Changes in your collecting preferences

[indianawars]

So when I started collecting it was only Kenner Indiana Jones, but once I had finished that collection I still had the collecting bug so moved quickly onto Star Wars. I first started with anything I could get my hand's on, but then I changed my focus onto loose, then onto MOC's, then onto boxed ships. Now, I'm currently working on a ROTJ MOC run. So, though the years my collecting preferences have changed (sometimes dramatically). So I was wondering if anyone else has gone through stages with their collection like me? Also, any major regrets when cleaning out the collection? I regretted selling on my full mini rig collection because at the time I lost interest in them, but once I had sold them I wanted them back

 

[Grant]

This is completely normal. It happens to lots of us.

 

[Robstyley]

Yeah it's perfectly natural your collection will evolve and your tastes will change. Or you may "complete" something and then move onto something else. Sometimes a chance encounter or conversation can spark an interest in a new type of product. It's one of the things I love about collecting. I collect mainly loose figures, MOC's and loose and boxed ships but my interest in each area piques at different times. Right now I'm bang into MOC's, still buying the odd loose figure but it's slowed down and not buying any ships at all. I've recently got interested in comics, posters and SW art too, it's just the way it goes :wink:

 

[BA-Sith-Lord]

When I first started collecting prices were a lot cheaper then that I personally didn't worry about evolving my collection because if my taste changed, then I would box it up and store it away. If I was starting out again today then I think I would struggle because I collect a lot more than just vintage Star Wars. My biggest regret was selling a prototype Superman from the Kenner super-powers line - I sure miss that little guy

 

[Dublinjeff]

As Grant said, I reckon most collectors go through this! I for one have gone from a full loose collection to the first 21 figures moc. Then had an AT-AT commander and Luke Farmboy Focus....
Gave up collecting for a good bit and am back now putting a full loose beater collection for my little one.
Have also a little plan about putting a display together for myself in regards to ROTJ cards!

With regards to regrets, yep, i miss some of the pieces I've had, especially my Palitoy AT-AT commander moc and some of the LFB cards i had. But i guess that's collecting, i sold the items at a time when I was happy to do so and it funded other things I wanted to do.

 

[SublevelStudios]

Sometimes a chance encounter or conversation can spark an interest in a new type of product. It's one of the things I love about collecting.

This is absolutely true for me.

I was at Lee's (Bullock) and he had a Helix pencil case, complete with the outer card. It was seeing this that triggered a memory, of buying it from a newsagents back in the day, that set me off down the Helix route.

Then, more recently, someone on FB was looking to buy loose factory error figures. I've got a couple but never really paid much attention to them so I said he could buy them. Well, the more I looked at them, the more cool I thought they were and decided to keep them, and now have 2 more paint error figures in the post!

I see my collection as constantly evolving, sometimes I get bored of an item or I see something I want more and sell a couple of bits to get it. There are some pieces that are always off the table but I really love the buying and selling, as much as I do the collecting.

 

[Grant_C]

I think the secret is to collect whatever makes you happy. Stay away from 'have too's'.

If you get bogged down in collecting stuff for the sake of finishing sets, then you can lose interest.

Have multiple focuses at the same time with varity. For example: 77 back MOC collection and a Meccano cardbacks focus.,

Take breaks. I find taking a break and spending time and money on displaying the items you have gets you off the conveyer belt.

Hope this helps.

 

[robpmarsh]

I'm considering stopping my oddball collecting (placemats, videogames) and concentrating on just MOC's.

Trouble is.....who would want the stuff! :lol:

 

[Grant_C]

I would. 100%

 

[robpmarsh]

I would. 100%

I'll sort through the stuff and post up in the valuation thread asap then

 

[x-pack]

Me too! Not really collecting at the moment but I would like to maybe expand my Caravan of Courage badge collection. So far I have one

 

[bosk70]

I still love my vintage but about 3 years ago I started selling off a lot of the more modern stuff I had amassed over the years at boot sales etc some potf eps1 2 &3 boxed stuff I had just lost interest in it and unlike vintage felt no attachment to it.
Also sold some vintage stuff that I had but never liked anyway like sw vintage puzzles and death star escape game etc lots modern micro ships.
After this clear-out there was less confusion in the displays and looked a lot better and the stuff went to in many cases kids who really wanted them and so far not regretted selling them and probably started off some new young collectors. Gave a lot of the cereal and fast food sw toys away free with the other sales.
Still buy the occasional modern but has to be something really good and cool looking, still get a buzz from finding vintage thou

 

[Cocobean]

What I want and what I can afford to collect is another matter ha to be honest my tastes haven't changed much my love is only Star Wars and I'd love to collect MOC figures but it's just not possible to get every figure (I get obsessed) so my tastes have kinda been dictated to me I just want it all haha I do collect V on a very small scale nothing special but my focus is Star Wars I haven't had any other in regards to toys although I did once have a huge collection of games consoles and years ago I was tempted for transformers loved the dino bots oh and starcom my problem is any money I spent on something else would take away from Star Wars

 

[Cazza]

Since starting collecting again, I initially just wanted to complete my ESB run, by trading all of my Tri and POTF MOC's that I'd had since the mid 90's. Since then, I've switched my focus to trying to get mocs of the figures I had (still have most of them loose) when I was a kid. Think I have four to go now:

SW Death Star Droid
SW R5-D4
SW/ESB Stormtrooper
ESB Boba Fett

I seem to keep missing out on the first two, and the other two (especially Boba) are well out of my price range at the mo.

 

[theforceuk]

1983 - 1999, anything I could find or afford.
1999 - 2003, anything still boxed or MOC and loose figures.
2003 - 2010, any MOC and loose figures.
2010 - now, debut Kenner MOC's. Did buy a boxed Snowspeeder as well last year.

 

[stormcab]

I completed my 12 back run with a nice mix of foreign backs. Now I'm on to Palitoys. I've briefly considered selling many of the 12 backs to fund more Palitoys, as it seems everyone out there has a 12 back run. But then it's nice to have a complete run of something as I can relax a little and not be chasing things.

Now I'm just keeping my eye out for bargain MOC Palitoys, but I do want a few figures in particular that would round off specific desirable ones. I'd like a Fett. Not bothered about the cardback. A 20 back Palitoy LXW, and an AT-AT Driver on a Palitoy card. Once I have these I'll just chill and look for bits and pieces slowly.

 

[_Lee_]

Ive actually decided to slow down considerably. I havent bought a SW item from Ebay for well over a month and i dont intend to for a year. My ethos has totally changed and im having fun scratch building props and the like. I actually sold off most of my vintage special buy focus and have more space in the loft, but im going for other vintage pieces now such as cast/crew,premiuns,ads etc. Dont get me wrong i love the toys, but all i kept was the items i bought that i remember having as a kid. All are boxed too

So im slowing down and taking my foot off the pedal massively. The days of high end spending are over now, and unless its something im specifically after i wont go above £100. I think people will long pockets and heavy wallets are partially affecting my opinion here, but they have done me a favour.

 

[Dark vador]

Well I 've been trough it all loose collection full collection,full carded set,foreign stuff and now
Simply collecting loose graded figures Just the ones I like and have a meaning for me
So far got a set of first 21 all loose graded and going to build an imperial army also loose graded.
It is safer for me having lost a few carded figures to cracked bubbles etc plus not as financially insane ( referring to the later).
Army building is however rewarding when I can find the correct quality figures!!!!!!!!! And the thrill of the hunt :? So if anyone as tooooo many
death squad commander in mint condition I m buying :roll: looking for ukg 85 quality only or above :lol:

 

[palitoyjunky]

Well I rediscovered vintage SW in the mid 90s getting out my childhood collection 8)
It was about that time they re-released the Trilogy on VHS for the last time and inside each cover was a leaflet on the new Hasbro POTF2 range of SW toys! Now the new figures didn't appeal to me at all-mutated muscle bound freaks :!: However I was v excited with the new vehicles as they were made using the vintage moulds and just finished with more detail and colour 8) Now at that time I had no idea where to find vintage SW so I decidedly to get some of the new vehicles so I got the Land Speeder, X-Wing and Falcon Soon after I found a 'New Curiosity' shop local to me that had vintage SW for sale and started to go to local toy fairs.

At first I just grabbed anything I could that I liked. My first MOC was a Kenner 8D8 that cost me £15. Kenner/Palitoy I didn't care back then.
Anyway by 2000 I had got together a full set of MOC 12 and 21 backs mostly Kenner and 3 Palitoy including VC Jawa and Fett. I had also got hold of some real nice sealed SW Kenner ie X-Wing, Tie Fighter, Land Speeder and Falcon 8) I sold all the 12 & 21s in 2002. From then on till 2008/9 I bought Kenner Empire MOC and sealed/unused vehicles including the first 10 31 backs-took me 5 years to get a 31 back Bossk :!: I also amassed a mint full set of the last 17 Tri-logo-which were dirt cheap compared to today's prices ie Yak Face cost me £200 :!: Sold all the Empire stuff and started concentrating on Palitoy in early 2009. Was extremely lucky to amass a full and mint set of 12&20 backs including large head Han during the next year and a half approx
In early 2013 I had an offer I couldn't refuse on the set and sold all but the two Lukes.
From then on I have focused on Palitoy Empire amassing an almost full and almost debut MOC set-missing a 30 back Fett as many of u know. Have also put together most of the Empire vehicles/playsets again all mint unused/sealed.

Because I focused on early Palitoy v late in the game I couldn't afford to own all of it at the same time but started early enough to manage great success b4 prices went to a new crazy level :shock:

Anyway that's me so far :wink:

 

[sith-smith]

I've had several expansions of a focus. one major change and several additions.

In the 90's started with getting all figures and vehicles/playsets that I could. Then I expanded it to included box vehicles/playsets in the early 2000's, followed by MOC.

I added to it further early 2002 to get the first 20 on Palitoy cards, followed by ESB Palitoy cards towards the end of that year.

By this point I began to consider selling of the Kenner run as I had them all on two cards and space was a premium.

2003 I added the POTF MOC figures, followed by Droids and ewoks as I wanted to focus on something else due to the difficulty of getting Palitoy MOC.

2004 I picked up all of the ESB characters on 30 backs, so changed a general Palitoy carded focus to a debut one, getting rid of most of the non debut Palitoy cards (some of those I regret parting with, but most I have managed to get again when focus changed again!)

2005 I started going for Palitoy character runs (hence trying to get back previous ones I'd sold)

The next few years that was where I stayed, though at some point...and I can't remember when, I went for Trilogo miscards.

By 2007 I decided to switch entirely to Palitoy only so all remaining Kenner (including a complete set of POTF Droids and Ewoks) went, and I just kept the 21 back Fett and VC Jawa. I even found the last pictures before/during the change...

http://www.starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16825

Palitoy and Miscards has remained my main focus since 2005. A long the way I have made several additions.

I decided to get the Palitoy 12" figures (Luke & Leia) and the 7 Palitoy Diecast vehicles. They seemed to fit in well with my focus. However, being a collector it was difficult to limit myself and it turned into aiming to get a complete 12" run and last year I completed all the diecast...kenner as well :shock:

I added the bop bags too and in recent years expanded to include all things Palitoy Star Wars...weapons, boards games Playdoh, kite etc.

Last year I finally gave in to the temptation and started on the Micro line. Wanted to for years but managed to resist.

Essentially, collections can change in one way or another all the time. It keeps it interesting and varied. It also helps when money/availability are limited in one section of your collection. That said, all the things I started collecting meant that last year was probably my busiest ever collecting year. If I get the chance I will take a picture of everything 2015 brought my way!! 8)

The real test for me now is what happens when I get a display room. It's been 5 years since my collection has been boxed up. Some parts of it I've not seen in that length of time and so many new bits have been added, some before I had to take it all down, so have never been on display.

Once I see it all out again I may decide that actually it doesn't appeal to me anymore and there could be the need for a major shake up. I also don't think I will ever find a way of displaying it all anyway so some may have to go! hopefully this year I will find out what the next stage in my collecting will be!