What do your friends and family think about your collecting toys?

[Joe]

Oh and I try not to surround myself with people that don't get my hobby. I had a colleague at work on my Facebook friends list who saw me posting in a SW group once (or commenting on a SW friends timeline I can't remember now) and he tried to take the piss so I told him to do one, deleted him on FB and have avoided him on a work level as best I could ever since.

There are always going to be people out there that for whatever reason, really enjoy making other people feel bad about what they do or don't do in life or what they have/don't have..the trick is to spot them and get shot of them.

I find the less I interact with people I don't like the more I enjoy life!

PS: My collection came up in conversation with the removal men who moved us just recently and one of the guys was actually a big fan, not a Vintage collector or anything but he had master replica lightsabers and all sorts and I gave him a Star Wars book for his kid which he was happy about..so I guess the best thing you can do is just put it out there and see how people react..either way you'll know what the score is.

 

[Twin30mm]

I think my close family look on me as a bit of an eccentric, when it comes to Star Wars.
What started as mild derision when I was younger, has turned into general acceptance of my habit.
Any interest shown usually revolves around value more than anything else.
Besides, they've had 38 years to get used to the situation.

The wife was a merciless piss-taker when we first got together.
That has reduced over the years, to the point where I just get a roll of the eyes when another parcel plops through the letterbox.
Although, she still takes great delight in telling people in conversation about the collection.
Admittedly, I can find that a bit embarrassing.

The collection is confined to the spare room, so it is just about tolerated.
I've mooted about having a few items downstairs, but it's always met with an icy stare of nuclear proportions .

I tend not to mention it to friends/work colleagues.
The potential for monumental piss-taking is too great.

 

[steve obi wan]

I have been collecting for so long that my family just think that's me , every photo I am in as a kid I am holding some sort of figure

I must say my wife is great , I do have a display in 1 room , but have down sized my collection to have the things I really want .

However like Edd , I don't really tell anyone about my collection , I think unless someone else is a fellow collector they don't get it !

 

[Joe]

Good article to show your wives/girlfriends who love bringing up how much your Star Wars collection is worth to friends/family members: http://koin.com/2015/10/25/from-the-dark-side-star-wars-collection-stolen/ :shock:

(Not sure what was stolen really adds up to almost $40k but still..what a nightmare )

 

[Pomse2001]

All I know think it is ok

 

[Hothrebel]

Family mostly thinks it's pretty good(I do get called a geek every now and then by my eldest daughter ).
All my friends seem to say is "Jesus they're worth how much"
And "I wish I had kept all mine ".
Most people are quite interested but it always seems to get around to value.

 

[sith-smith]

My friends generally think it's all pretty cool, though most don't really understand the significance of the pieces in my collection.

Family don't really have an issue either. They know it's important to me so they just accept.

Girlfriends get introduced to it gradually. So far none of them have finished with me over it...they usually find other reason! :roll:

 

[maxf]

I had some great arguments with my dad when I was about 18 and was buying SW 'toys' - apparently I was wasting my money and the sellers were taking advantage of me. He was a bit strange with anything out of the 'ordinary'.

My family (as in parents) don't really know I still collect - I don't hide anything, but my collection is small and not really that visible when they visit (although far from hidden).

My fiancé is fine with me collecting - I think she knows what I spend (don't expect bargains if I get hit by a bus ) and prefers it to me going out with the lads every Friday/Saturday night, although definitely finds 'collecting' a little alien as she really doesn't have that gene!

 

[Michael Sith]

My Daughter went shopping today, and came back saying she had been to a Star Wars "thing" in Blackburn.
Apparently there was some vintage there as well.

She doesn't really involve herself in my SW collecting, but surprised me by saying, " I got you a surprise"

Really chuffed not just with the surprise, but the fact she had thought to get it for me, so the family can surprise you when you least expect it

url=https://flic.kr/p/zB7BHw]

[/url]image by michael smith, on Flickr

 

[spoons]

This is an interesting thread and I'm surprised at how secretive most of us are.

My collection is in the spare room so any friends or family that stay over don't have a lot of choice in embracing it. Some find it weird but with the increasing press coverage on SW toys I think it's becoming more mainstream to them.

I've collected for nearly 25 years so anyone who's known me a while knows that my collection is part of who I am and I've only ever got a bit of light piss taking. Proofs and the Model Trem got the most raised eyebrows - 'how much for a bit of cardboard' and 'how much for a bit of lead', but like Todd says other folk spend just as much if not more on paintings, cars and other antiques. It's all just stuff.

Most work colleagues know I collect and there is a mix of understanding about it - I don't normally advertise it but if people are genuinely interested then I'm happy to talk about collecting. Discovered that a fair few colleagues are war gamers etc and equally cagey about what they do.

My other half is fantastic and all the family come to shows. The only issue I have is when I kick off about being skint and a parcel arrives in the post the next day

 

[Trioculus]

Just out of interest, what do your friends and family think about your collecting toys?
My wife is a diamond and tolerates me collecting (As long as I don't do anything stupid and spend too much). She allows me a budget of £200 a month, so I'm a happy Chappy. If I want something else, then I have to sell something else (which is fair). I've converted a couple of friends into collecting as well, but the downside to that is they want me to help them find things. I had one friend that irritated me with the classic, 'that must be worth a lot of money?!' Trying to explain to someone that it's about more than just the money was quite hard work. My brother think's I'm quite strange for collecting toys and doesn't understand it whatsoever, but oddly enough, he has requested that I leave it all to him in my will (Fat chance of that happening). So all round the people in my life are quite possessive to me collecting toys - Even my wife's friends have asked to see my collection before I've even made them a cup of tea when they visit.

Everyone secretly thinks 'you're a dick'. Probably.

 

[Ross_Barr]

Everyone thinks I'm mad.....but then they smoke so who's the bigger idiot?

That's my argument, I spend a lot of my money on various collectables but I have something to show for it and am virtually guaranteed not to make a loss when I come to sell, so it's far better than spending money on expensive clothes, cars, smoking, betting, drinking etc (not that I don't do any of those things, but I like to have something to show for my money.)

This is a big part of the reason why my wife never interferes in my collection. She doesn't love it, but she knows I do, so she lets me be. Like Edd said (that rhymed!), she has seen me sell more than a few things for more than what I paid, so she has seen that I am not just wasting money.

As for friends and family, I am an open book. I hide nothing. I have shown my collection to dozens of non-collectors, and they almost always find it interesting or even say they are amazed and jealous. You have to remember most people don't have something in their life that they are nearly as passionate about as we all are about vintage SW collectibles. To have something in our lives we love as much as this stuff is really fantastic I think. And showing this stuff and sharing its history and wonder with others just makes it way more fun in my opinion. It makes me sad frankly that some people in this thread refuse to show their collections to others. Seems like a boring existence to me.....

And I have been directed to more than a couple vintage collections that have come up for sale because my friends know I collect this stuff. So there's that.

 

[Mr-shifter]

Everyone secretly thinks 'you're a dick'. Probably.

I know you are sad about your sales thread but really? I think there's only one person being a dick here.

 

[edd_jedi]

I know you are sad about your sales thread but really? I think there's only one person being a dick here.

Agreed, if the sour grapes and juvenile posts/edits continue, a ban will be on its way.

 

[theforceuk]

Very good discussion this, I've been meaning to reply for ages! My close family don't really think anything of my hobby as it's something that has always been their. My sister who is three years older than me still moves my MOC's around when she comes to visit just to annoy me and it works! They also buy me MOC's for Christmas and Birthday's which is really nice.

Some friends are a bit like what a load of crap, but again their just winding me up half the time, stuff like how's your 'Star Trek collection' and you still buying those figurines?

The one question I still get all the time is they must be worth a bit now? Which is starting to grate a bit. My answer the other day was some of them are, but most stuff is overpriced these day's anyway. Some great reading on this thread guy's, shame about this page turning nasty.