that make me happy. There are some pieces I really feel a connection to, and others that I bought because I thought the deal was good. I think the term "collecting" is fluid and really varies from hunt to hunt.
What are you hunting for next?
GrailMonster: Clockwork Orange. Sports pops (Curry vs Wade, Edgar Martinez bronze, etc)
See GrailMonster’s video all about the sale here: https://youtu.be/pXpmBWN-PbY
What do you think about this record purchase? Would you ever spend this much on a Funko figure? Which item is your ultimate grail? Leave us a comment below!