What makes someone "the biggest fan"?

[Gorn Captain]

I was talking to a guy at a convention, and it quickly dawned on me it was another "I'm the biggest fan of..." kind of person.
He had everything from vintage SW Kenner, MIMB. A carded vinyl caped Jawa. All the 12 backs, AFA graded. After two minutes, it was all about "bigger, better,..."
And yeah, as a journalist he had been to the Skywalker ranch...yawn...

Even if that all is true, why would I care?
I don't even want or need a vinyl caped Jawa.
If I'm happy with a bunch of loose Megos, and don't aspire to have the mintest rarest carded ones, does that make me a lesser fan?

To me, it's all about the love for the subject, not the value or rarity.
Is a kid who owns only ten figures and has seen SW three times a "lesser fan"?
Is there some sort of level you need to reach to become a "better/bigger/more important fan"?

The guy at the convention had been collecting for only 7 years, had spent $$$$ on it, and he wanted to make it clear to me that, even though I had been a loyal follower since 1977, that he had me beat, he was "the bigger fan".
I let him rant for a moment, and then cut the conversation short.

Why do I let attitudes like that get to me?
These days, I no longer let other collectors see my stuff. I only allow kids in my toy room. I keep some toys aside from which they can pick one, and everybody's happy!
Whenever someone says "I'm a serious toy collector", I make myself scarce and make a quick exit. I'm just in it for the love of those toys, nothing more...

[BOTZWANA]

Agreed! I only collect what I like so I can look at it. Not so I can have bragging rights. However with regards to my restaurant that is another matter entirely.

[Mikey]

If it was me I would never admit to being "the biggest fan" of anything.

I kind of consider the bigger the fan the bigger the nerd no matter what the subject

[Brazoo]

The few friends I have who collect (and come to think of it, most of the people on this forum - which I think is why I feel comfortable here) are legitimately happy for others when they get something cool. I've always avoided the pee-pee contest types of collectors - and don't really understand them. They don't seem to have much fun.

[rche]

when I was a kid, I thought I was the biggest Star Wars fan EVER! Hands down, no competition.

Somewhere around twenty years old (when the collecting bug had waned a bit but was not completely gone) I reattached to the Star Wars collecting world and found out it was MUCH larger than I had ever imagined. I found out there were names to the characters that I had always referred to as walrus man, hammerhead, and weequay. And I gladly handed my "biggest fan ever" title over.

[Adam West]

I don't associate "biggest fan" to collecting. I just always associated someone saying "biggest fan" to mean passionate fan. I will always be a passionate Redskins fan no matter how good or bad they are but others are as passionate if not more passionate than me. I can absolutely say that my wife and are our kids' "biggest fans" but to say it about anything that isn't personal is just make a generic statement.

[RickD]

even if you have one item or thousands of items to your collection, it is about the love of your hobby and enjoying the ride until you get tired of doing it. Bragging about the items you have and what they are worth is pointless unless someone is willing to drop that kind of money to get those items.

[Cmonster]

I personally have never understood the whole "I've got tons of stuff in storage..." mentality when it comes to collecting. I don't collect what I can't display. If you can't get the joy of holding, or at least looking at your collection, what's the point. Just my two cents-- I know a lot of guys who have boxes and boxes of toys and comics piled in the garage, that they never open or look at. What's the point?

Regarding the money/value aspect of it all; I have one or two really high priced items in my collection, but they're not toys. Though I have spent upwards of a few hundred bucks here or there, on something I really want, my megos and Star Wars figures that I have from when I was a kid, that are all dirty, beat up and played with, are THE most valuable pieces in my collection. If the house catches fire, family photos and those figures are the first things I grab.

SC

[Werewolf]

Stuff like that kinda makes me yearn back for the days when there still was a stigma to toy collecting. I do sometimes miss when it wasn't even remotely cool or acceptable.

In my opinion, too many guys got into the hobby for status, ego and money and not just for the love of toys. Just look at all the pointless toy grading going on. Toys no one will ever touch or play with forever sealed in lucite with a meaningless grade sticker. It's not a toy anymore it's a ego symbol to them.

I think we've all seen a lot of self professed "big" collectors dump huge sums of money and quickly buy into a hobby only to just as quickly crash and burn. The toys they bought didn't get them the status and attention they craved and aren't nearly as valuable as they were when they bought them.

[HardyGirl]

Y'know, to me collecting or fandom or any kind, isn't a competition. When people find a common ground whether it's toys, music, sports, movies or whatever, it should bring them closer together, not spark the "I'm the biggest fan" thing. I don't wanna be the biggest fan of anything. I mean, who needs that kind of pressure?

[Brad]

I personally have never understood the whole "I've got tons of stuff in storage..." mentality when it comes to collecting. I don't collect what I can't display. If you can't get the joy of holding, or at least looking at your collection, what's the point. Just my two cents-- I know a lot of guys who have boxes and boxes of toys and comics piled in the garage, that they never open or look at. What's the point?

SC

Sandy, I can only speak for myself on this but in my case it is due to a lack of space. I bought my first house at age 25 when I was single. Now 21 years later we have outgrown it. But we will eventually end up in PA taking over the family farm so I don't want to move until then. I dread even thinking about how bad that move will be. I have a small home that is just over 1000 square feet. There is no basement and I have a 2 1/2 detached garage plus a 10' by 14' shed for storage. The Megos are stored in the house. Some in our bedroom and some in our third bedroom which is more of an office. We could possibly squeeze one of those cool Ikea displays into our living room and the next time we are near the closest Ikea I would like to buy one. But other then that I just don't have the room to display much. Hopefully someday I will. I do pull stuff out to look at the collection from time to time but other then that I am kind of stuck for now.

[jwyblejr]

I was talking to a guy at a convention, and it quickly dawned on me it was another "I'm the biggest fan of..." kind of person.
He had everything from vintage SW Kenner, MIMB. A carded vinyl caped Jawa. All the 12 backs, AFA graded. After two minutes, it was all about "bigger, better,..."
And yeah, as a journalist he had been to the Skywalker ranch...yawn...

Even if that all is true, why would I care?
I don't even want or need a vinyl caped Jawa.
If I'm happy with a bunch of loose Megos, and don't aspire to have the mintest rarest carded ones, does that make me a lesser fan?

To me, it's all about the love for the subject, not the value or rarity.
Is a kid who owns only ten figures and has seen SW three times a "lesser fan"?
Is there some sort of level you need to reach to become a "better/bigger/more important fan"?

The guy at the convention had been collecting for only 7 years, had spent $$$$ on it, and he wanted to make it clear to me that, even though I had been a loyal follower since 1977, that he had me beat, he was "the bigger fan".
I let him rant for a moment, and then cut the conversation short.

Why do I let attitudes like that get to me?
These days, I no longer let other collectors see my stuff. I only allow kids in my toy room. I keep some toys aside from which they can pick one, and everybody's happy!
Whenever someone says "I'm a serious toy collector", I make myself scarce and make a quick exit. I'm just in it for the love of those toys, nothing more...

I would have come back with "If you're the biggest Star Wars fan,why aren't you getting paid for it by George Lucas like Stephen Sansweet is?"

[Figuremod73]

I've always felt if you collect something its for your own personal enjoyment. When it becomes a competition between fans then I quickly lose interest because I have no desire to impress others with how much I can spend (or can afford). The only "biggest fan" ive encounter in person was a Star Trek fan who not only knew to much information on stuff that didnt matter (I could care less about technical aspects of the ships) he seemed to believe someone would be interested in standing around hearing about all the merchandise that he had. I politely excused my self and walked away quickly as possible after hearing him for five minutes.

[Dark Shadow]

The "I'm bigger than" or "I'm better than" attitude is nothing exclusive to toy collectors or comic nerds. It's found in all walks of life and it's really nothing more than an excessive competitive disorder that stems from a deep seated insecure sense of self.

My car is classier than yours.
My boat is longer and faster than yours.
My closet has more shoes than yours.
My college education is superior to yours.
My house is bigger than yours.
My neighborhood is more sophisticated than yours.
My city is more desirable than yours.
My culture is more advanced than yours.
My lifestyle is morally superior to yours.
My religion is more accurate than yours.
My dog is a more desirable breed than yours.
My boyfriend is more successful than yours.
My girlfriend is prettier than yours.
My kids are smarter than yours.
My baby is cuter than yours.
Mom likes me more than she likes you.

I generally agree with this type of person, "You're right! You're way better than I am. I'll never be able to measure up to you.", and then watch them back track and try to down play their status.

I don't think most of these competitive types really intend to make you feel bad. I think they're just trying to make themselves appear to have some value outside of themselves because deep down they don't feel that they have any value at all beyond their material gains. It's really kind of sad.

[Cosmicman]

Hey Brad! My show this Saturday is also a birthday party if you want to bring old Cat some Megos for a present.