55 replies to this topic

[Daxel101uk]

Something also that brings a faint memory back of playing with them as a kid too.

Great topic I agree that is more to do with the search, when the figures get to me I seem to tick the off and store them away and get back to looking rarely seeing the light of day again. Yes for me its the hunt that keeps me interested in collecting, but I guessing that is the same for most of you here, even when I have finished collecting what I need at the moment. I reckon I will only be looking for something else to starve off the hunger.

Edited by Daxel101uk, 22 September 2010 - 09:51 AM.

[ChristianG]

Thank you for all sharing this. Family should come first.

I think if you can document the collections as they pass through, that is enough.

Some of us have information on toy lines that will help future collectors.

[SmokinGun]

I've always felt the chase is better than the catch (although there are some damn fine catches now & then) It's fun hunting for stuff, especially rarities and finding them in the least likeliest of places.

It took me close to a year to complete my flesh set of MUSCLE. Due to the fact it was 90% in trades here and there. That was the most fun. Yeah, it can be done by BIN through ebay but whats the fun in that. Some people complete theres in few days to few months. But I enjoy the trades and the chase most of all than the catch. After completing my set. I wonder, were do I go from here?

I like to stick around as long as I can that fact I have made freinds here.

Edited by SmokinGun, 22 September 2010 - 07:48 PM.

[JonnyPac]

Collecting Battle Beasts has been great for me. I have spent a huge amount of money over the last five or so years filling in the details of my set, and I continue to do so. I get a lot of joy from looking at my display every morning before work. Sometimes in the summer on a hot day, the rub symbols all glow with power. They actually make me happy.

As far as other toylines, I have collected Heroscape, Muscle, TF, GIJOES, and MIMP, many more. I have grown discontent with most of them very quickly, and either boxed them up out of sight, or sold/traded them off. I think BBs have a special place in my heart from childhood. Things were cool in 1886 for me. I'm sure I'll never sell my set. I wouldn't be myself without them.

I guess it is best to follow your gut (if you can financially).

Good luck, y'all.

[89cpe]

Everytime i buy something i get this weird feeling that runs through me and then i question myself. What the hell am i doing spending all this money on toys? It actually really hit me hard a couple weeks ago when i was setting up my display bookshelf for my romandos. Muscle kinkeshi and a few other things and after about 10 minutes i realized this 61/2 foot tall book shelf was pretty much full and it barely put a dent in what i have in bins and boxes. I have this display shelf full and two big plastice bins full of kinkeshi and muscle. And i thought to myself, what exactly am i doing with all this stuff? Why do i even have all this? Whats the point? And then i got to thinking about everything and what about it makes me happy. And its true its the chase and when it first arrives. After that its like mark them off the checklist annnd put em away annnd eventually look at them again. They just sit there hidden away and rarely looked at. Do i think about selling mostly everything? You bet i do. But i just cant do that. And if i did id hate myself. I have alot of childhood toys but i only had one box of muscles maybe between 200 to 300 area. And now i have two huge blue bins full of muscle/kinkeshi bootlegs ect. And a book shelf full of related stuff. Had the box of muscle since i was a kid other than about 50 or so i bought in the early 00s everything else i aquired in the past 3 years. Its insane how much money i spend on toys. And aside from that i have guitars and amps and 3 cars crap loads of video games like every system. Its like im partially still a little kid haha i mean i still skate board too. So anyways its like it makes me happy but at the same time i question what the hell im doing with all this stuff. But hey gotta spend the money on something lol. Scattered thoughts. Hope my rant makes some sense

[Strontium Dog]

So much said in this thread resonates with me. For me the best part of collecting is the rush when you find something you don't have. I do have most of my stuff packed away in boxes rather than being on display.

I have been a bit OCD since I was a kid, and collecting is probably a manifestation of that. I am a completist, although (happily) not one of these people who has to get everything no matter how much it costs. There is a sensible financial limit to my collecting; I don't think I've ever paid more than $60-65 for a figure, and I don't think I ever would. It's not like I couldn't spend that amount of money, I just don't want to. I would feel bad about it, unless it was something extra special.

I think in a way I am trying to bring order to chaos. If I have a collection, I want to complete it (of course) but I don't want more than one of each figure. That to me is a full set - "everything in its place". So I always attempt to get rid of my duplicates. And there is an archivist aspect to it too. Toys are an important part of our culture. If I'm collecting a series that is poorly documented, I will try to add to and collate the sum of knowledge for posterity. I love making checklists and guides and documenting colour variations and the like.

I also enjoy hooking other people up with stuff, which is why I tend to sell things at or near cost. If I'm selling something at a fixed price, I try not to charge more than I would be prepared to pay myself if I wanted to buy it (eBay auctions set their own prices, and I'm more than happy to turn a profit there ).

Very often I do wonder why I bought this or that, but at least I can usually comfort myself in the knowledge that if I ever want rid of it, someone else will probably want it. Collecting would be a lot less fun if it was just me. So there is a slight competitive aspect to it, but also a collaborative one. I hate it when collectors screw each other over, that to me is not playing fair and I don't enjoy that aspect of it.

[walker13.1]

I think the fun for me in collecting M.U.S.C.L.E. comes with:

1. Acquiring figures/accessories that tell the story (unknown/known) of M.U.S.C.L.E.

2. Getting figures/accessories from the talented people like TGB, L.Designs, Altermotive, Biffard, and Dr. Bo

That is what makes collecting fun for me.

Edited by vette88, 06 October 2010 - 02:52 AM.

[Soupie]

Collecting Battle Beasts has been great for me. I have spent a huge amount of money over the last five or so years filling in the details of my set, and I continue to do so. ... As far as other toylines, I have collected Heroscape, Muscle, TF, GIJOES, and MIMP, many more. I have grown discontent with most of them very quickly, and either boxed them up out of sight, or sold/traded them off. I think BBs have a special place in my heart from childhood. Things were cool in 1886 for me. I'm sure I'll never sell my set. I wouldn't be myself without them.

Hm, thanks for sharing. I find this supremely interesting. Are there other things beside BBs that you have had sustained interest in collecting? Ball cards, lighters, comics, video games, etc.?

I'm trying to flesh-out a collector typology. I've found anecdotally that most people who collect a toy line, also collect other toy lines or other things. I've also been doing some light reading on this subject (read: Google searches) and my current hypothesis is that people collect for two reasons:

1) Out of a sense of nostalgia, and

2) As a coping mechanism for life (i.e., because collecting and organizing things makes them feel good/better)

The "nostalgic" collector only collects a few things that connect them to their past. When they've completed the collection, they move on to other activities; Or they may grow tired of the endeavor or "burn out" before completing it. We've seen this happen with MUSCLE and BB collectors here on LRG many, many times.

The "coping" collector collects several different things. It doesn't matter what they're collecting - it can be as mundane as empty barbecue bottles (a la an article I read) - as long as they're collecting something.

A coping collector may also be a nostalgic collector, but not the other way around. And sometimes coping collectors like to think they're nostalgic collectors, but they're really not.

If you're here at LRG trying to complete a collection of MUSCLE or Battle beast figures because you had them as a child, and you don't collect anything else, you're likely a nostalgic collector.

If you're here at LRG trying to collect figures from several different toy lines or toy genres, and you also collect or have collected other items like video games, comic books, coins, stamps, lighters, etc, then you are a coping collector.

I've got much more to say on the topic, but I'll stop there.

Edited by Soupie, 07 October 2010 - 04:40 AM.

[Biffard]

I've got much more to say on the topic, but I'll stop there.

I find this interesting soups and when you get the chance I'd like to hear what else you have to say. Thanks

[Soupie]

Cool, I'm glad you appreciate it. What I'm ultimately looking to do is help collectors avoid the "crisis" that so many of us seem to reach. The inevitable point in time when we take stock of our collection and the time and money that went into accumulating it, and the confusion, uncertainty, bewilderment, guilt, and sadness that often comes with it. I think for both nostalgic and coping collectors, a little bit of reflection early on in the collecting process can go a long way to staving off the "Collecting Crisis."

Hobby collecting, which might also be considered "controlled hoarding," has very little written about it. One of the biggest questions I have is simply, "Why do some people collect and other people not collect?" I think if I could answer that question it could be very insightful for us who do collect.

The famous cartoon artist Robert Crumb was also a big time collector. He collected vinyl records. He wrote a little about the record collecting culture. He writes as if record collecting were some unique behavior with no parallels, but really one could substitute any item in place of vinyl records.

This is a tangent for another time, but some collectors fail to understand that the values they assign the items they collect are subjective, not objective. For instance, they may think all the figures in their collection are worth $15.00 ea., cool looking, and well worth all the time and energy they put into acquiring them, but one morning they may wake up, look over at the shelf of figures, and see it filled with little lumps of misshapen, worthless plastic. It happens to all of us at some point, and that is the beginning of the Collecting Crisis.

In any case, here's what Crumb had to say. In place of vinyl records, I've inserted toy lines.

“Collecting is creepy. [Toy] collectors put each other down for their various fixations. Everybody is convinced that his way of collecting is superior. They look down on casual collectors, who are just accumulators – the kind who’ll just pick up anything and let it pile up. A true collector is more of a connoisseur, and that’s the good thing about collecting. It creates a connoisseurship to sort out what’s worthwhile in the culture and what isn’t. Wealthy [toy] collectors in this country have sorted out [what the great figures] are. If you’re collecting a lot of objects of one particular kind, you develop a very acute sense of discrimination.”

“Any of the younger guys who get into collecting are quirky and oddball types, pretty maladjusted people. They’re not into hanging around in bars and picking up chicks or nothing. If they have a girlfriend at all it’s amazing. And the older collectors I know, a lot of them just have their little room down in the basement where they go and [look]. They don’t share it with anyone, and their wives don’t know anything about it. So when they die, the vultures start descending.”

“[MUSCLE] collectors have almost nothing to do with [Ninja Mite] or [Gormiti] collectors; [12" scale] collectors have nothing to do with [minifigure] collectors. They don’t avoid each other, but they bully and pick on each other. That’s the problem, it’s lonely collecting [toys]. You can share it, but there’s a vicious undercurrent there, the only person you can ever impress with that rare [figure] you just got is another collector who’s looking for the same [figure]. And the average person, I can show them the rarest [figure] in the collection and they’ll say, ‘Yeah? So what?’

Like I said, I think collectors can really help themselves by doing a bit of reflecting and simply asking themselves, "Why am I engaging in this behavior. Why am I collecting." By doing so, they can transform their collecting from a thoughtless series of behaviors into a fun, moderated hobby.

[Biffard]

That’s the problem, it’s lonely collecting [toys]. You can share it, but there’s a vicious undercurrent there, the only person you can ever impress with that rare [figure] you just got is another collector who’s looking for the same [figure]. And the average person, I can show them the rarest [figure] in the collection and they’ll say, ‘Yeah? So what?’

Thank you soupie for sharing that. I found it very interesting as I feel like I hit the "collecting crisis" not long ago after I would buy stuff and then box it up almost immediately. I've never thought about what the above quote says but I tend to agree.

I know we all share our collections with each other on the forum and it is neat to see what everyone else has in their collections but only a select few actually will find these collections as astonishing or see a "rare" piece and think it is the coolest figure in the collection. It really is lonely collecting because for most of us if this forum wasn't around we would have very few/nobody to share our collections with. If I were to show my collection to the average person they would say exactly what is quoted, ‘Yeah? So what?’. I collect because I want the figures that remind me of my childhood and if other people liked them or not it wouldn't change my opinion of collecting. However, if more people took an interest in my collection (besides fellow forumites) I think it would be much more fun and exciting to collect and realize that what you have is appreciated and the time and money put into collecting is "worthwhile".

I think that is why a lot of people like nicodemus enjoy getting figures and posting pics and info online because it serves a purpose to others and it doesn't seem like a waste of resources and time. I'm not really sure where I am going with this other than I wonder if some collectors want/need to feel that their efforts are not in vain? If other people are impressed by their collections and learn from them would that help cure the "collecting crisis" or just prolong the inevitable?

[Soupie]

If other people are impressed by their collections and learn from them would that help cure the "collecting crisis" or just prolong the inevitable?

That's an excellent question. And this is where we really need other collectors to chime in. Of course, most collectors are interested in collecting, and often don't want to or have the time to discuss the "psychology" behind it.

But, yeah, great question, and I just don't know. But here's another question: if there are truly "coping" collectors, people who collect things because it makes them feel good/better, then these people will always be collecting something. It might not be MUSCLE figures, or even toys, but they will tend to collect something.

So if this is the case, it's possible for these people to have several collecting crises over the years. They may react by selling a huge chunk of their toy collection only to start collecting glass bottles or something later. If they're not careful, they may find themselves soon overwhelmed with a collection of bottles!

I think a collecting crisis can be avoided. Over the years, we've talked about several of the strategies that collectors have learned to use - often after they've been through a collecting crisis themselves. Some of the strategies are limiting oneself to collecting inexpensive items only, having a per-month spending limit, only collecting as many items as can be displayed, only collecting toys they had as a child, selling items that they don't plan on displaying, only collecting vintage toy lines, and many other strategies. Moderation, a generally helpful approach to life, is a big part of avoiding the collecting crisis.

Another thing for "nostalgic" and "coping" collectors to consider is what we said above about the "hunt" versus the "take home." If one is a nostalgic collector who just wants to once again own toys they had as a child, purchasing a full set of MUSCLEs or Battle Beasts would be perfect for them, albeit expensive.

But if someone is a coping collector, who simply enjoys the act of collecting, buying full sets of toy lines will ultimately be expensive and un-fulfilling.

[Jamesullivan]

Cool read!

I have always kept my favorite toys (M.U.S.C.L.E.s/GI Joes/matchbox cars/Groo magazines) in a small container since childhood. Thats 1 wine box for M.U.S.C.L.E.s, 2 buckets for GI Joes and Matchboz cars, and a pile of Groo. Whatever else was about except for my teddy bear and my D&D stuff, was either thrown out or left for younger family members.
The only reason I collected M.U.S.C.L.E.s again was because they are collectable. There is a checklist and it is not out of the realm of possibility. As for books, fortunately D&D novels exist. So there is no need to throw out the old D&D role playing accesories because they make the D&D section more real. I gave most my GI figs to my brother in a trade for his dreadnocks so I now have a complete set up to Thrash and Roadpig! I also was able to keep a few other choice figures because of the lopsideness.
I find if you have children, nephews or nieces, or younger siblings. Simply become the best person in the world and buy them lots of toys. Then if there is something that meets your needs, snatch it. They surely will not argue.

So I pretty much have a shelf of books, 2 buckets, a wine box, and a box of extra random figs.
Anything else like Soupie says I display or I don't buy. Super rare M.U.S.C.L.E.s are displayed in a case. Poster is framed. D&D Dragons stand on a shelf top.

There is a box of D&D minis and army ants among other LRGs that I have filled that accompanies 2 other containers of whats left of my old toys from 20+ years ago. I simply don't care what they do with them, just as long as they don't leave a mess or recklessly destroy things.

A little secret, sometimes I even like cleaning up after they forget to, because I have a valid reason to look at them.

So IMHO the point of collecting is to have a piece of history from your life. Any other reason is either for financial or mental. I also believe there is nothing wrong with any of the 3 reasons (personal/mental/financial), unfortanetly some will. Which is why it is good to learn how to part with them. But not the expensive ones. And not by throwing them out. Simply give them to someone little if you cannot keep them.

[JonnyPac]

I dig yer style Soupie. Fun ideas. I am not a quite typical collector... but nostalgia mixed with my artist/musician OCD attention to detail are big factors. "My story? Ok, I was born a poor..."

When I was younger, I was into comics, cards, toys, and other cheap collectible things. I was also home-schooled in a new age (woo-woo BS spiritual) family that promoted minimalism and renunciation vs consumerism. We were isolated way out in the wood of the Sierra Nevada mountains of CA. Acquiring the newest TF figure in 1985 was impossible for me. I wanted Prime and Springer pretty damn badly, but never got them. No real toy store for 50+ miles, and no money. No TV, no NES, etc. With my weekly allowance I could afford a two-pack of BBs at the local grocery store when my mom bought food. I was able to buy and trade with friends until I had about 60 figures and the mail-away poster. From there I grew up and suffered from heavy depression and difficult life situations. I took up music (against my evil-step-dad's wishes) and made a simple life for myself teaching jazz theory.

Though I was rid of all of my boyish toys (except for a box of BBs in the closet storage), I continually had dreams of finding the remaining BBs that I never had. In these dreams I would often find a buried cavern or chest full of the figures. I would have a feeling of deep triumph and joy (not wet-dream joy, mind you). I would always wake up heartbroken to find myself without them. My hipster musician friends and girlfriends thought I was sort of a lameass, when cooler things like psychedelics and edgy far-out concepts of were available to me.

Years of these dreams went on until I decided to just give in buy the figures online on that "eBay thing" that people talk about. Mind you, I had to borrow a computer and use 7kbps dial-up to SLOWLY browse eBay. I bid on some lots and got the last figures that I needed for under $50. I was pretty happy. Then I remembered the cool weapons that were lost and so on, so I contacted Roland13 directly for advice. He sent me to beastformers.com where I met all y'all cool guys.

Obtaining the 50+ missing weapons quickly had me in touch with collectors all around the globe. That done, I was feeling great and continued to pick up BB items such as the vehicles, bases, some MOC sets, and so on. I didn't ever think I'd go so deep as to seek out the mysterious "laser beasts" which I knew nothing about as a kid (except for a "tall-tail" description from another kid who apparently had some).

...I got restless and picked up most of the US laser from Eaon in one large buy, and I filled in the rest within week. Instant gratification there.

Then it was slow going. Being a musician and artist, $$$ comes in very small amounts. I set aside $100 per month to buy rare LBs. It took years to fill in the 112 set with weapons. I still almost can't believe it really did it. Then I went for a complete series I MOC. I had to get them from Spain, France, and wherever else I could. Prices were 45+ per set. Finally this year I got the last the premium figures to top it off.
I am currently getting my first Greek figure (straight from Greece!), and I am completing a set of custom SDs painted in the original colors.

I don't think I got much of a buzz from "the chase", I really feel a sense of permanent satisfaction when I look at my collection. I would have been so happy as a kid to have these awesome toys. My mom (now x-new ager), and (non-hipster) girlfriend, know how much I cherish them and don't criticize me for having my collection take up most of the wall space in my tiny house.

That's my story on collecting. It is a private side of me, really (though it's the only side of me all y'all see! Add me on Facebook + Jonathan Pac Cantin if you want to see my other digital sides). I don't let too many folks into my home were my BBs reside. I once had a raging party were my favorite beefsteak begonia and a MOC set of Belgian BBs got trampled. That was it. My home is a shrine to Battle Beasts, classic jazz, art, vintage pinup porn, and 70's decor. It's my zone, yo.

I hope my story helps... It was fun to spill it here. Thanks again to everyone who has supported my healthy habit.







PS gotta love Groo. Mulch???

Edited by JonnyPac, 07 October 2010 - 09:18 PM.

[Soupie]

Thanks for sharing, guys. Good stuff!

I came across another collecting article. This one comes to us from the bottle collecting world and deals with burnout. Like the vinyl records article by Crumb, the author doesn't seem to be aware that the phenomena he's addressing - bottle collecting burnout - is really a general collecting phenomena.

There are really hundreds, nay, thousands of collecting communities around the globe, all doing there own thing. It's hilarious! I found articles on "why do people collect coins," "why do people collect stamps," "why do people collect comics," etc. The real question should be of course, why do people collect!

Anyhow, here is an excerpt from the article. It should sound very, very familiar! I've substituted "bottles" with "toys."

What is it that keeps some people interested in the [toy] collecting for decades while others burnout after a short time? After watching collectors come and go over the years patterns seem to emerge. Some collectors come into the hobby like a shooting star with a brilliant beginning but then burn out quickly. I recall one [minifgure] collector who will remain nameless, who began in just such a way. He started by buying [minifigures] – any [minifgures]; because he was paying good prices many people obliged him. It wasn’t long before he realized that what he wanted was "good" [minifigures] and he quickly got more selective at least about what he was buying if not what he was paying. Obtaining new [minifigures] of the caliber he was seeking quickly got very difficult. Almost as precipitously as he began in the hobby he left - sold the whole lot and disappeared from the [toy] world. Whatever his motivation burnout set in pretty quickly. Whatever his reasons for being in [toys] they were not rewarding enough to be sustaining.

Source: http://www.bottleboo...ut/burn_out.htm

See how easily toys fit in there in place of bottles!?

I also came across an article that cited a researcher who said that 1 in 3 people collect something! In my experience, I think this number sounds accurate. Lots of people enjoy collecting, but no all. Some people are more active in their collecting - checking internet forums and eBay on a daily basis - whereas other people are less active - buying a shot glass or coffee mug at each vacation destination or a new Christmas tree ornament each year.

And of course there are hoarders who "collect" or more accurately accumulate miscellaneous items such as wrappers, boxes, and condiment bottles.

[Strontium Dog]

Something that hasn't been touched upon is whether you can inherit a love of collecting. Both of my parents collect things. My dad has a fairly extensive record collection and my mother collects Beatrix Potter figurines; the most expensive of these run to several times the cost of a M.U.S.C.L.E. super-rare. My sister has probably a thousand My Little Pony, although her collecting is on hiatus while she concentrates on her accountancy exams.

The first things I ever really collected were erasers - mostly the ones you get from tourist attractions, castles, gardens and the like - and this was actively encouraged by my parents.

It's funy because sometimes we sneer at each others collections (my dad doesn't "get" the Beatrix Potter thing at all, or my toys, but my mother listens intently when I tell her about gold cereal Boglins and Bad Eggz Bunch) but really we're all as crazy as each other.

[Dark5tar]

I didn't read the other responses so I hope what I say ends up valid.

What is the "point" of collecting? Thinking of the historical roots; I guess when we would find things back in the old times that were important to us, they were likely related to survival. Scavenging; if we found things that we needed to survive, why not take everything we could get our hands on? Who knows IF we'd ever find them again?

So translating that to today, there is NOTHING that we NEED that we could not obtain if it was absolutely imperative to survival. Unfortunately, that is not very profitable. I won't pretend to know the answer to the "how" but the guys in marketing for toys are shear geniuses. For example, He-man and the Masters of the Universe, almost 30 years after the shows cancellation and people are STILL paying out the nose for the toys. They had us figured out without a doubt.

The items that we collect are not the work of passionate artists who love their craft. It's sleazy businesspeople laughing at our tastes as they make their boat payments. They are LAUGHING at us, they think what we're doing is ultra lame but they like that we do it because it pays off their mortgages on their Hollywood estates.

Catchy slogans work. Collect 'em all! Gotta catch 'em all! Why do you exactly NEED them all. I'm certain that you don't WANT them all. We've just been conned into thinking we need them. The unfortunate thing is now that I have it all, I can't, in good conscience, dump it on someone else because I know it will just be ballast in their life.

Why I collect. I hate to make this a sob story, no sympathy wanted, is that when my brother passed away when he was 15, it really helped my grief process to try and collect everything we ever wanted or had and lost: Sega Genesis, cool action figures, movies etc... Thank goodness that was my only really issue aside from sliding grades, no substance abuse etc... Collecting items of someone lost actually has a term "Identity marking", rebuilding a person out of things that remind you of that person. I'm constantly on the move so all my stuff is stored in a 3x7 storage closet with the hope that ONE DAY I'll be able to use it all. However, I'm not kidding myself.

Lucky for me, I feel my "quest" is almost complete.

EDIT: Another important consideration is the fact that "rubber" or plastic is made from oil. Which is not a renewable resource and which the mining of is killing our planet. We may feel really silly with a perfect collection of FOPs but no food.

I'm starting to boot the notion into my head that if I like something and it's being sold to me then I'm being conned in some form.

Edited by DeXeSs, 09 October 2010 - 05:23 PM.

[Soupie]

Awesome stuff guys. I love reading about this.

@ SD

I think it is so interesting how your dad pokes fun at you and your mom for your collections, when the reality is, as you say, that his collection is ultimately no different. I mean, I suppose some things that people collect, like art work or real meteorites, could strongly be argued to have more value than bottles or 80's toys, but really a collection is a collection.

This is the idea I'm thinking about right now: what comes first, the chicken or the egg. Do we collect something because it really attracts us, or do we have an urge to collect, so then we unconsciously find something to collect, be it bottles, video games, or toys?

It's kind of like TV watching. Lots of us are compelled to sit and watch TV for hours, but we all watch different shows. Lots of us are compelled to collect, but we all collect different things.

As to family members who collect, my dad has always collected stuff. Baseball hats, baseball and football cards, Star Wars toys, matchboxes, and now bottles. I too collect. Is it a learned behavior modelled by my father or is it more likely that I simply have the same "collecting gene" that my father has?

@ Dexes

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. The concept of Identity marking is very interesting. I wonder where that fits into the coping collecting/hobby collecting and nostalgia collecting. It's kinda both. It's nostalgia because it reminds you of your brother and it makes you feel better. Of course, not everyone engages in "identity marking" when a precious loved one passes, so I wonder if you would have ended up being a collector even were your brother alive today.

As far as the following, you are right on the money!

The items that we collect are not the work of passionate artists who love their craft. It's sleazy businesspeople laughing at our tastes as they make their boat payments. They are LAUGHING at us, they think what we're doing is ultra lame but they like that we do it because it pays off their mortgages on their Hollywood estates.

Catchy slogans work. Collect 'em all! Gotta catch 'em all! Why do you exactly NEED them all. I'm certain that you don't WANT them all. We've just been conned into thinking we need them. The unfortunate thing is now that I have it all, I can't, in good conscience, dump it on someone else because I know it will just be ballast in their life.

And as bad as they are, I read an article about how Hallmark is even worse. There are millions of women waiting anxiously to buy every single cheap, machine pressed ornament that Hallmark pumps out. They even have pre-release preview shows for these shizznitty things. There are also all those crappy little "cottages" things that woman collect.

It truly is a multi-million dollar industry. However, I tend not to think it's these companies creating awesome products that compel is to buy them. I don't even think it's nostalgia. I think nostalgia is part of it, but not the main driving force. There is no nostalgia involved in woman buying ornament after ornament or Beany Baby after Beany Baby.

What these business men have tapped into is an innate human urge to collect things. Smart business man and woman have fully taken advantage of this. It didn't happen over night, but it is in full effect these days. I just made an entry on Toypedia about Garbage Can-dy. It's little candies that come in tiny, plastic cans. The makes, Topps, had the foresight to make the cans in different colors. Boom. Instantly collectible. You've just given your customers a reason to come back for more, to get the other cans.

These days, we even have toy companies creating figures that are artificially common, uncommon, and rare. On the one hand, it can be looked at as the company making the toy line more fun and exciting to collect, but on the other hand, it's just a way to make collectors who are a slave to their own urges put out more money.

I think the answer is that collectors simply have to be aware. That's where the reflection comes in. Why do I collect? For fun! Do I really, really need to be all these shizznitty ass toys they keep pumping out? No. I'll collect toys that are truly good quality and that I truly like.

Something else for collectors to consider is do I collect items that were specifically created to be collected, or is it more fun and rewarding to collect items that are created with something other than collecting in mind like, say, bottles. (Although I'm sure now certain bottles are now made with bottle collectors in mind.)

Or, yes, I do like the challenge of getting all the figures in a series... but I'll do it on my terms and I'll choose a toy line that is affordable and easy to collect, but not so easy to collect that it's not a fun challenge. While pretty much all toy lines were designed to be collectible, there certainly is a difference between collecting MUSCLE men and "collecting" modern day MOTU.

Edited by Soupie, 10 October 2010 - 06:32 AM.

[KungFuMan]

For me, collecting things really isn't so much about collecting: it's gathering pieces of myself that were lost or things I left unfinished through the years. I don't feel a thrill of "the hunt" as it were; it's more you can look at a shelf and know something's missing, something's not there. And when you get that something, there's a sense of achievement but not so much that you've succeeded in the hunt, but that you've given yourself a bit more closure over something from your childhood.

In a sense there are three things you can really say I collect: Attack Packs, Monster in my Pocket, and Magic: the Gathering. With each I regard them a little differently. The Attack Packs are, quite genuinely, fun to hunt down, and put a little away for each month in hopes that that one auction lists the item you need. In researching these I found there were a lot more than originally planned, and gained bits and pieces from literally all over the world, something that I've always felt was cool in a way.

Then you have the MIMPs...which sometimes I'm not sure how I feel about them. I have plenty, and now literally own an entire set of series 1's and 2's, but it doesn't feel complete. It kinda ties into what Soupie said too: the colors make you feel that you have to "catch them all", and controlling that impulse can be a pain in the ass especially since you can't simply line them all up in one color (unless you really like neon in which case you have a real fun time...). So you end up compromising with yourself, deciding to only hunt down certain ones in all their colors, and hoping that satisfies you. for me, I focused on the three figures I liked the most, and getting the series 2's in one uniform color. For awhile there too I thought perhaps having the series 3 figures would bring me said happiness to boot, but the one I finally got didn't: it felt hard, and strange compared to the others to the point I really didn't really want any of the 3's because they just don't feel like they should, if that makes sense. In a way collecting these is extremely different than collecting the Attack Packs: the enjoyment isn't there as much as it is "I want to finish this".

And then there's Magic. In a nutshell, it's for nostalgia. I played the hell out of this game with my friends back in the day, and can look over the cards with that same wonder. But my folks were never fond of these: they saw them as demonic little things and I'd come home from school to find them burned while I was out. So I'd rebel, collect, hide them, but in the end they were always destroyed. Back then as a kid though it was kinda a case of needing every card, and lying to oneself by saying they were "an investment". In my older age two things struck me: cardboard is a weird status symbol, and I really never liked certain sets. By the time 8th Edition came out or there abouts and the cards were completely reformed into something alien to me, I was done with the game for good. So now I go back and buy up the sets I missed out on when young, and slowly regather what gave me the fondest memories.

I think the biggest part of collecting is to be honest with why you're doing it. If you're compromising, compromise. If you genuinely desire them all or want to fill a gap in your memory, then do so. Collecting things should be something where you know you'll look back at it in fifty years and still go "I'm happy with you", and remember what they represent for you. Moderation is good too though...sure I love the classic Transformers, but owning the entire armada wouldn't bring me happiness. To someone else though, it might. It helps too if your loved one understands what all this means to you and can be okay with that. I know for a lot of folks that can be hard...in my case I lucked out with a darling fiancee that can smile at what I have.

Whatever the case, in the end just damn well enjoy it, and don't compromise on that front. That's what it boils down to, no?

[Jet-Mech]

I apologize for resuscitating this thread, but I feel it's still as relevant as ever, and would like to add my thoughts.

This post started off as a novel, but I figured it could be pared down to the CliffNotes version and still convey the information desired. Here are my collecting philosophies:

• Have a plan and stick to it (just a couple-few things, and split those things into subcategories if necessary).
• Be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to logistical issues.
• Remember! It's a hobby. If ever it becomes an obsession, or you feel a little burned-out, it's ceased to be enjoyable. It then becomes time to step back and take a break for a while.
• Don't be afraid to let go of things. (Please note that this rule is not a jab at anyone here. Rather, if you've seen those hoarding shows on TV, you know what I'm getting at.)
• Have a budget, i.e. "I'm only gonna spend $X on my collection per month," and don't deviate from it.
• There is nothing necessarily wrong with a completist mentality, as long as it doesn't cause violation of the above rules.
• As Clint Eastwood said in Magnum Force, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Those rules (except the one about letting stuff go) came about after I realized I'm made some mistakes in each of those regards, some of them pretty big. Now that I've implemented them, for example, I'm sticking with M.U.S.C.L.E, Battle Beasts, and the sets of non-sports trading cards that I've already started, plus the odd die-cast and Zippo lighter. Those rules also prohibited my beginning of a G.I. Joe collection until some obstacles are overcome.

With those rules implemented, I now find collecting to be a lot more enjoyable.

[Biffard]

[*]Don't be afraid to let go of things. (Please note that this rule is not a jab at anyone here. Rather, if you've seen those hoarding shows on TV, you know what I'm getting at.)
[*]Have a budget, i.e. "I'm only gonna spend $X on my collection per month," and don't deviate from it.

I think it is always good to revisit posts like this because it allows new collectors the opportunity to avoid hitting a wall in collecting. Jet Mech posted some good guidelines to help collectors try and prolong their collecting hobbies. The above two bullet points are the ones that have helped me the most. I used to worry about letting go of things in my collection only to find that they would pop up on ebay every now and again and I would have the opportunity to get it again if I really wanted to.

Also, I have listened to a few members talk about how they won't pay full price or they have a monthly limit for their toys. Strontium Dog and Ericnilla are two great examples, they both have awesome collections that haven't made them break the bank. They are also what I call long-term members/hobbyists that, probably due to their patience, haven't appeared to get burnt out. It reminds me of the saying, "Slow and steady wins the race."

And just to quickly add, once I sold everything that I really didn't need I began to enjoy the hobby a lot more. Being a savvy shopper and moderation was the key for me!

[Aikola]

The amount of collectors i have seen build up collections in a matter of months to only have to sell it off because they have no money, i myself collect about 5-6 serious lines and i flick from one to the other but its taken me 4 years to even complete one series of a certain toyline. If i had every toy i wanted already i for sure would be selling it.

[ChristianG]

After reading this topic again, I know realise i am a coping collector. I now realise I have collected activly for years, all sorts of things, but have collected. This ia going to be a rambling post as i am no James herbert ot HP Lovecraft, but it is to document my collecting over the years.


(INSERT : Just realised once again something else I colected, rave flyers I had my whole bedroom covered, including ceiling, ****! I have really am a big time collecting coper huh?)

I started with Drum and Bass records in the mid 90's and was buying a few new releases each week. I stopped when I stopped raving . I recently sold them all and I reckon I got my money back, my dad was miffed that some of my drum and bass records were worth more than his beatles records

I was just about to say then I stopped collecting things for a while, but now realise I started buying Ben Sherman shirts and trainers to match each other. I was buying shirts every week and also started collecting Moschino socks at £10 a pair and that was back in the late 90's.

I then met my wife and randomly bought a 1970's J & G Meakin coffe pot with cups and jugs etc... It was only a fiver.

Oh dear! That started me on a cheap 1970's ceramic collecting frenzy and I was by then hoarding anything cheap and old and ceramic i could lay my hands on, I was even buying the guliest stuff purely because it had a certain name on the bottom. WTF?

I also collected 1970's west german vases too.

I recently smashed up the 1970's coffee pots in a moment of madnees to clear space so my children could use the garden building to play in.

I also sold a lot of stuff to fund a holiday and have only kept my favourite 1970's vases that are actuaslly displayed around the house.

From there once again a random purchase of an old t-shirt from a thrift store (charity shop) started a collecting frenzy of old t-shirts, i ended up with a hundred and even bought ones too big for me thinking i might wear them one day. I still have a few left over and still do wear them. But once again i suppose I just got bored and bagged most of them up and gave them back to the thrift stores (charity shops).

From there i started a new way of collecting (My collecting has never been expensive and i have always tried to spend as little as possible, the most i have ever spent on ebay for collecting was £30 for a howheels car from America)

Anyway back to the collecting, I moved to france and wanted to start somethng new, i got my birthday present a couple of weeks before the move and it was a metal detector, i'd asked for either a fishing rod or metal detector.

I spent the next 2 years constantly detecting my garden and a couple fo fields and found a few interesting things, but once again I had found a way to collect on a cheap budget.

I came back to England in 2006 and still continued to metal detect in all weathers and for hours and hours per week, even sneaking out of work early and telling my wife i am working late so I could go metal detecting.

I built up a large collection of medievil coins and other bits and bobs, but once again got bored of thehobby and sold everything i had found (I did record my finds with the appropiate people) I made some money out of it, but spent quite alot of it as soon as i got it.

My son had bought his first hotwheels car in 2007 and i just went on a collecting frenzy getting every single mainline release for 2007 and putting them straightinto a box, I told myself they were for him when he gets to 30. WTF? Who was i kidding, it was to fulfill my own need to collect something. From doing that (my only completeist phase lol) I started to collect Plymouth Roadrunners made by hotwheels and it cost me a lot, I didn't care about the postage from America I just need to get every Hotwheels roadrunner release, luckily I got burned on a trade and stopped collecting pretty soonish after that, I also was running out of space.

Then in 2009 I came across some little flesh coloured figures in a charity shop along with some small red and yellow ninjas, I left the ninjas and bought the MUSCLES, the joy of rediscovering some of my childhood toys was amazing and I then started going back to the bootsales to look for more, then i discoverd LRG forum and Here I am today, 2 years later and I still go to bootsales and buy the odd small cheap thing off ebay.

But I very rarely trade or sell anything I have, except the BEB I owned, I couldn't justfy having them and knowing I could once again get some much needed money for a holiday. So off they went.

I collect anything that I find at bootsales that I like and I am luckily not a completist or I'd be spending a lot of money on the MIMP. My taste in LRG is hard to pin down really, i have about 8 gormiti that I like but that is it, the more detailed or coloured the figures are the more they do not appeal to me. If I was to ever sell off the collection I think the plastic apes wouldhave to stay, I think everything else would go, but for now I'll enjoy the ride, I think this will stay with me for a good few years as the collection is cheap to continue and they do not take up much room.

Thanks for listening.

I love you Kate, Leon and Ivy.

[NamaNiku]

Love this thread. You all have said things I can relate to.

I collect because I have a hell of a good time doing it. I love being connected to my past in a way that keeps me heading along a path to a meaningful present and a hopeful future.

I have no desire to live in the past just memories I never want to forget. Toys are my timecapsules. I can tell a story about everything I have collected.

The lines I collect are connected to happy times, people and places in my life.

I love to look forward to finding and receiving new figures but I also really enjoy looking over what I already have.

I am not a completist by any means and only collect things that I will and can display.

[sherrie]

It's funny for me. I don't collect anything from my childhood. Never wanted to. If I did, I would have barbies/wishniks/baby dolls and marbles.
My collecting began with Miss Piggy in my teens and early twenties then to blown glass/miniature tea sets then miniature bells. Grew to Tea pots and then ended up collecting porcelain dolls but never anything very expensive.My most expensive doll was 20.00 I think.
Now all of that is gone, but I missed the collecting itself, so I started on wine glasses, different styles, colors, hand painted etc. Always loved toys though, especially since I had my boys. No doll stuff.... Give me trains, cars and the like. Bought both my boys and Jon's kids train sets, and none of them really were into them. So I had no one to share with until Jon got me into muscles. Then I found spiral zone and gundams while going through his mixed keshi boxes and didn't even know what they were but I fell in love with them. Those are basically what I base my collecting on (not counting my POTC collection). Then I found Anime girls and that was it for me. Forget muscles, give me the anime girls! I started putting all my muscle figures back in the for sale bins and just concentrated (still) on those 3 toylines. So I finally realized that I will buy what really hits me and makes me happy and not just everything I see that I like. I just got my POTC ships put together (from wizkids pocket model cards) and displayed on a shelf I got for mothers day. I just started putting together my anime girls and displaying them in my office. My sz and gundams will be displayed when I have a closed case for them. I must look at them and smile and pick them up everyday since I displayed them, and that is why I cut back and just get what makes me happy. I don't have to have a completed toyline, just the figures I actually like and make me happy.
So collecting for me is not about my childhood 'memories'. It is about what I like now. What still makes me smile. What makes me happy.
I always loved going into Jon's office and looking at his collections and made me really sad when he sold them. I miss going in and picking up his Marvel packages and seeing all the cartoon figures he grew up with. I still have a set of spiderman pencil toppers I got from Niko that nobody wanted to buy but I liked them so I kept them and I still smile and remember my kids, grandkids, nephews and their excitement when they found Spiderman. Those are memories for me. Not my childhood toys, but their childhood toys.....
My spending is sorely limited, so when I find something for 10.00 or less shipped, I buy it. I can't bring myself to spend more than that with the exception of my POTC MegaBloks Black Pearl which I got for 30.00 and my husband insisted we could afford it and to buy it. So i did. Someday I will get Niko and Jon together and we will put it together. We had fun putting one together that I found on Ebay in the next city from me. I think I paid 10.00 for that one, loose. I gave it to Niko and he has it on his top shelf still. I love the old ships and when POTC came out it was perfect for me.
I for one, do not care about where my toys originated from, what the story is behind them, etc. I just like what I like because it makes me happy.