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A New Question about Weeding Toys

By Freds Workshop

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OK, this is probably going to be like what, article 6 in my ongoing
series of questions about collecting?

We've talked about charaterization-circles, we've talked about where
to draw the line (on cutting off your collection), we've talked
about...hell, the evils of mass-consumerism :-) Seeing as how there's
so much positive energy about collecting tfs, I suppose I just feel
like I should generate some negative energy....just to balance it out,
you see.

This is a slight variation (sic) on the '*where* to draw the line'
concept. In this post, I ask the question about the actual mechanics
of said weeding: *How* do you go about weeding the collection?

The answer: good question.

Obviously, when weeding, you could take entire sections wholesale
(beastwars, for example) and dump them both carded and loose in a lot
on ebay (or sell it in bulk to a private seller, or a dealer on
autocon, or whoever). I'm not sure what would be the best way in this
case, since it depends on your cost-vs-work ration (that is, how much
money do I want for this crap versus how much time am I willing to
spend on it). In my particular case, I tend to dump things quickly and
cheaply in lots to whoever grabs it first....I lose some money, but I
gain time, which is more precious to me.

That's just me. Other people are willing to lug stuff around year
after year, and hold out for the highest dollar value, and that's fine
for them. If I had the time, I would likely do this too, because it
gives me an excuse to show up and socialise, which is what the hobby
should really be about in the first place ;-) hehe.

Now, that takes care of the big stuff....wholesale dumpings of an
entire line that you don't care about at all. But what about things
you *do* care about, things that you maybe want to keep, but because
of their current format in your collection, they don't work for you?

Take sealed boxed toys. Let's say I have 3 mint in sealed box
headmasters that are the centerpiece of my display (chromedome,
highbrow, and skullcruncher). Now let's say I want to have those
figures represented in my collection, but not in their current misb
format. Perhaps I would like to make room in the case for other
things.

What do I do?

Do I waste time seeking out loose mint complete (with paperwork)
specimens of said items, or do I open the toys, keep them, and sell
off the boxes and inserts?

Opening the boxes and keeping the minty toys is easier, quicker, and
saves time for me. But this causes a big hit in my pocketbook, because
opened empty vintage boxes don't sell for a whole lot ;-) Or at least,
not as much as a sealed toy.

I could sell those off for maximum profit, and buy the figures again
loose, but that costs me time and effort, and Lord Knows I'm tired of
the effort these days :-) Besides which, in addition to time and
effort, there is no guarantee I could get the toys in the condition
and level of completeness I want, and in a timely fashion.

So....what is a collector to do?

Thoughts?

Fred: Late for Work, and Still trying to draw the line in the sand at
86 :-) hehe.

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(Responses from other people denoted in (paranthesis)

((Fred - you seem to be so black and white these days....what happened
to the grey side of things?))
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Good question :-) I used to be all about the grey areas. Problem is,
that type of style for my collecting has allowed for (what I feel) is
an unprecedented amount of 'chaff' in the collection. Everything is
*so* grey (for me) for tfs that I don't get anything accomplished.

And you actually hit upon the other problem....it's not just a matter
of time, it's a matter of space ;-) I have exactly one cabinet in my 
office, and my goal is to fit *all* of my tf collection into it.

One way or the other.

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(Responses from other people denoted in (paranthesis)

((You don't have to get rid of them....you can put them in a rubbermaid 
tote, stash them out of sight and display what you want to display now...  
Eventually you'll get tired of looking at the same old stuff, so then you 
go to the totes and look at the stuff you stashed months ago, and you'll 
be like "Wow, I love those MISB Headmasters" and you'll pull them out, or something elseand be happy.  Thats what I do, the only reason I sell 
anything is that I need money.  Of course, I only collect what I 
absolutely enjoy nowadays, I don't buy anything simply based on the 
brand, so I have less to store...)))


See above ;-) It's a matter of space, as well. It's hard to explain
exactly *why* I want to weed, but most of my posts lately have been
like snapping together lego-bricks...I'm gathering information,
revising my own opinion, trying to find exactly what will work for me,
so that I can begin another purging of the collection.

Rubbermaid totes for tfs don't work for me, and there are a couple of
reasons for that :-) One is that my basement flooded last year, if you
recall. The other reason is....if something is in my collection, and I
have to store it in a box instead of displaying it....do I really want
it? If I really like it, then I should want it out all the time, I
think.

You see, I need to understand the mechanics behind my
consumerism....*why* must I have a certain thing, and is the reason a
good enough one? Across-the-board blind joy doesn't cut it anymore. If
I'm to hang onto something, there needs to be a good reason
(sentiment, nostalgia, physical need, desire.... desire being the
weakest link in the chain if we subdivide desires into (1)what we truly
desire versus (2)what other people have programmed into us for desires).


This happened to me with the other junk in my life. It sat in
rubbermaid totes(for a long time. Years). I couldn't enjoy
it. So I took stuff out, and displayed it in a cabinet in my kitchen(a
box at a time). By doing this, I was able to enjoy it (versus it
sitting in a box unseen) and you know what? I discovered that there
was actually a lot of crap I didn't enjoy at all! I was able to weed
out beer steins, salt and pepper shakers, old superhero pepsi glasses,
the works! I was no longer burdened by these material
possessions.....so you see, this purge thing isn't limited to tfs.
I've been narrowing my focus for years. From collecting everything of
everything in the world (oooh, shiny) to only collecting toys, to only
collecting 80's toys, to only collecting tfs....now, I want to only
collect the tfs that I absolutely like. I want to get rid of the
chaff.

It's just that tfs have proven the hardest to weed.

I love them too-muuch to draw myself a definate line, yet if I stay
'in the grey', I will end up filling all the spaces with tfs, and
that's not the way I want to live ;-)

I dunno if that makes sense to anyone else, but it's kind of how I
feel. Even if I converted one of my rental units over (stopped renting
it out, and using it as a display area for all the tfs...like a museum,
or something) it would eventually fill in. Hasbro isn't going to stop
making tfs.

So I have to stop buying them.

Or at least, stop buying all of them :-)


That being said....I still buy a lot of them. But it's easier to get rid
of new incoming stuff than it is to weed out the old stuff :-)

So let's weed the old stuff, too! Bring on the garbage dumpster!
Next up on ebay, all tfs from 86 to 90! It's time to make the final
purge!


I'm not kidding.


I've done it before.

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