Getting A-Head in Collectibles

Poker-themed bobbleheads, David Miller's whimsical line of poker collectibles, which is enjoying tremendous popularity. Toronto-based PokerHeads, Inc. offers the world's best-selling line of handpainted, strikingly individualized bobblehead dolls, an amusing celebration of some of the foremost poker players in the world.

"We all loved poker, and we realized that there were no collectibles," says Miller, a young entrepreneur who continues to operate the online sports-jersey business he had established before founding PokerHeads late in 2003. The "we" includes brothers-in-law Sam and Max Anshilevich, who agreed wholeheartedly when Miller, a longtime collector of sports-related bobblehead dolls, pointed out that "poker players are the same as sports figures: They're admired, they have fans, and their fans want collectors' items."

The accuracy of Miller's judgment is evident as the compnay prepares to issue a number of Series of its Stars of Poker stauettes barely two years after the business opened.

Among the many unique features of PokerHeads' comical little statues is the fact that each character's sculpted representation actually offers a portrait likeness of a recognizable professional player and his or her individual features, appearance, and characteristic clothing and accessories. Phil "Unabomber" Laak's quirky and inescapable sweatshirt hood is there, and any fan could constantly distinguish from across the room Johnny Chan's glasses from David "Devilfish" Ulliott's. Jennifer Harman's heart necklace is prominently featured on her statue, as are the unique "double glasses" that Costa Rica's Humberto Brenes wears. Fortunately, Amir Vahedi's trademark cigar does not actually emit smoke.

"The dolls are designed in consultation with the poker stars themselves," Miller points out. "The creative input of the players assures that the final design is unique and accurate."

And in fact, the attention to detail that goes into the making of PokerHeads can be startling. Each bobblehead is depicted as holding the two cards that the player has identified as his or her favorite starting hand in hold'em. (TJ Cloutier is featured with the jack and nine of clubs. Scotty Nguyen favors the ace of hearts... for love... and the ace of spades, signifying power.) Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari (who actually became a professional magician at age 19) is shown with poker chips between his fingers, calling to fans' minds his amazing dexterity and inventiveness in performing chip tricks on televised broadcasts of WSOP and WPT events.

The six-to-seven-inch-tall PokerHeads are sturdy, being crafted of a polyresin material that, unlike some mass-produced plastic bobblehead souvenirs, won't crack or shatter. A special series of PokerHeads personally signed by the players has proved very popular, with the company's website occasionally having to post such announcements as "The Mark Seif bobblehead is Sold Out!"

Collectors looking to make as much money from their poker memorabilia as David Williams with his $3.5 million win (2004 WPT, Borgata) are (if they're realistic) going to have to look somewhere other than bobblehead dolls. Still, bought new directly from PokerHeads for $29.99 (Canadian), or $45 for bobbleheads personally signed by the subject, these dolls are very likely to increase in worth over the years. PokerHeads images are true limited-edition collectibles; only 5,000 of each likeness will be cast and painted, and any collector who wants Doyle, Devilfish, or Jennifer after the molds are broken will simply have to find one from among the stock already in existence. As each series sells out, each bobblehead's rarity will increase, and with it, the market value.