"Regrets? I've had a few..."

[TC-14]

Now then! What's the biggest regret you've made in your Star Wars collecting over the years? One (or maybe two?) that you've managed to banish to the furthest recesses of your mind, telling yourself it doesn't matter; only to experience the memory rear it's ugly head from time to time and bring with it those pangs of anguish and heartache?

Personally, a couple spring to mind:

When I found this forum in 2013, I was very green in regards to collecting. I still had a lot of my childhood figures and vehicles, and I began thinking about expanding my collection. Within a couple of weeks of getting to know this site, I decided to put up for sale on eBay my ticket and programme to The Empire Strikes Back for the European royal premiere at Leicester Square which took place on May 20th 1980. My Mum somehow got tickets for this event (she was a marvel at sourcing anything and everything, especially hard to find Star Wars goodies... long before the internet, I've no idea how she did it). I had a bit of a gung-ho attitude to what vintage rarities I had in my possession, back then. Anyhow, they sold for a good few hundred quid, and they went to a buyer in the States who I seem to recall worked for Pixar. Do I regret it now? Yes. Almost on a daily basis!

One other regret that always springs to mind concerns a vinyl cape Jawa. My local toy store in the 1970s was called Youngsters, and on weekly trips in to town with my parents aged 8 years old it was always a treat to call in there. I started collecting Star Wars Weekly in February 1978, so I was well aware at the impending release of the figures from Palitoy through the adverts contained within the pages of that comic. Summer 1978 arrived and carded figures with that iconic red, white and blue logo started filling out the shop. I was in awe. My first purchase was a Stormtrooper. A few weeks later after saving up my pocket money, I decided on a Jawa. This being early on in the release of the First 12, it had a vinyl cape. And it was on a Palitoy card as my local toyshop didn't start receiving Kenner branded merchandise until around 1981 onwards (I remember seeing that Kenner logo for the first time, and feeling angry that someone had taken over Palitoy. The thoughts that run through an inexperienced young mind!). Fast forward a few months and I'm in the playground at primary school and my mate proudly shows me his new Jawa that had a cloth cloak. I never liked my vinyl caped figure, in all honesty... so seeing this in more realistic attire, I immediately opened negotiations on what he was prepared to take for a swap. Deal secured, I thought I'd done good. Decades later, I now realise how coveted that first wave Jawa was.

I'm realistic enough not to bemoan ripping off that bubble of the Palitoy card before I even left the toy shop, toys were meant to be enjoyed and played with. But I do wish I'd hung on to my original purchase!

99p for a Palitoy Vinyl Cape Jawa in 1978. We've all said it before, but if only we had a bloody crystal ball at the time

 

[RobertAshwell]

Now then! What's the biggest regret you've made in your Star Wars collecting over the years? One (or maybe two?) that you've managed to banish to the furthest recesses of your mind, telling yourself it doesn't matter; only to experience the memory rear it's ugly head from time to time and bring with it those pangs of anguish and heartache?

Personally, a couple spring to mind:

When I found this forum in 2013, I was very green in regards to collecting. I still had a lot of my childhood figures and vehicles, and I began thinking about expanding my collection. Within a couple of weeks of getting to know this site, I decided to put up for sale on eBay my ticket and programme to The Empire Strikes Back for the European royal premiere at Leicester Square which took place on May 20th 1980. My Mum somehow got tickets for this event (she was a marvel at sourcing anything and everything, especially hard to find Star Wars goodies... long before the internet, I've no idea how she did it). I had a bit of a gung-ho attitude to what vintage rarities I had in my possession, back then. Anyhow, they sold for a good few hundred quid, and they went to a buyer in the States who I seem to recall worked for Pixar. Do I regret it now? Yes. Almost on a daily basis!

One other regret that always springs to mind concerns a vinyl cape Jawa. My local toy store in the 1970s was called Youngsters, and on weekly trips in to town with my parents aged 8 years old it was always a treat to call in there. I started collecting Star Wars Weekly in February 1978, so I was well aware at the impending release of the figures from Palitoy through the adverts contained within the pages of that comic. Summer 1978 arrived and carded figures with that iconic red, white and blue logo started filling out the shop. I was in awe. My first purchase was a Stormtrooper. A few weeks later after saving up my pocket money, I decided on a Jawa. This being early on in the release of the First 12, it had a vinyl cape. And it was on a Palitoy card as my local toyshop didn't start receiving Kenner branded merchandise until around 1981 onwards (I remember seeing that Kenner logo for the first time, and feeling angry that someone had taken over Palitoy. The thoughts that run through an inexperienced young mind!). Fast forward a few months and I'm in the playground at primary school and my mate proudly shows me his new Jawa that had a cloth cloak. I never liked my vinyl caped figure, in all honesty... so seeing this in more realistic attire, I immediately opened negotiations on what he was prepared to take for a swap. Deal secured, I thought I'd done good. Decades later, I now realise how coveted that first wave Jawa was.надежное онлайн казино

I'm realistic enough not to bemoan ripping off that bubble of the Palitoy card before I even left the toy shop, toys were meant to be enjoyed and played with. But I do wish I'd hung on to my original purchase!

99p for a Palitoy Vinyl Cape Jawa in 1978. We've all said it before, but if only we had a bloody crystal ball at the time

Oof, that vinyl cape Jawa swap is a painful one. But honestly, most of us have made similar calls back then - no way to know what would become so valuable later.

 

[Cazza]

Throwing away my cardbacks, under pressure from my Mum to tidy my room. They included several 30-backs- Boba, Han Hoth etc.

Selling a few SW and Action Force figures (thankfully only a handful) along with all my Action Man stuff in my early teens.

'Upgrading' a couple of my worn childhood figures when I got back into collecting (around 2012). Wish I'd kept them.

 

[TC-14]

Oof, that vinyl cape Jawa swap is a painful one. But honestly, most of us have made similar calls back then - no way to know what would become so valuable later.

Yup, indeed a painful swap with the benefit of hindsight, Robert!

 

[TC-14]

Throwing away my cardbacks, under pressure from my Mum to tidy my room. They included several 30-backs- Boba, Han Hoth etc.

Selling a few SW and Action Force figures (thankfully only a handful) along with all my Action Man stuff in my early teens.

'Upgrading' a couple of my worn childhood figures when I got back into collecting (around 2012). Wish I'd kept them.

My Mum threw away my cardbacks (all Palitoy) while I was at school one day… along with with Palitoy boxes for the Jawa playset, Cantina, Snowspeeder and Millennium Falcon… a massive clear out. I was mortified when I came home!! In fairness, she had been asking me to tidy my room for a number of weeks… but the fact she timed it with the bin collection day is what really hurt… there was no way of retrieving them!

 

[Cazza]

One of my friends had a VCJ and we all thought it was crap compared to the cloth cape, which in reality, it was. Great swap... at the time!

 

[Cazza]

Bloody Mum's and wanting a tidy house!

 

[TC-14]

One of my friends had a VCJ and we all thought it was crap compared to the cloth cape, which in reality, it was. Great swap... at the time!

So true… I remember at the time of purchasing I thought it might look better once I'd released it from the packaging, my young mind thought the vinyl cape might soften and flow a little bit I was glad to get rid of it, as I remember!!

 

[Beeper383]

In 2006 I passed up an opportunity to buy a Tatooine Skiff, loose complete, for around £100. I could have afforded it, but, felt it was a lot of money.

Prices now mean that it's out of reach. I don't regret it daily because there was no sentimental value. However, it is the one that got away!

There are many other items that I saw over the years and didn't buy. However, these other items were more academic as the reason I didn't buy simply boiled down to not having money at the time. So I don't think I can regret these as they weren't active decisions.

 

[edd_jedi]

My collection was pretty fluid in its early days, I bought and sold several loose sets, and have had hundreds of carded figures pass through my hands over the last 30 years (it might even be thousands!)

I wish I had kept a lot of them, but one that springs to mind is a mint Lili Ledy Luke Jedi. Still got photos of it, no idea where it is now.

 

[Gadders]

Regrets?
Not buying more in the mid 90s. Specifically VJC, more MOCs, and pre-prod items which were pretty cheap back then.

And sales.. selling my Palitoy ESB Luke X-Wing Pilot MOC. and my SW Fett MOC.

 

[Cazza]

Regrets?
Not buying more in the mid 90s. Specifically VJC, more MOCs, and pre-prod items which were pretty cheap back then.

And sales.. selling my Palitoy ESB Luke X-Wing Pilot MOC. and my SW Fett MOC.

Yep, or buying different stuff. I went mad on Last 17, mostly Kenner MOCs in the mid-nineties. Wish I'd just stuck with Palitoys.

 

[Kenner76]

I try not to dwell on the past much, but I do regret selling a few preproduction items that I'll never get back.

I also regret spending so much time/$ on modern crap back in the 90's. Vintage was plentiful and relatively cheap back then. I figured it would always be that way. The hobby was much more affordable before the Disney purchase.

 

[Shep469]

My biggest regret was not being that knowledgeable about Star Wars Figures etc, I had a theory! that if I bought from Auctions and sold on Ebay id make enough to start my own small collection, Well as i did no research I just sold what I had, I can say that at some point I sold the entire Last 17, probably twice and all of the vehicles numerous times, and for next to nothing, though I was selling Falcons for £300 a pop during Covid!

Then I started to read, evaulate and speak with collectors, and stopped selling SW other than a few bits and bobs, but saving the money and focussing on selling other things, I have been able to collect the entire vintage figures, loose and on cards (excluding the Last 17, Ironically) and I have just about all of the vehicles, all boxed and all minty. Have managed to do this within the last two years.

My Regret being a dumb arse in the first place and not realising what I had in the first place

 

[StarWarsFan]

My regret not buying MOC's a few years ago when prices were reasonable. Almost didn't buy a Droids MOC R2D2 for 250 a few years ago but something told me I would regret it so decided to do it.