Lately, my collecting interests have been shifting. This isn’t anything new, my areas of interest have always been a work in process. I have shelves and boxes full of awesome 80’s toys, but they’ve started to lose a little luster for me. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the stuff, but if I’m searching on eBay, I’m no longer seeking it out. Ever since I was a kid, I would bounce around from one thing to another, so this is nothing new.
I probably think about this more than most, but when it comes to the enjoyment of collecting, there are several factors to consider: 1. Money, 2. Space, and 3. Passion.
To the first point, Money, this is always in limited supply for most of us. When you can focus your collecting budget on one theme, it makes things much more rewarding than trying to collect multiple areas. For example, if you collect DC super hero items, you’re going to go broke pretty quickly, but maybe you only want to collect a single character, well that can still be pricey, but if you narrow your focus down to just Aquaman items from pre-1990, you’ll be able to manage your money better. You will be able to concentrate your funds on a smaller number of “great” items, without the distraction of trying to keep up with the “Gotta Get ’em All” craziness that comes with new items. This is certainly no easy task, especially with all the amazing items being released these days for collectors, but if you can stick to your budgetary guns, it will result in a better feeling towards your collection.
Space is another concern. I am fortunate to have a room for my collection, but God forbid, anything should spill out into other areas of the house! My wife is very accommodating — to a point. So, within the confines of those four walls, space needs to be used wisely. I also have to live in that room, so it needs to be functional and not just a storage closet. There’s no way around it, when you amass vast quantities of stuff, it has to go somewhere. I like to enjoy my collection, and when I have items piled high around me, it makes me feel anxious. When the cave gets a good cleaning after a purge, the feeling is incredible — I can enjoy the items on the shelves and walk around without tripping over a recent purchase!
The last concern for the collector is Passion. I don’t think I’m unique in having shifting areas of interest. One year, I might be all about collecting board games, and then I’ll just be over them and move on to collect something else. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with this, as long as you can let things go when the passion is no longer there. In my opinion, passing things along to other collectors, who will then have a chance to enjoy the items, is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a collector. I don’t view collecting as a money-making scheme (if I did, I’d be a grade-A idiot), I collect because I enjoy possessing items, even briefly. When I come across an unusual piece, I like to examine it from all angles, photograph it, research it online, and discuss it with others. Over time, my excitement over the item may fade, and I’ll pass it on to another collector.
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I’ve been doing this a while, and it’s fun for me to think back over the years of collecting and realize which items still get me excited (cough, Batman). I’m curious to know how you feel about the current state of your collection. Do you still enjoy it? Has it ever become a financial or emotional burden on you? Have you ever lost interest in your collecting pursuits? How did you handle that?
My collection is in a state of flux. With a baby on the way, everything is headed to a storage unit. It’s kinda sad, as I almost have a feeling like I’ll never see this stuff again. I’ve been promised my own room when we get a house, but that’s still at least 2 years away. So, the money isn’t the biggest issue, as I find stuff on the cheap, but the space is a real issue. As for passion, I’m constantly collecting something, so I pretty much have an unquenchable thirst for The Hunt.
I can relate Will! My kids toys have taken up every square inch of available space, but rest assured, as they get older, their playthings get smaller — an iPad barely takes up any room at all!
Will, I feel your pain, but hang in there. 2 years from now you will be as giddy as a child on Christmas morning! I went through the same thing while waiting for us to finally move out my in-laws’ place and into our own home. Tubs of toys in the basement, waiting in the dark to see if they ever feel the light of day on their little plastic faces ever again… I reminded my wife that when we got our own place I would have no choice but to display my toys ALL OVER THE HOUSE (which would not match the aesthetic that EITHER of us had in mind, honestly… which was “grown-up”) so finding a house where I would have a collecting room as well as rooms for our children suddenly became a top priority.
Don’t lose hope that you’ll never see your collection again. Hang in there. The day will come.
Great article that hits on alot of what I have been thinking about recently.
These are all so true and money is always my biggest stumbling block…sometimes I think I should just focus on one thing but it’s hard with so many wonderful things out there.
It’s not easy! Companies like Funko and NECA keep putting out items that I want to add to the shelf. The current nostalgia trend is definitely putting a hurt on my wallet.
My shelves tend to cycle items in and out of cold storage. there are some things that are always up (like masterpiece transformers) and some things that move in and out depending on what I want to look at at the time, and what life motif I am pursuing
Cycling the items on your shelves is a great tactic. It satisfies the need for change, and it’s also like Christmas when you open up a bin that has been in storage for a while.
I find keeping a smaller collection helps keep things interesting for me. I’ve limited myself to a small display case, so it tends to get crowded easily. That usually means if I want something new, something else has got to go. That also keeps me from spending a ton of money, since it means I have to sell in order to buy.
It also helps that I’ve never really focused on completion, and only worry about items that are aesthetically pleasing or that I used to have and love.
I’m actually striving for this mindset. I have two large glass cabinets and would love to have them contain my entire collection — or at least all the collection that I choose to display at a given time. This seems like a simple enough challenge, but I haven’t got there yet! 😉
I’ve never ascribed to the completist mentality. I think it makes sense for Comics or trading cards, but when it comes to toys, I just can’t wrap my head around it.
Glad you covered this topic Brian, the collector’s ultimate struggle. I tend to overspend and pay the price with the wife later on as boxes appear frequently at the door step. In her defense she is right and I sometimes do overspend. The thrill of new items is an addiction I am working on subduing at the moment.
In the end though I have too much for the space available in my basement corner. With my 1 year old’s stuff quickly reaching critical mass it makes me rethink what I REALLY want and not what I just think is cool.
Wow, has it been a year already! 🙂
I thought of you recently when I unloaded four large boxes of TMNT figures. I’ve never been a huge fan of them but scooped them up over the years because they were cheap and they were there! That’s the sort of collecting that I’m trying to stop — that’s accumulating not collecting. I kept a very small number of the best items, but I’m now planning on putting them up for sale too.
If you do send me an email maybe we can work something out.
Will do!
All these points were great. The one that really hit home for me was the “space” point. It’s the driving force behind why I created The Toy Box. Since there are so many things out there, it became easier to store things in boxes then to display them on shelves. That’s why we focus on photos of all we can find, while storing the majority of it away. Some pieces get the full “Love” treatment of being on display, but for the most part it’s box city around here.
I suppose I should have finished my thought – Essentially The Toy Box is my virtual display for collections.
Virtual displays are great! 😉
Totally can relate to this post, Brian! I’ve been collecting for years and am very familiar with the desire to refocus the collection or expand to other lines. In all honestly this post validated some of the tough decisions I’ve made since collecting regarding selling items to build my collection in other directions. It’s easy as a collector to dwell on past decisions so reading this certainly helped me to put those decisions into perspective! I pretty much started with ALL Super Powers and have now branched off into many of the other lines I loved as a kid including: MOTU, TMNT, Real Ghostbustsers. Thundercats, and Star Wars. I can honestly say I’m having a blast too! I agree w you that when it comes to collecting you’ve got to maintain that passion and adjusting the focus here and there is exactly what the doctor ordered! Great post 😉
You’re going in the opposite direction from me. I always envied your laser focused collecting of just Super Powers, but you must have run out of things to collect! 😉
Ha! I just started to be drawn to other toys I loved as a kid. It started by accident at a toy show last April. A guy had a moc Skeletor and He-Man for sale. I blew my show budget on the pair and the rest, as they say., is history. The MOTU quickly expanded into going for the original 8 backs to working on the vintage Star Wars to “hey I also loved the Real Ghostbusters” to “I’m completely out of control!” Lol. But hey, it’s fun ;).
There is a bunch of stuff that I would love to trade for other items that I truly want. There was a time when I could get huge lots on Ebay but only a third of it was of interest to me. But it’s all part of the depth of my collection. I am stuck here in Canada were there is no way to sell their pieces without a ton of headache. These days I concentrate on things I want. Neat versions of my favorite supergirls, and my vinyl statues from Kotobukiya.
It seems like there are lots of of Canadian collectors. Every time I go on eBay, I come across Canadian sellers, so it works both ways. I bet some sellers hop across the border to ship items based on where their buyers are located.
I feel ya Brian. In fact you’ve just inspired me to write a whole article as a response to yours:
http://rebelwithcauses.blogspot.com/2015/02/maintaining-your-passion-for-collecting.html
Excellent! Everyone needs to go read this! It’s been great to hear from others and to know I’m not the only one who has had some bumps in the collecting road. 😉
http://rebelwithcauses.blogspot.com/2015/02/maintaining-your-passion-for-collecting.html
Thanks for the plug and stopping by Brian!
Great points Brian. I have had all three effect the way I collect now. Money- Since I haven’t had a steady job since 2013, it changes how often I will buy things. My buddy and I stole a line from Darrel from Storage Wars where we only look for the Wow Factor when spending our money. Picking up a brand new DC Collectibles figure may not be the Wow Factor, but saving up for an Adam West Batman Hot Toys is. Space- I share an apartment with my sister and I have only one room to display anything I want. That room is my bed room. Because of that, I really don’t have anything displayed. Once I am able to get a place of my own, I will probably figure out how to display my stuff. I know a lot of Ikea runs are in my future. Passion- I still have passion for collecting, but there have been certain things I was collecting that have gone away. My passion for buying KISS, Iron Man, Marvel Legends have disappeared. I pretty much focus on just Spider-Man, Batman, The Beatles, Luke Skywalker and Back To The Future, which is still a lot and I’ll probably trim that down eventually, especially I still have a passion for collecting all things Yankees. Thankfully, the passion to collect is still there for me and I hope it never leaves.
Once a collector, always a collector Mike! 😉
I’m always scared of becoming a toy hoarder and ending up living in a room where i can’t even walk. Here I can get 90s and early 2000s figures for a very decent price… but i can’t buy more space!!
D:
Nope, space is not cheap!
Good topic and on point for me right now. I purged half a room of 90s figures last fall and it felt good to just get rid of some stuff. However when I repacked the space, it looks like I’m missing next to nothing and it was 200 figures. I really need to keep trimming out stuff and extras. I refocus all the time and still buy only items I really like. All of the new product is continuously tempting because of how cool it can be but I say no more than yes. I enjoy buying vintage more and sometimes you need to focus on quality not quantity. Do you really want 200 cheap items or 2 really great higher end items?