Last week we talked about Dead Media. Let’s see if we can keep the ball rolling with this week’s topic. Please no biting, kicking, or hitting below the belt — let’s keep things civil.
Condition is everything — or is it? Some collectors only buy the best of the best, while others are fine with lesser quality items. Where do you stand?
Add your comments below.
Personally condition has little bearing on how I perceive a collectible in most cases, in fact a little play wear is sort of seen as a good thing (well-loved toy and all). There are a few instances where I find myself wanting something pristine.
Same can be said with boxed items from years ago, I really enjoy seeing the original sales and clearance stickers.
Me too: I actually try to (sometimes) seek out packaged items with price stickers. Gah…though it was just me.
I prefer items that have been used and played with in the past over items that look like they just came off a store shelf. I will almost always buy broken toys or ones the are missing parts, with the intent of eventually fixing them or combining them with other toys that are missing other parts. Same thing with comics — slabbed books are nice for investors, but I’d much rather have my comics in a bag, and if it’s not pristine, then I might not feel too bad about taking it out to read it.
The only items where condition is important to me are collector-grade figures from companies like Hot Toys.
For the most part condition doesn’t matter to me and in fact the signs that something was loved before it came to me is always nice.I have though recently started collecting vintage Masters of the Universe figures again and this time around Im buying them in as close to brand new condition as possible .With so many of them available at decent prices I dont see why I cant be a little picky about the the paint and the looseness of the arms and legs.
I did the same thing. I purchased the figures from sellers here and there before buying all the remaining ones I needed from one person, and was very particular about the condition every step of the way. I think I spent about $2,500.00 for every MotU figure, and all of them were complete with nice paint jobs.
As an opener and diorama builder, condition doesn’t matter to me, though I do like to have a photo of the packaged item before opening it.
Depends on the item. If it’s something I really want, and the hunt is proving futile, then I will jump at the opportunity (in most cases) to get it in whatever condition I can.
However, if it is something that is readily available from a mass amount of sellers, then I’ll be very selective. I’d rather pay top dollar for mint condition than get something that is either aesthetically unpleasing or broken in some facet. A perfect example of this is the Karate Kid line I recently tracked down. I was so dead set on getting mint condition figures with working action features that I purchased some of them new in the package just to open. Far more expensive than loose (or broken).
Glad to hear you were able to check those Karate Kid figures off your list. 😉
Me too. That hunt was a rough one.
If you follow my blog. Ok …I had to laugh out loud at that…NO ONE follows my blog. But anyways…if you did, you know I love to fix things down here in Mexico. So yeah…If there was a choice between a Super Powers Batmobile missing the windshields for a huge discount or a brand new one? I would buy the fixer upper.
If I can’t get stuff in the packaging, I at least like to get it with the package. Those older cardbacks had some great art, and I love that they also work as checklists.
As far as loose goes, I don’t mind stuff that’s been played with, but I try to avoid toys that are visibly worn out. I can handle some missing paint here and there, but loose joints and missing pieces are definitely a no go for me.
If it’s newer stuff I usually keep it in the package. If it’s vintage and something I want to bring back to my collection, I will get a previously played with toy.
For me, it’s generally about completeness. It can be beaten and bruised, but as long as all the pieces are there, I can usually bring it up to a point that I’m satisfied with.
Except for metalized toys. Those need to be in pretty good condition or they look bad.
I generally stay away from MIB, since I like to display my stuff. And as a collector I’d never open a sealed package, so that’s no fun..