How Star Trek Shattered My Dreams of Wealth This Christmas

Star Trek held my ticket to riches this holiday season with my exquisite collection of collectible ornaments.  Unfortunately, my anticipation of wealth was shattered by a heavy dose of reality courtesy of Ebay.

It is no secret that the original Enterprise NCC-1701 Hallmark ornament is worth some bucks, roughly $200 - $300. Unfortunately, the original Enterprise ornament is the only one in the series I don't have. Given the value of that particular ornament, it seems reasonable the other collectibles in the series would have increased in value proportionately over the years, right?

Twenty years ago, I purchased the Galileo-7 ornament, one of the first collectibles in the series.  My original purchase price for the treasure was $15.  So, by my math, it had to be worth at least $150 by now.  The actual retail value per Ebay and other auction sites: .99 cents.  That's right, 99/100 of a dollar.

How about my Next Generation Enterprise 1701-D? That has to be worth at least $175.  Actual retail value: $6.50.

My Klingon Bird of Prey ornament, immaculate in its detail and precision craftsmanship, must be worth a fortune. The current high bid on Ebay: $5.00. Of course, it's only worth 5 bucks if it still has the original box.  Without the box, even less.

So, to put it simply, don't bother breaking into my house and looting my tree with hopes of scoring big at the pawnshop.  Total retail value of my otherwise priceless collection of Star Trek ornaments including my Enterprise D-refit, the Captain Pike ornament, Trouble With Tribbles, and Communicator ornament with actual sound clips from the series (when you open the lid)....  $45.46.

So, since I won't get rich off these things, probably the next best thing to do is make use of them by taking photos and then Photoshopping them into pictures of my trip to Budapest last year.

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