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Jeweler selling solid gold Godzilla for Y150 mil

8 Comments
By Casey Baseel

There’s a pretty predictable pattern that merchandising for anime and youth-oriented movies in Japan follows. New hits get inexpensive trinkets, at a price point where kids can purchase them with their allowance. After a decade or two, higher-quality, items start to show up, like Sailor Moon jewelry and Gundam cars, which are priced more in line with what the franchise’s nostalgic and employed fan base is willing to spend.

Since it’s now been 60 years since the first Godzilla movie, some fans who weren’t even in preschool for the legendary monster’s debut are now getting close to retirement. With possibly a whole career’s worth of earning, prudent financial decisions, and wise investments, some Godzilla fans can afford to lay out big money to show their respect for the King of the Monsters, which is where this solid gold Godzilla figurine comes in.

Jeweler Ginza Tanaka opened its first store in 1892. Since then, the company has built a reputation as a reputable provider of high-end, non-reptilian accessories.

To commemorate Godzilla’s 60-year milestone, though, the company has decided to create a 24-centimeter statuette of the beloved monster. While it’s not nearly as big as the awesome 8.75-meter-tall, two-ton Godzilla slide we recently visited, Ginza Tanaka’s figurine still tips the scales at 15 kilograms.

The statue’s price tag is even heftier than its weight, though, as Ginza Tanaka’s creation sells for an eye-popping 150 million yen. Why so much? Because it’s made entirely out of 24-carat gold.

The design is based off of the creature’s appearance in the 1989 film "Godzilla vs. Biollante," although Ginza Tanaka’s designers say they added a bit of extra muscle tone for their sparkly statue.

The golden Godzilla officially goes on sale July 20, but is committed to a series of public appearances soon after. From July 20 to 29, it’ll be on display at the G Haku Godzilla exhibit at the Hikarie building in Tokyo’s Shibuya. Next, it’ll move to the Ginza Tanaka flagship store in Ginza until August 10, before making the trip to Osaka for the G Haku exhibit at the Abe no Harukasu Kintetsu department store from August 14 to 24, then finally making the rounds of other Ginza Tanaka stores across Japan.

Presumably, though, the statue will eventually wind up gracing the home of whatever well-heeled fan steps up to but it. So if you’re a collector who’s been saving up your cash to make a bulk purchase of several thousand plastic Godzilla toys, here’s your chance to throw the same amount of money into your hobby in a way that’ll still leave you plenty of shelf space.

Sources: Hachima Kiko, Fashion Press

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Godzilla’s favorite food is in, and it’s not Japanese -- Got a spare $286,000 lying around? Get your 24k gold Mt. Fuji replica while supplies last! -- It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… flying Godzilla? How exactly does that work?

© RocketNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


8 Comments
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Here comes Goldzilla!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Pretty good price for such an iconic artifact.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cool ! I want one !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Since gold is about USD$1300 per ounce. 15kg is about 530ounces. So the value of Gold on this Godzilla is worth about USD$690,000.00

Meaning the sculpting of the gold into the Godzilla cost about USD$750,000-800,000.00. 115-120% more than the value of the gold itself.

Its about right. The labor cost is should be around 40-60% of the value depending on the quality. Since this piece of "jewelry" is one of a kind, doubling the value of the labor cost is reasonable for the right buyer. But the value is really around USD$1-1.2mil at the most.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's good fun but let's get real, It's just going to end up being melted down like the solid gold Mickey Mouse, the solid gold Ultraman and the solid gold christmas tree before it.

It doesn't require much effort or cost to produce a mould from a figurine and pour gold into it. Gold is unique in this way since you lose almost no weight every time it is melted down. It's just a PR move for Ginza Tanaka which they do all the time.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

highball - good calculation - means it is waaaaay too expensive

M3 - it won't get melted down if you look at highball's numbers.....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Nice! And based on one of the best Godzilla designs of all time. I love "Godzilla vs. Biollante". Let's hope it'll make someone with too much money very happy.

By the way, it's "Abeno Harukas", not "Abe no Harukasu", speaking of Japan's tallest building. Abeno is a ward in the southern part Osaka city and not a name. ;) I'd really like to see it being destroyed in a new Japanese Godzilla film.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

**Nop! it's too expensive for lifeless statues.

I have 3 x 3 months old Godzillal and clone by Dream Steam Cell & Clone Corporation. We have clone them from first generation of Godzilla's Skin by famous Japanese stem-cell biologist Haruko Obakata and using latest STAP Steam Cell technology and monitor by famous leading S. Korean clone scientist Hwang Woo-suk.

We have paid full loyalty to Tōhō Kabushiki-Kaisha. We will sale it for as low as Ichioku Yen at my discount Hyaku Yen shop in Yume Shotengai at Yume Tani but buyer must be able to come with me on my magic dreamrider. I may be given away to good home if I have not found suitable buyers for them. **

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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