The recently released action-packed, #1 film in America, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra has stormed box offices around the globe, ranking in over $105 million dollars. But even in a time of recession, those numbers shouldn’t really surprise anyone, there are G.I. Joe fans that date back to when the brand was first introduced as an action figure.

And one of those individuals is Chris Cardillo, who is an avid Joe collector. Cardillo had the uncanny ability and dedication to identify accessories that corresponded to each proper figure. In the late 1980s, he began creating a list of every figure and variation that was ever produced, relying only on advertisements and box inserts. Completing the set took approximately 8 years of intense searching and research and involved scouring flea markets, attending conventions and writing to toy shops around the country. Cardillo later connected with James DeSimone, a G.I. Joe collector that was credited as the first to photograph what was considered to be the complete set of G.I. Joe action figures. This collaboration as well as the addition of two more additional collectors, Cardillo and DeSimone completed the only guide that shows the entire G.I. Joe production line. The G.I. Joe guide is called Collecting and Completing Your G.I. Joe Figures and Accesories.

The book can be found of Amazon, Collecting and Completing Your G.I. Joe Figures and Accesories or you can purchase it directly from the author on eBay at a discounted rate.

FYI: Hopefully you haven’t tossed out your old G.I. Joe action figures because those vintage toys range in value from about $10 for a basic loose (out the package) figure to tens of thousands of dollars for mint-condition, sealed items.

example:
A loose 1985 Snake Eyes is valued at $25
A sealed USS FLAGG, the fictional aircraft carrier, recently sold at the San Diego Comic Convention for $18,000.00.

But don’t worry TheSource.com will be giving away vintage G.I. Joe figures in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned.