Collection crisis...I need your advice.

[enyawd72]

I desperately need some advice from my fellow friends and collectors. As many of you know, I have a huge Marvel collection which I’ve amassed over the years and am currently in the process of finally putting on display. This has been a dream of mine for many years and is what I always thought I wanted…now I’m not so sure.

The last few years have seen the release of toys I could only have dreamed of…the retro DC figures, 1966 Batman, Six Million Dollar Man, ReAction Alien, Diamond select Munsters and Universal Monsters, Outer Space Men, and now NECA Planet of the Apes…it’s just mind boggling, and it’s really difficult to pass up this new golden age of collecting.

The thing is, I already have a lot of vintage stuff from each of those properties. I guess I never really knew how much stuff I had accumulated over the years. Now, putting out all my Marvel stuff, I find I’m asking myself how I can not put out all this other great stuff too. My passions for all things sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes and monsters is too great to ignore.

I’ve also looked at a lot of other people’s toy collections and the one thing I hardly ever see is statues and busts, of which I have dozens, all Marvel. I’m seriously considering selling them all off, and even some of the newer Marvel stuff and shifting my collecting and display to encompass toys of everything that I like.

So what would you do? Keep going with the Marvel only display which has a lot of non-toy items, or ditch the statues, busts and thin out the other items and go for more diversity?

I appreciate any and all input. You guys are family and your opinions mean a lot.

Thanks,
Dwayne

[Hedji]

Hey Dwayne, you sound just like me, but with Marvel instead of my Star Wars. There's no right or wrong way to do it, really. But I think it's okay to have a primary focus (Marvel) and then lots of secondary and tertiary collections. Like you said, it's too awesome to ignore it just because it doesn't fit in the Marvel Universe.

I have absolutely no problem with selling off a Star Wars piece that I've grown bored of, in order to finance a secondary interest, despite the fact that Star Wars is my number 1 love. It's easy to almost feel like you're betraying your buddies by purging parts of the collection, right? But if it's not working for you, then it goes. I change my mind on things a lot. Usually, it's because I get swept up in internet hype, and then later realize that my passion lies with tried and true vintage items. Believe me, I'm carefully considering how deeply I want to jump into the Figures Inc dolls and the Super7 retro figures. Do I spend my $100 on 4 re-Megos, or on one minty vintage actual Mego?

A lot of your decision will be dictated by space and geometry of your display area. But I think if you try hard, you can designate zones of Marvel, and branches of the rest of the goodies.

Try to think of your collection as an evolving, living thing. Parts of it will grow, and parts of it need to be pruned from time to time. Dwayne, I'm in the process of getting my photos ready to show my collection. You'll see a lot of themes, and then some really random things, and that's okay. If you have Marvel busts, and you like 'em... cool! Display them proudly. Don't ditch them because you're the only one who has them. They're part of what makes your collection unique. But on the other hand, don't keep 'em if they don't do it for you any more.

Hope that helps.

-ANDY

[enyawd72]

^Thanks Andy!
I think of the statues and busts as more art pieces than anything...and honestly, while they're nice to look at, they're very expensive and they take up a lot of room. Not to mention you have to keep all the empty boxes in case you ever need to move them. Beautiful as they may be, they're just not as fun as toys. They just sit there. They're either too big and heavy or fragile to even pick up and look at. I'm not even sure I like Marvel as much as I used to...I like 70's Marvel, but the characters I grew up with are long gone, and I hardly recognize what they've become. I've got all my 70's goodness from them already...maybe it's time to move onto other things?

[Gorn Captain]

So basically, you have tons of stuff to begin with, and want to add tons more.
Welcome to the fold, brother!

Sounds like you have some great items that need displaying. Doesn't matter from which line they are, whether they are toys or statues, all you need to do is display and enjoy.
My collection is a real mixed bunch, but my creed is "display or sell". This is a visual medium and needs to be seen.
Which leaves you with the problem of display space. How much can you show, without breaking your leg over a Juggernaut bust.
I certainly wouldn't sell anything that I love, just to make room for something else. If the love is there, and you have the space, enjoy it.
To be honest, I wish that I had been able to pick a topic and stick to it. I just love too many things!
If only I had started a Jar Jar Binks shrine. It would have been so easy...

[Mego Magyar]

It almost sounds to me like you've already made up your mind and just need to talk yourself into accepting it. I've had similar things where I said I love it BUT... and in the end I did part with it. It was a G.I Joe Headquarters and Helicopter and at the time I wasn't into collecting toys, they were things I had as a kid - even now I don't have any place to display the action figures that I have let alone the BIG stuff and I don't regret not having them any more.

[enyawd72]

^Excellent points, thank you! I think I need to re-examine what I've already put out, because there are some things I only like, but don't love. They should go to make room for stuff I love that's packed away.
It's unbelievable how gut wrenching it is to have to decide...it feels like you're giving away your kids or something. LOL

[wayne foundation 07]

Give what you don't want anymore to me and we can work out visitation for you okay.
But seriously my friend, you've seen my display and what I collect , I don't very from them for the simple reason of the situtation your in right now. Pick what you connect with the most, and brings you the most enjoyment, there's no reason Herman Munster can't hang out with Captain America.

[enyawd72]

^Thanks Ben...I think I know what I need to do.

[Hedji]

I'm not even sure I like Marvel as much as I used to...I like 70's Marvel, but the characters I grew up with are long gone, and I hardly recognize what they've become. I've got all my 70's goodness from them already...maybe it's time to move onto other things?

I hear you, and agree. Nothing can transport you to Happy Land faster than the old stuff. No matter how detailed, expensive, or well-sculpted something is, sometimes simpler is better.

I actually liked the Star Wars Prequels (go ahead and laugh), but long ago realized that collecting prequel merchandise didn't and never would give me the same joy as the Original Trilogy stuff. So, out it goes.

[batmanmc]

To me i do this contsnatly i buy stuff i like and then after seeing it displayed after a while its not something i love. I would rather diaply this or that and sell it. Mike

[MIB41]

Funny you would ask that question Dwayne. Through my TWO year remodeling job, I'm facing that same issue. As with anything, this is always going to be VERY subjective, so ultimately it's what shoe size fits you. I turn 50 this year and I need to start thinning the herd as it were. I learned something very important after I lost my dad back in 2007. Except for some obvious items, we didn't have him here to tell us what he really liked and what he would want us to hold on to. So those opinions went with him. That's why I disagree when people say you can't take it with you. In a way, you do. Unless you leave a document behind to pass on your feelings and opinions, most of your possessions become "stuff". So it either gets tossed, sold for a fraction of it's value, or given away. How many things do we possess that was part of another person's collection that has passed on? So really our collections are very transient in concept. So that perspective gave me a new way of looking at my things.

I don't see myself living another 50 years and I'll probably do well to make half that. And the one thing I don't want to do is leave my family to figure out this mess when something DOES happen to me. Waaaaaay too much stuff. So my wife showed me something recently that kind of helped me figure out this riddle in a way that helps me let go, while still retaining a document that can go on long after I'm gone - It's called My Publisher. In short, this is a VERY affordable way to make a photo book (hardbound) of my collection and thoughts. And there's no limit to how you can do it. You can make your book different sizes too. Long term, I'm going to make volumes for all of my collection. I figure that task might get me to stop collecting for a while too. So what I'm doing is photographing things I really have no reasonable space for anymore that need to be sold. But having a photo journal allows me to still revisit these items after they have moved on to another owner. Plus it allows others to see what I've owned and what I thought about them. Why did I go into this philosophy session? Well, because we collect for a reason. And letting go is going to be difficult no matter how you paint that picture. So my idea was to make lots of pictures. It's my way of saying I was here, these were mine, and I had a great time with them.

So I'm sorting through and photographing things I really don't give any time to anymore, that could get better attention from someone else. I'll have my photographic journals so I can still turn the pages and reminisce without having to dust off the product. I'll hold onto and display my childhood figures and toys along with the current batch of licensed product. But I'll photograph that as well. It's just a good way for me to document my life, my collection, and give the ultimate compliment to my love for these things, by making sure they start going to others who share that love, while I'm still here. When I'm gone, my family will know exactly what I thought and what to do with the remaining collection. That's my approach.

Here's a link to the costs and sizes... http://www.mypublisher.com/products/sizesandprices

[Brazoo]

I think the only mistake that you can make with your collection is not having fun with it.

[Hedji]

Tom, the photobook idea is great. Looks pretty similar to the ones you can do through iPhoto (mac) or Walgreens or Shutterfly.

[Splitty]

I look at it this way. If it feels painful to let it go, then you shouldn't let it go.

Everything I've should that felt painful, that I needed the money for or I felt I should, I've regretted ever since. But the items it doesn't bother you to sell, they're things you probably don't really love then and are just collecting because they're part of a line or something.
They should be things you're really passionate about and love, and yes, that absolutely does change with time.

For lace of space one thing you could do is rotate your collection! Have all marvel out for a few months, then pack them up and put your newer stuff up for awhile until you miss the other, and rotate it again in a different way later. This keeps your collection interesting and fun to manage.

[VintageMike]

I am in a different category, since space is always limited. That said it's forced me to focus. For the most part I stick to vintage Mego & Star Wars related stuff because that's what I grew up with and where my heart is. If I get something "new" it's related to those things. Example" I did buy several retro-action figures because having a Mego style Superfriends vs. Legion Of Doom display appeals greatly the kid in me. Statues/busts while cool hold no sentimental value for me.