Why Do we collect?

[chazb73]

This might at first seem an obvious question.

But is it purely a love of the films? A love for those vintage toys? Thrill of the hunt?

For me I think its a bit of all 3. (and more) I also think those vintage figures are a design classic in toys. Nostalgia is a biggie also.

Would love to here your thoughts :wink:

 

[itfciain]

The main reason I got back into collecting is that I didn't own most of the stuff I had now when I was a kid. I had two brothers and a sister so my mum could never justify spending so much money on 'bits of plastic' so the only access I had to Star Wars toys was at a mates house. In the early 90's my brothers and I bought some bits a peices at car boot sales but never did much with it. about 4 years ago I thought I would sell it but when I went on Ebay it must have triggered something and that is were the collection started from

 

[edd_jedi]

Definitely all three for me. I was a huge fan of both the films and the toys as a kid, but I've also always been a bit of a wheeler dealer so I love the trading aspect of collecting too.

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

Its a bit of all three for me too

The OT is the best trilogy ever made IMO and the vintage figs are just so cool. As you say SW Toys revolutionised the toy industry forever 8)

The thrill of trying to track down pieces for your focus or to complete your loose set is so addictive it just keeps you wanting more :lol: :lol:

 

[Richard_H]

First two for me. Never really went through the searching much as ebay and other avenues have been there since my times.

Also enjoy passing the torch onto my kids and talking about it with them.

 

[Stormtrooper37]

Good question Andy

When I was a kid it was more the thrill of the hunt to get a full set more than anything else. I spent many a Saturday morning ringing round the local toy shops asking if they had Ben Kenobi or Jawa (vividly remember finding these 2 really hard to track down).

Now it is a mixture of the films (ORIGINAL TRILOGY), nostalgia and hunting down elusive moc's or simply Star Wars items that appeal to me. When I look back I had a great childhood and should have appreciated it more, collecting vintage stuff helps bring back many fond memories for me.

Never forgot the day I walked into a Department store, which normally had a **** selection of figures on it's pegs, only to discover a Sales Assistant dumping box loads of vintage moc's on the floor because there was not enough room on the pegs. After going through all the boxes and seeing nearly every figure, including loads I had never seen before, I was eventually allowed to have 2 so choose Luke Skywalker (farmboy) and Power Droid - always remember that day

 

[edd_jedi]

Yes I never really thought of that - I often forget that back when I first started collecting there was no eBay or even forums, so local shops were the only source of figures. They generally had a good range of loose figures, although not all (this is back when the VCJ and Yak Face were actually hard to find) and the selection of MOCs was even thinner - never more than about 10 for sale at any one time.

I guess it's quite dull now that at any one time on eBay alone, there are dozens of every figure for sale loose, and probably at least one carded too. I think price, condition and variations are the only 'thrills' now. It used to be a real treat to even just see a MOC you'd never seen before in any condition. You really had no hope of putting any kind of focus together.

 

[TheGent]

Movies weren't the main reason although they had a massive impact on me - reason is obvious: Unlike today, neither I had access to a medium to watch it over and over again nor I was allowed to watch those monster films until a certain age.
As a child (born 1975) I wasn't at the cinema when IV was running; although we had a vcr at home, only a classmate had an illegal copy of IV and VI but that was it. I watched the movies only about five times between 1982 and 1987.
But I had a few figures and only the speeder bike as a vehicle. When I grew older, my mom used to give my SW toys to younger children in need and I was fine with it as I got some new stuff I was more interested in.

That was then but what is now - why do I collect?

Out of nostalgia, I did a fun search on ebay early 2010 and shot a bad looking vintage Vader cutcard with a good figure in it which I thought would look great on my working desk. I opened the envelope, removed the bubble wrap, cut the beaten cutcard blister open to remove the figure (yes, sorry!) and for the first time after 25 years I instantly remembered the sweet smell of those vinyl capes - it was still there after all these years and I instantly had the flashback I can't find the words for.

That was it.

Today I have a complete loose collection and now tracking down variations and boxed vehicles and playsets.

 

[ianbrooke]

well because i was a huge fan as a child, but never had many figures, just 3 and that was it.. Now i get to feel like a kid again, the excitement and anticipation of a new figure and can now do what i wanted to do all those years ago!!

Ian

 

[Grant_C]

Nostalgia is a part of it.

The social aspect is a new found part of it.

But for me- I'm Star Wars Crazy- especially the OT and vintage stuff so I collect like a religous zealot would love collecting ancient religious texts.

For me though, its the Star Wars first, collecting memorabila second.

Good question.

 

[chazb73]

Some great posts here - Nostalgia keeps popping up, loved the description of that "smell" of Vader's vinyl cape (I can relate to that one!) and Stormtrooper37 of those childhhood shopping trip memories.

Its good to have a hobby and collecting vintage Star Wars Toys is a rewarding one. Yes ebay has changed the way we collect and it is no longer a thrill to see a MOC we possibly had never seen before. But other thrills are to be had - I just picked uo a Tri logo Fett for £4.00!!!

Andy

 

[lee gray]

I collect out of boredom as if I had nothing cool to look at, life isnt as fun

 

[chazb73]

Nostalgia is a part of it.

The social aspect is a new found part of it.

But for me- I'm Star Wars Crazy- especially the OT and vintage stuff so I collect like a religous zealot would love collecting ancient religious texts.

For me though, its the Star Wars first, collecting memorabila second.

Good question.

 

[chazb73]

Nostalgia is a part of it.

The social aspect is a new found part of it.

But for me- I'm Star Wars Crazy- especially the OT and vintage stuff so I collect like a religous zealot would love collecting ancient religious texts.

For me though, its the Star Wars first, collecting memorabila second.

Good question.

Yes good point. The social aspect is something thats new to me. Having recently joined this brill forum

 

[jedisearcher]

Nostalgia for me. So many memories!!!

Now I collect for fun. Love opening those bomb proof boxes and seeing what the postman has brought me. Kinda brings back the whole going into the toy shop when I was a kid, or the wholesalers when I was working in the toy shop.

Happy days!

 

[sith-smith]

The SW collecting bug bit me when the Heir to the empire trilogy was published. I began with the desire to get the remaining figures and vehicles I didn't have as a kid and started hitting the car boot sales in the early 90's. Reading the book really ignited the feeling of nostalgia

I also started to try and fulfill a childhood dream of having enormous armies of imperials and rebels so ended up getting loads of army builder figures and vehicles.

I only discovered the full extent of all the figures and vehicles/playsets that were made in 94 when I was bought a collectors book...Sansweet's I think.

From there collecting continued as I tried to get an example of everything Vintage 3 3/4" toy in the book. I progressed from Car boots to collectors shops, to collectors shows, then eBay, then forums. What i collected progressed too.

I think nostalgia still remains the main reason. Partly for childhood but also for those years when I began getting excited over star wars again in the early 90's

I also love the hunt, am definitely a completist, love swapping collecting stories and love setting up a display. Was around 5 when it came out and have never lost my love for that universe. Was a great part of my childhood and toys were the way I could be part of it at home. I guess that's still the reason today.

 

[Pomse2001]

Great thread

I collect because of many reasons.

I love to collect, it makes me happy and it is fun.
I think it is some of the best stories I have ever seen and reading.
It was the best toy I had as a kid and it gave me a lot of great childhood memories.
I meet a lot of nice people and get a lot of new friends.

 

[PGowdy]

I had **** loads of toys when i was a kid. I was an action figure junky. Every christmas and birthday from the age of about 4 to 14 Star Wars, Transformers, He-Man, MASK, Ghostbusters, Action Force and so on and so on were always on my list. (i'm sure this story is not unfamiliar to most collectors). By the time i left home at a fairly young age i didn't have a single figure left. God know what happened to them. I know my dad threw a lot out.
Buying, Collecting, looking at toys and action figures and browsing the vast array of action figures on toy shop shelves remained my favourite memory/s from childhood and as i entered my 20s i started to crave that long-lost feeling. It kind of started when i was browsing the 2nd-hand shops in Notting Hill (around 10 years ago circa. 2001-2002). One of them used to sell vintage bits and bobs, among them a cabinet full of Star Was toys. I remember seeing a Luke Skywalker figure priced at £175. But next to the cabinet they had one of shelves which comics or records are usually in for you to flick through and in comic book sleeves with a sheet of cardboard they had dozens of loose Star Wars figures (each one in it's own sleeve). Priced around £8-9. I bought a couple but them nothing more for almost 7 years. I was browsing ebay and saw a loose Jawa which i bought. Again, left it at that. Had the little Jawa on the shelf in my room all on it's own. Absolutely loved it and always intended getting more. It was about a year later, again browsing ebay, that i saw a carded Star Wars action figure. Believe it or not i didn't know you could buy vintage Star Wars action figures still in their packaging, well certainly not easily anyway. I HAD to own one and whilst doing my research to make sure i didn't buy something fake a came across this web-site. Posted a thread about wanting to buy MOCs but concerned with all the fakes out there and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[Richard_H]

There're some interesting stories in this thread. Here's goes my tale

I came from a fairly poor family. Mother's side quite well off and snobbish, father one of a number of criminals and thugs. Mother pregnant at 15 and disowned. Hence me

As kids we struggled although Dad worked full time he spent most time at the local. Mother had pt then ft job and I babysat my sister from the age of 7. She was 4

SW I think was a godsend for my parents as the figures were so cheap. Got quite a few figs and a few other bits and pieces. My happiest memories were alone in my bedroom devising lots of ways to play with my figs. Remember get belted off Dad for playing with my figs when I was about 9 or 10 and had to hide them, although MOTU and Transformers were deemed acceptable for awhile.

Let home at 14 never to return. Found out years later that figs were given to friends of mother's side, more snobby kids with more figs.

SW bug never left me and I joined the Datapad (now jedinet) back in 1995 ish when I was supposed to be studying at Uni :?

Bought myself the heir to the empire trilogy when it came out as part of the scifi fantasy book club. GF was very suspicious at the time and wondered why I was reading kiddie books. Book collection grew, SW games for PC, figures in SW monopoly and then my first jump, Han Hoth which I still own but it is in crap condition. Took another couple of months before 2nd fig arrived and about 3 or 4 years later here I am on this forum.

Possibly trying to capture some happy memories from childhood? Probably 8)

 

[edd_jedi]

I think nostalgia still remains the main reason. Partly for childhood but also for those years when I began getting excited over star wars again in the early 90's.

Yes that's very true - I started 'collecting' in 1994 when the Digitally Remastered VHS's came out, which is what got me back in to Star Wars having forgotten all about it for over 5 years. Thinking back to then brings back great memories too.