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Anyone else at a toy collecting crossroads?

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  • Myoldtoys
    Veteran Member
    • May 15, 2012
    • 303

    Anyone else at a toy collecting crossroads?

    Let me try to describe where I find myself these days. I have been collecting toys...well, since I was a child. There was a period where I wasn’t interested but managed to hold on to my original stuff. My second childhood hit around 1997 and I have been collecting since. I am not a bulk-buyer by any means. I am selective and my focus has been on maybe 8-10 toy lines. I have filled most of those in, replaced, upgraded, fixed them, etc. I occasionally bought modern toys (mostly Star Wars). I find that while new toys are pretty nice, I don’t have that attachment to them. I bought a bunch of Star Wars toys from the new movies. Even went to a couple midnight events. Very quickly they were in a box and I haven’t looked at them since. I go to the local Comic-Con and the toy shows. More and more, I am walking away with nothing from those or another bin of loose Lego. The pandemic has stifled things more since there aren’t shows to go to. I am also finding that the prices for things I am interested in on eBay are going up to. $450 the other day for a 1st issue Evel Knievel stunt cycle that had a crack on the crossbar, missing stirrup, broken kickstand, and the back wheel turned freely Aka damaged gear! No figure, box, winder...and it went for $450. I feel like I’m losing the desire and getting priced out too. I am feeling like I am at a toy collecting crossroads?

    Can anyone else relate or are you experiencing this feeling?
  • Nostalgiabuff
    Muddling through
    • Oct 4, 2008
    • 11290

    #2
    happens to everyone at some point. sometimes it's good to just take a break and enjoy what you already have. maybe even purge some of the stuff that has no meaning for you

    Comment

    • Godzilla
      Permanent Member
      • Nov 3, 2002
      • 3008

      #3
      I agree, I think it's common to a lot of us. Shows really cater to people in their 30s and 40s as it's their time of nostalgia for their youth. There may not be as mjch for me, but I still enjoy going to look.
      Mortui Vivos Docent
      The Dead Teach the Living

      Comment

      • Brown Bear
        Still Old School
        • Feb 14, 2008
        • 7057

        #4
        I find space is an issue and forcing me to be more selective over what I buy. Larger pieces require real estate so I’m pickier.
        I also find I’m at a point where I basically already own whatever vintage stuff I want so the thrill of the hunt has moved more towards the new Mego figs coming out which is in a way even better because buying them from a store beats eBay any day.
        Check out my website: Megozine Covers - Home

        Comment

        • rykerw1701
          Persistent Member
          • Aug 27, 2007
          • 1026

          #5
          I'm in a very similar state of mind. I have most of the vintage stuff I want, and I'm very picky about adding new lines to my admittedly bloated collection. Just last night, I spent on hour and half in my basement looking for a box of pictures my wife needed. I had to move around dozens of boxes of stuff to try to find it, and most of was stuff I don't even want anymore. Playmates Star Trek anyone? Anyway, I kept thinking why do I need all this, and am I ever actually going to display most of it anywhere? Not likely.

          So I feel a purge coming on. I'll keep my Mego stuff, new and old, and vintage 12 inch GI Joe, but the Mezco and a third of my statues need to find new homes.

          Comment

          • palitoy
            live. laugh. lisa needs braces
            • Jun 16, 2001
            • 59204

            #6
            This is an entirely personal dialogue but I can relate. For me, there wasn't much joy in modern anything, I dig Mego and FTC but I only buy what brings me some happiness and feel absolutely no responsibility to "collect em all".

            Also, I find it salient to display 95% of what i own, otherwise I sell it. Not everybody has that luxury but it keeps me very honest.

            If you have tubs of stuff that you've forgotten, start with that, sell it and see how you feel.
            Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

            Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
            http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

            Comment

            • Myoldtoys
              Veteran Member
              • May 15, 2012
              • 303

              #7
              It is a personal dialogue. I am in uncharted waters and appreciate the feedback from others. It’s been about 23 years of being on the “hunt”. I am still out there searching because that has become a part of who I am. It is starting to feel like wasted time and effort though. Tough to feel that way. I love toys.

              Last year, I did sell off things I wasn’t interested in anymore and duplicates. I’m still stuck with the modern Star Wars things because demand for what I have is very low. I have the space to display everything. However, I like being married so I don’t display much.

              Comment

              • B-Lister
                Eccentric Weirdo
                • Mar 19, 2010
                • 2922

                #8
                The pandemic has driven prices up on toys across the board. Things are slowly starting to return to notmal, price wise, but at its height, people were stuck at home with disposable income. Now that things are moving again, there are fewer people in the pool.
                Looking for Green Arrow accessories, Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver, and Japanese Popy Megos (Battle Cossack and France, Battle of the Planets, Kamen Rider, Ultraman) and World Heroes figures

                Comment

                • Confessional
                  Maker & Whatnot
                  • Aug 8, 2012
                  • 3410

                  #9
                  I've been in the – if I can't display/play with it, then I'm purging along the road camp – for a few years and it's a very comfortable way to still collect and enjoy the fruits of the hunt. However, I think there's some nuance lost every time one of these *transitional* conversations happen.

                  Owning things is temporal, in life et al, and magnified in collecting (anything). It's the hunt, the toy talk, new discoveries, our crazy theories, a space/place to share, the history, photos, creativity, etc. that really makes toy collecting enjoyable. The exchange of money for goods is awfully trite in the modern age and mostly void of such rewards. So without the proverbial *this,* which is driven by a sense of community and collaboration, you just own stuff. I really don't think collectors that do not participate in such exchange enjoy collecting much… they are often grumpy and haunted by something in their past.

                  Comment

                  • Myoldtoys
                    Veteran Member
                    • May 15, 2012
                    • 303

                    #10
                    Originally posted by Confessional
                    It's the hunt, the toy talk, new discoveries, our crazy theories, a space/place to share, the history, photos, creativity, etc. that really makes toy collecting enjoyable. The exchange of money for goods is awfully trite in the modern age and mostly void of such rewards. So without the proverbial *this,* which is driven by a sense of community and collaboration, you just own stuff. I really don't think collectors that do not participate in such exchange enjoy collecting much… they are often grumpy and haunted by something in their past.
                    You nailed it. That is another part of where i’m at that I didn’t mention. I don’t have any friends that share this hobby. No one else that can relate or I can share with in person. That is why I am on this forum. For that camaraderie. When I don’t interact with this group, it is just a bunch of stuff in the closet.

                    Comment

                    • toyhunter1970
                      Veteran Member
                      • Feb 24, 2020
                      • 364

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Myoldtoys
                      You nailed it. That is another part of where i’m at that I didn’t mention. I don’t have any friends that share this hobby. No one else that can relate or I can share with in person. That is why I am on this forum. For that camaraderie. When I don’t interact with this group, it is just a bunch of stuff in the closet.
                      i agree with you i have no friends that are into collecting vintage toys if it wasnt for the forum it would stuff in the closet

                      Comment

                      • PNGwynne
                        Master of Fowl Play
                        • Jun 5, 2008
                        • 19444

                        #12
                        Originally posted by palitoy
                        If you have tubs of stuff that you've forgotten, start with that, sell it and see how you feel.
                        Good advice, I need to downsize a little.
                        Last edited by PNGwynne; Aug 13, '20, 5:16 PM.
                        WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

                        Comment

                        • Nostalgiabuff
                          Muddling through
                          • Oct 4, 2008
                          • 11290

                          #13
                          last fall I started purging some stuff. I actually sold quite a bit before stopping for the holidays. but that barely made a dent in the stuff I have stuffed in closets. I had planned on selling more earlier this year, but then, you know, Covid happened. I didn't want to be going to the post office to mail things. I do plan on getting back to selling again, it just takes me a while to get motivated. I am rather lazy when it comes to selling stuff. it can be a real pain in the ***

                          Comment

                          • Mr.Marion
                            Permanent Member
                            • Sep 15, 2014
                            • 2733

                            #14
                            Originally posted by palitoy
                            Also, I find it salient to display 95% of what i own, otherwise I sell it. Not everybody has that luxury but it keeps me very honest.

                            If you have tubs of stuff that you've forgotten, start with that, sell it and see how you feel.
                            I had a connection on display cases which I no longer have. I have some nice carded Super Powers, Batman and mego trek items that don't have a place right now. But its always good to collect what you like and can properly display.

                            Comment

                            • Wee67
                              Museum Correspondent
                              • Apr 2, 2002
                              • 10586

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Confessional
                              It's the hunt, the toy talk, new discoveries, our crazy theories, a space/place to share, the history, photos, creativity, etc. that really makes toy collecting enjoyable. The exchange of money for goods is awfully trite in the modern age and mostly void of such rewards. So without the proverbial *this,* which is driven by a sense of community and collaboration, you just own stuff.
                              This is what has reinforced my collecting over the past two decades. I've only bought a few toys over the past two years, but I still come here and some of the Facebook groups to talk nostalgia. I'll get back into toys, but I just needed a break.
                              WANTED - Solid-Boxed WGSH's, C.8 or better.

                              Comment

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