What do you do when you hit a Brick Wall?

[Cazza]

There is some really good advice in this thread- I would really take it on board mate. I've hit a bit of a wall myself- been after SW Palitoy DSD and R5 for my childhood focus for an age and it's not looking like it will happen. Also been looking for an ESB Boba for ages... Frustrating, but am happy to wait and will hopefully get lucky one day.

However, whilst still looking for those, I've branched out and bought plenty of non SW figure stuff including Action Force MOCS, SW Topps cards, Superman Weetabix cards. These have all been really rewarding to collect. There are alternatives to burnout!

Also, LOL @ Pete's analogy! Inspired! :lol:

 

[SublevelStudios]

Hitting 'brick walls' or burning out, happens more often than not to collectors who go in all guns blazing, hoovering stuff up like there is no tomorrow. It's not the rule but I've lost count of collectors who post here or on FB going on buying sprees and in 12 months there's no sign of them.

As many other guys have said, play the long game to get the most reward. Collecting this stuff isn't always just about buying, it's about sharing knowledge, looking out for other collectors who are after certain items, attending events and socialising, and generally just contributing to the hobby.

I'm sure some of us all feel a bit tired or fed up with collecting from time to time, or questioning ourselves spending X amount on an item but it soon wanes.

You'll find there's more to it than the simple acquisition of items.

 

[palitoyjunky]

im not a high end collector, but there are still hard to come by items that I pursue (vinyl especially, some modern lines that appeared briefly). You have to be constantly working towards it, new selling areas pop up all the time, auctions, facebook groups, people selling up, whispers rumours. There is no time limit on the hobby, no brick walls, just hurdles to negotiate.

I say embrace your brick wall. sit atop it. Take out that cigar and look around, over, down the side of it. Puff away and enjoy the taste as it wafts through your nose and throat. Then take a small hammer and chip away at a couple of bricks. You'll realise how much fun this could be. The cigar, the little hammer, the relaxing and sitting atop maybe staring into the distance, daydreaming. That wall becomes your friend. You fall in love.. you make love to the wall.. the wall gives birth to smaller bricks. you build a weird brickchild house to live in.. you start smoking stronger stuff.. things get weird.. you call yourself mr and mrs brick.. the police take you away..

Quality Pete :lol: Nice to c u back mate

 

[coomber75]

started loose... then moc.... the esb moc... dabbled in droids.. then sw back... now randomly hit die cast.... never ending feast and ever changing display

 

[Robstyley]

Don't worry about it, collect something else. No-one's going to die if you can't buy a particular Moc. Maybe you should lower your expectations a bit and look at other avenues. Just enjoy yourself, there's a lot more to collecting than just what's in your cabinets

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

This is the first time in 6 months where I have not been able to buy anything so it feels like a brick wall to me anyway, but I understand why some people would disagree. I think it feels worst because I did not buy anything at the last Vectis Auction and Now I am regretting it. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to buy some pieces or another collection in the not to distant future. I have been lucky with my acquisitions up to this point I just hope my luck is not running out.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

started loose... then moc.... the esb moc... dabbled in droids.. then sw back... now randomly hit die cast.... never ending feast and ever changing display

I did contemplate putting a loose collection together as I had one the first time I collected but I find the whole COO thing confusing. Does the country of Origin make a big difference to the price and desirability?

 

[Michael Sith]

started loose... then moc.... the esb moc... dabbled in droids.. then sw back... now randomly hit die cast.... never ending feast and ever changing display

I did contemplate putting a loose collection together as I had one the first time I collected but I find the whole COO thing confusing. Does the country of Origin make a big difference to the price and desirability?

Only if you want it to, does your steak dinner taste better because you paid a lot. Of money for it? Or does it make you feel better because you paid a lot of money for it?

As said previously, you can research coo and variants and decide if you want to collect, for example Lili Ledi or PBP etc utilise the reference that is out there for those that want to utilise it
E.g. http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/Vintage-Star-Wars-COO-Guide-h14.htm

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

I really don't think you understand what you are trying to collect. You don't seem to grasp the ideas of collecting or community, let alone rarity.

Do you have any ideas what you are actually doing or why you are collecting in the first place? Other than having spare cash.

You are right, I am like a Vacuum Cleaner mindlessly sucking up anything that gets in my way!

Thankfully there are enlightened individuals like yourself that can show me the path.

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

im not a high end collector, but there are still hard to come by items that I pursue (vinyl especially, some modern lines that appeared briefly). You have to be constantly working towards it, new selling areas pop up all the time, auctions, facebook groups, people selling up, whispers rumours. There is no time limit on the hobby, no brick walls, just hurdles to negotiate.

I say embrace your brick wall. sit atop it. Take out that cigar and look around, over, down the side of it. Puff away and enjoy the taste as it wafts through your nose and throat. Then take a small hammer and chip away at a couple of bricks. You'll realise how much fun this could be. The cigar, the little hammer, the relaxing and sitting atop maybe staring into the distance, daydreaming. That wall becomes your friend. You fall in love.. you make love to the wall.. the wall gives birth to smaller bricks. you build a weird brickchild house to live in.. you start smoking stronger stuff.. things get weird.. you call yourself mr and mrs brick.. the police take you away..

I will try and think of my brick wall in a more positive light but without the love making and brick birth as my partner would not approve of it. I suppose if I did not hit a brick wall now and again there would be no challenge or sense of achievement so we need each other, it's an interesting perspective!

 

[Wreck-It Ralph]

started loose... then moc.... the esb moc... dabbled in droids.. then sw back... now randomly hit die cast.... never ending feast and ever changing display

I did contemplate putting a loose collection together as I had one the first time I collected but I find the whole COO thing confusing. Does the country of Origin make a big difference to the price and desirability?

Only if you want it to, does your steak dinner taste better because you paid a lot. Of money for it? Or does it make you feel better because you paid a lot of money for it?

As said previously, you can research coo and variants and decide if you want to collect, for example Lili Ledi or PBP etc utilise the reference that is out there for those that want to utilise it
E.g. http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/Vintage-Star-Wars-COO-Guide-h14.htm

So would a white hair Ben have a different COO to a grey hair or a hollow cheeks sandperson have a different COO to a solid checks one?

 

[poncho]

''Wrong, Do it again!"
"If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you
have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?"
"You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddy!"

 

[lejackal]

I did contemplate putting a loose collection together as I had one the first time I collected but I find the whole COO thing confusing. Does the country of Origin make a big difference to the price and desirability?

Only if you want it to, does your steak dinner taste better because you paid a lot. Of money for it? Or does it make you feel better because you paid a lot of money for it?

As said previously, you can research coo and variants and decide if you want to collect, for example Lili Ledi or PBP etc utilise the reference that is out there for those that want to utilise it
E.g. http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/Vintage-Star-Wars-COO-Guide-h14.htm

So would a white hair Ben have a different COO to a grey hair or a hollow cheeks sandperson have a different COO to a solid checks one?

Have you even spent five minutes reading any of the dozens of guides available?

 

[subzero]

Love that brick wall lol :lol:

 

[subzero]

Apart from the odd ESB and POTF loose figure, I'm mainly collecting just ROTJ, but i'm collecting both MOC and loose, so basically the same figures twice, and all of them need to be in near mint condition ( or very acceptable cond for MOC ). I don't care at all about COO collecting and don't care if they're Palitoy or Kenner, also don't care what variation the cardback is, I just want the characters that I can see inside my display cabinet and on my shelves.

.... Even collecting in just these vague areas will take me a very long time, if I was going for full runs of COO's and figure variants etc then you're talking many more years. But yes learning knowledge along the way and being in the community is a hobby all in itself.

 

[Palitoyman]

It's what Palitoy collectors have to deal with unfortunately, certainly the guys like yourself that are looking for near impossible MOC figures, if you are wanting 30 back upgrades to what you already have you must be prepared to be patient and wait, it may take years, as I certainly know, and so do many others collecting Palitoy MOC's.

An indication is the last 30 back Boba Fett that was auctioned at Vectis a few years ago, I was informed that the previous one came up in the late nineties, so over 15 years between the two, you just need to be patient and wait, from what I've been told there isn't much at all at the forthcoming Vectis auction but this hobby always throws up a few surprises.

 

[Mr-shifter]

My question for you is, are you enjoying the journey, as you seem desperate to reach the destination.

For a lot of collectors, myself included, this is not about the end. Think of it not as a collection that needs completing but a way of life. Something you enjoy doing and want to continue with.

If you just want to get to the end and stop, then I'm not certain you ever will.

 

[Lee Gregory]

As others have already committed, I don't think you fully appreciate and understand what great pieces you have already aquired in such a short space of time, not just the rarity but the condition of the cards you've aquired. Some of those collections took many years to put together not just a few months.

You definitely need patience when collecting Star Wars, especially Palitoy, and especially when you are after the real top end items in terms of condition.

Also I'm not sure you truly grasp how rare some of these cards are, especially when you get into 41 and 45a, there are some examples where not even cardback is not known to exist, let alone a MOC. Would you be happy having a beater card in your collection if it was a one of a handful in existence???

I really hope you stick at it l, as you'd be kicking yourself if a collection or certain cards became available after you decided to give up......

 

[peekaygee73]

I did contemplate putting a loose collection together as I had one the first time I collected but I find the whole COO thing confusing. Does the country of Origin make a big difference to the price and desirability?

Only if you want it to, does your steak dinner taste better because you paid a lot. Of money for it? Or does it make you feel better because you paid a lot of money for it?

As said previously, you can research coo and variants and decide if you want to collect, for example Lili Ledi or PBP etc utilise the reference that is out there for those that want to utilise it
E.g. http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/Vintage-Star-Wars-COO-Guide-h14.htm

So would a white hair Ben have a different COO to a grey hair or a hollow cheeks sandperson have a different COO to a solid checks one?

It sounds like the best thing to do with your time in the immediate future is read the information out there. A number of people have put 100s and 100s of hours into researching this and put it out there. For free. They don't want anything back. People on this site are great, they have a phenomenal amount of knowledge and they're more than happy to answer your questions; but when It gets to the stage where you're pointed at that painstakingly researched information and ask questions that are answered a click away you have to question how you're going about things.

 

[Snaketibe]

I think the two most basic questions you have to ask yourself are 'Why am I collecting?' and 'Am I actually enjoying it?'. Collecting for its own sake is completely pointless. Collecting beyond the point at which it is still enjoyable is simply obsession without purpose, which is madness. You won't be alone in feeling that some of the thrill has gone out of things for you, but you stand out more than most because you apparently are in the very fortunate position to be able to buy a lot of extremely expensive and much sort-after items in a very short time span. You have a collection most others will never have or be able to afford, and those that can or do are unlikely to acquire it as rapidly as you have.

Rightly or wrongly, you come across as sounding like an addict desperate for his next fix. Are you addicted to collecting Star Wars figures? Or are you addicted to spending big, or perhaps simply to acquisition? You certainly don't appear to have much patience, judging by your comments, and with all due respect, neither do you seem to be all that knowledgeable about this subject, despite your high-profile acquisitions. That last comment is not meant to be as harsh as it probably sounds, as we all have to start somewhere, and ignorance is cured by acquiring knowledge, which is easily done by reading up on the subject, if you're willing to.

So why are you collecting? And are you actually enjoying it? If your answers are healthy for you personally, then all is well. But if you're doing it for its own sake, or for the wrong reasons, and especially if you're not really enjoying it, then I recommend selling up and staying well away from it for your own well-being.