Anyone ever take big breaks from collecting?

[cjefferys]

The other day I was thinking that I've been collecting Megos as an adult for nearly 20 years now. Ever since I bought a MIB Robin for $20 at a comic/toy store in Buffalo in 1989. Now,if I had been steadily collecting Megos for the past 20 years straight, I'd probably have a hell of a collection by now, but unfortunately I've had long periods of time off, due to financial reasons, lack of interest, etc. During this time, I bought and sold large amounts of stuff, the only thing that I always held on to were my boxed WGSH and my KISS dolls. For large spans of time, they were just safely packed away, but I could never bring myself to get rid of them, they are the "heart" of my overall toy collection and I'm glad I hung on to them. Everything else was fair game though. Sometimes you would never even know I collected toys, I never bought anything for the collection and all my stuff was packed away.

My collecting timeline kind of looks like this:

1989-1992 -Got into toy collecting, especially Mego, bought tons of stuff, religiously read Toy Shop magazine. I was into collecting big time.

1993-1996 -Bought virtually nothing, except a large Capt Action lot (strictly to piece out and resell), sold large parts of my collection including most of my vintage Star Wars stuff

1997-2005 -this was a large span of time where I bought a small handful of Megos, I discovered toy collecting related material on the internet which helped rekindle my interest a bit (eg. I was a casual participant on the old Levy Mego list) but was mostly focused on collecting Godzilla toys. I went to Japan a lot during this time, so it was a cheap and easy thing for me to collect (and I loved Godzilla since I was a kid). Mego was just a small, occasional dalliance for me during this time.

2006-present -got back into Megos big time, along with other vintage 70's toys. 2008 has been a bit slower than 2006 and 2007 so far, but my interest is still definitely there. I hope it lasts longer this time. :)


Seeing the timeline written down like this looks kind of weird. I've always had a big affection for Mego, but there is a real ebb and flow to how much time and money I wanted to devote to them (if any at all). I suppose that's normal for all hobbies. How about you other long time collectors?

[fembot]

Oh I'm sure that is the case with everybody, my husband and I come and go with our collections. Right now we have backed off of the vintage comic books and are focusing strictly on Megos. I think that everybody probably reaches a "burn out" phase with their hobbies (or obsessions). I feel it actually is healthy, in our circumstance it increases the excitement when we start collecting again, kind of like finding a long lost friend, and I don't mean that literally.

[dumbldor]

My Mego collecting timeline would look something like this:

1994-2008 Big time mentally ill Mego collector :)

Nah, never taken much of a break. Occasionally, I will give buying a break for financial reasons, but that never lasts long, and I am always active online with the Mego Museum, Ebay, etc.

[jimbutsu]

Probably been over three years since I've made any Mego collecting moves...

[palitoy]

I've been there, my time line is like this:

1984-1990- Mego, Big Jim and Captain Action obsessed.

1991- sell it all to pay bills

1991-1993- deal videos and collect meaningless crap trying to fill the void.

1993 (Spring)while working a toy show, I go nuts and purchase a Riddler, Lizard and Penguin. Then the interweb and a good career happened, then I met Scott Adams, oh you know the rest.

I'm actually on a break from Mego right now but still buying megolike stuff. Sometimes, the magic ain't there.

[Raydeen1]

Constantly. Not neccessarily because I want to but I have loonnnnnng stretches of non activity. I've been collecting on and off my whole life really. I never really stopped. Just slowed down for long periods.

[toys2cool]

I'm the same way,I'll get into something and then get a little bored and sell those off and start something new and eventually get some of my stuff back :grin:

[mitchedwards]

I've been in a Mego break for the last 6 months

[Collect 'em all!]

I can relate to all of your time lines big time.

Especially the part about reading Toy Shop magazine religiously from '89-94, lol. I didn't stop reading Toy Shop until I got on line in '97 and discovered Ebay.

Which brings me to a point. I think the Internet has diminished just a little bit of the excitement of finding and owning the things from our past that we are passionate about collecting. I think before the web, owning the rare item was even more cherished, and since it wasn't as easy to find a buyer back then either, you hung onto it longer.

Don't get me wrong, it's still hard to track down a lot of this stuff even with the web and ebay, but it's nowhere as tuff as it once was, and you never knew if, where or when you would locate it.

The first thing I started collecting around 1987 were the original Aurora Glow in the Dark Monster models. It was an incredible rush to find and buy one of these kits back then. Now, you can find them in better condition, and cheaper on ebay then you could 20 years ago searching them out at Toy shows.

But if I sound like I'm complaining that it's too easy now, I'm not. It's just not quite as much of a challenge, and so, I sometimes think that's the reason you can float away from your collecting once and awhile and not worry about it.

I will admit that the Internet and sites like this one help fuel the collecting obession though, lol. My current obsession was completing my set of Mego Museum trading cards--man, was that a blast!!!

[palitoy]

I still have a journal of my purchases from comic buyers guide and toyshop in the 80's, it would take forever to get the item. On average it was 4 weeks to get something.

With Ebay and Paypal, the trickle of parcels can turn into a down pour but there was something about the anticipation of those phone purchases.

[Collect 'em all!]

I still have a journal of my purchases from comic buyers guide and toyshop in the 80's, it would take forever to get the item. On average it was 4 weeks to get something.

With Ebay and Paypal, the trickle of parcels can turn into a down pour but there was something about the anticipation of those phone purchases.

oh, yeah, I forgot about the waiting. It's all so instantaneous now, isn't it? See it, win it, paypal, priority mail, it's in your collection a week later. The longest part is waiting for the auction to end, Lol.

But you're right, back then, the anticipation of the receiving the item during the long wait for it to come, was a lot of fun:yes:

[txteach]

I'm doing it right now from mego.

[Bionic Joe]

I'm not stoping just slowing down as the figures i need are dwindling down, So now i'm focasing on reboxing them and customs but i'm on the look out for Space 1999 and Titians

[Hector]

I have considerably slowed down buying Megos. There was a time where I would buy one or two figures a week. Then I sold my most expensive ones. Now my collection is considerably smaller, but still kicking. Now I buy one once in a blue moon when I have an extra itch...but they have to be really super minty, I no longer buy fixer uppers. In the last three months, I bought just one...but he was a beauty, an all original super minty RC Batman from Benbarb/Tex Aus...it's a beauty.

[megoat]

1992-1997 I was buying all sorts of toys--Megos of course, but all things 50's thru the 70's

1998 I took the year off

1999 I sold everything off to raise funds for artistic pursuits

2003-2005 I re-discover the Mego Museum which lights a fire 'neath my *** to recollect Mego (it was the line I missed the most from my previous toy collecting years)

2005-2008 I'm a sporadic toy buyer these days, adding a few pieces here and there, but I really can't afford to blow much dough these days.....

[RussG]

I've had breaks from collecting lol. It's needed from time to time. I think I'm getting on the edge of taking one now ... maybe, not sure yet lol

[NewForce]

sounds very familiar!
1988-1994: I put together one heck of a Golden Age Comic collection, and collected the entire marvel and dc superhero silver age...also started collecting Star Trek vintage toys (Remco, Mego) and I completed (first time) my WGSH collection (1 of each, either boxed or carded, or loose...no variants, etc, just wanted "one"...had carded Iron Man and Aquaman, etc).
I was a regular buyer and seller in the CBG and ToyShop

1995:sold off my comic collection to fund the start of our business, managed to hold onto my toys

1996-2000: found myself selling virtually everything I had personally collected, to get through the "lean" years of our business (bills to pay)... all my comics I had left, my Star Trek mego collection (I had them all, every carded version, from 5 face, 6 face, 2nd aliens, 3rd aliens, 2nd aliens on 3rd cards, type 1 carded, type 2 carded, etc)...sold off my entire WGSH collection via toy shop and then start up ebay (I still remember a HK buyer for my carded Iron Man, Green Goblin and Aquaman..$1000, $1000 and $750 respectively is what I sold them for! if only I knew then, what I know now...I will try to dig up some of my old Toy Shop ads for nostalgia)...
sold my entire Vintage Star Wars collection (carded, boxed, etc)...also, sold to help fund home purchase...

2001-2002...sold my Star Trek Remco collection (very rare, if anyone has knowledge of)...repurchased most mego's, Star Trek and WGSH, but only loose ones ($ factor).
Purchases Ahmed's loose WGSH all in one shot around this time (2nd time I had "one of each") only to sell it again for new home purchase...

2003-2005...great selling years, action figure sales were great...we imported many containers full of figures from HK during these years...didn't buy too much, but sold tons of new figures (Star Wars, Simpsons, etc) and comics

2005-present... 2005, I re-established myself buying vintage comics (both as a collector and reseller) and in 2007, started collecting Mego's again (as a collector only)...

[Riffster]

mostly collect comics, been doing that since i was 10, 1980 buy em every week, been collecting Megos for a year or so. jumped both feet in but i don't think i'll try and collect them all.

think being the key word

[Bo8a_Fett]

I stop collecting for a week or so every time me and my wife argue about it...lol

[Earth 2 Chris]

I've been collecting non-stop since 1988, but there wasn't much new to collect then. For some stupid reason, I was mostly after "new" stuff in the early days, although the ocassional Mego called to me. After the advent of ebay, my wife started buying me Mego WGSH for my birthday and Christmas. This is around the time I began lurking at the Museum. As my collection grew I got more and more into it. Finally I just jumped in whole hog and I've slowly been piecing together a loose collection of all things Mego Super Hero. I can go several months without buying a Mego, but they are never far from my mind.

Chris

[Collect 'em all!]

I stop collecting for a week or so every time me and my wife argue about it...lol

Oh man, can I relate to that...:rotfl:

[vulcan2074]

I started out by collecting Comic Books and Non-Sport Trading Cards back in 1985.

Around 1990 I really slowed down on Trading Cards and Comics and I started collecting Action Figures.

I collected anything and everything I could get my hands on. I was obsessed, but I couldn't keep it up forever.

So I finally took a break from everything around 2003. I didn't start back up until 2007.

I'm now primarily collecting MEGOs. I've been on quite the mission. At this point I don't know if I'll ever take another break. The last one felt like an eternity. Why did I stop? I really don't know. I just did.

My friends to this day still can't believe how much I love collecting toys. The only person I know that Collects toys is my Sister. Shes been on Hiatus for a few years now.

I've never sold any of my toys. I don't know if I could. I did donate a portion of my collection to my Moms Church and to a Shelter for battered Woman one year for Christmas. I'm so lucky and very fortunate that I had to give back in some way.That was a special year for me.

I will always Love Toys especially my MEGOs.

[nvmbrsdoom5]

I started collecting in my later teens around 1989, collected heavily until around 2000. Divorce and the closing of my shop wound up curbing my collecting habits for a while. I had to sell alot of my Megos and vintage SW to make ends meet at that time and it soured me on collecting for a while. Only on a rare occasion would I buy a toy and it was usually just something cheap I'd see at TRU or something, but no Megos. Finally a few years ago I started getting nostalgic again and it was basically my finding the Mego Museum that got me into collecting again.

So my big break lasted just about five years, I guess. Now I don't collect as heavily and frequently as I once did but I pick up things when I can and on a somewhat regular basis.

[hyperjoe]

Bought many Vintage Star Trek and Space 1999 models 2000-2004.
Master in college no buying 2004-2007
3rd quarter 2007-PRESENT-buying up Mego Space 1999 Palitoy, Prop Models, and other 60-70's Sci Fi TV collectables. Completed vintage star wars fig collection. I love vintage Brit TV shows, Space 1999, UFO, Starmaidens ect...

This year alone, I have spent over 5k in toys. OUCH. I buy and sell toys from garage sales to support my habit .