By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: The first Brodus Clay figure was released in January, but many regions of the country are still waiting for them to hit the shelves.




Action Figure Spotlight #20: Mattel WWE Series 17 Brodus Clay
Originally released: 2012
What you can expect to pay: $20-30 (packaged or loose)
Recent sales: $14.61, $21.99, $22.99 $29.99, $34.99

Just as quickly as “the Funkasaurus” vanished from television in January, Brodus Clay’s first action figure has been disappearing from retail stores.

Clay’s first action figure was included in the 17th series of basic WWE figures from Mattel. The figures were officially released in January, but collectors in many parts of the country are still waiting to see these figures show up in their local stores.

Clay’s figure doesn’t resemble “the Funkasaurus,” but rather depicts him as he appeared as Alberto Del Rio’s bodyguard last year. Clay comes in a black singlet with black boots.

The Clay figure has been hot since it first began appearing on the secondary market in January, and the value has remained steady since. If you’re looking to pick one up, you can expect to pay in the $20-30 range. If you’re lucky enough to find one at a local store, you should expect to pay around $9.99 to $11.99.

The 17th series of basic figures is notable because it also includes the first Mattel figures of Vickie Guerrero and Layla. This was also the first series to feature the new white packaging.

Collectibles News

-- Ringside Collectibles reported over the weekend that Jakks-Pacific will produce a seventh series of TNA Deluxe Impact figures. Jakks had not released information on any new figures since last fall, and many collectors assumed the line was doomed. The seventh series of figures will better represent the TNA of 2011, including figures of top stars like Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Velvet Sky, James Storm, and Mr. Anderson. There will also be a special chase figure of Storm that comes with a die-cast title belt, limited to just 100 figures.

-- Topps recently released its 2012 WWE Dog Tags: Ringside Relic Edition product. The tags are very similar to those from 2011, which were covered in this column. Each pack retails for $2.99 and comes with one dog tag and a matching trading card. There are 24 basic dog tags and cards, with a checklist very similar to last year’s. New additions include The Rock, Sin Cara, and Triple H.

Relic dog tags can be found one in every 24 packs and contain a piece of memorabilia worn by a wrestler. One of the positive changes this year is that Topps has removed most of the duds from the relic set; if you find one in your pack, you’ll probably get a top star. But. be warned: there are still relic tags of Heath Slater and David Otunga. Relic tags of John Cena, C.M. Punk, and Zack Ryder are likely to be very popular. A full checklist can be found at WrestlingTradingCards.com .

-- The 15th series of WWE Battle Packs from Mattel are bound to be hot. The series includes the first action figures of the Bella Twins, a cool two-pack of The Rock and John Cena, Sin Cara (another first), and Daniel Bryan.

But, before buying any of these figures from eBay, make sure you are buying from a legitimate seller. Some of these have popped up over the last couple weeks with sellers labeling them “in stock” and selling them for incredibly high prices. Most reputable websites still have all of these figures on back order. Some of the sellers claiming to have the figures in stock are using photos from more reputable websites.

Do you have a question about wrestling collectibles? Contact Michael Moore at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com.

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