Often, collectors find themselves wondering: which is better — Tomy or Auldey Tomy? Are Auldey Tomy figures truly original? What differences exist between them? And do they carry the same value?
Today, we’re clearing up that confusion.
Are Auldey Tomy Figures Original? What Are the Differences?
Yes — Auldey Tomy figures are completely original. They are official, licensed products, simply produced under a different regional agreement, much like releases from Hasbro or Funskool in other markets. There is nothing unofficial or “fake” about them.
The differences lie mainly in production details. Some Auldey Tomy figures may show differences in finishing quality. The engraved lettering also differs — not only because the name “Auldey” appears, but because the placement and formatting of the markings can vary.
These small distinctions are often what confuse collectors, especially when comparing them side by side with Japanese Tomy releases. However, from a licensing standpoint, they are equally legitimate — simply products of a different manufacturing and distribution branch.
If we look for some examples, we can, for instance, see Machop:
The Auldey one almost looks like a bootleg, right? There are some examples like this one e.g the Auldey Gengar is not even translucent, and there are many other cases where the difference is mostly the letters. This leads us to the next question:
Are Auldey and Tomy Figures Equally Valuable?
In my experience — after years of buying and selling — the short answer is no.
Market perception plays a big role. Many collectors specifically look for figures with Japanese engravings, or at the very least the Nintendo marking. Because of this preference, Auldey releases are sometimes misunderstood. Some collectors mistakenly assume they are fake (simply due to lack of familiarity), while others prefer uniformity in their collections and choose to avoid versions with different engravings or placements, which is completely fair.
From a market standpoint, Auldey figures generally sell for less than their counterparts. For many common figures, the value can be around 10-20% less. However, for the less common figures, that percentage increases significantly. For instance, in the Sugimori poses, the value is way, way less, because you can find on eBay the Auldey ones quite cheaper than their Japanese counterparts. Value mostly depends heavily on the individual figure — how close the figure is to other licenses or how rare that figure is in other licenses, as it happens with the Sugimori poses.
In short, Auldey figures are official and legitimate — but collector preference tends to place slightly higher value on the Nintendo or even more the Japanese-engraved versions.