When Is It Time To Part With A Collection?

[hbkjason]

Looking for some advice, ideas, ramblings or whatever here

I am 42 and I have collected (or horded as my wife likes to say) a lot of stuff over the years. I grew up with Hasbros and they are probably my favorite toy line of all time. I have a near complete set (minus the mailaways green cards, Dusty and the re-release HBK and Razor) and I love them, some of these are my actual childhood ones and that is kind of awesome. However, for the last 10 or so years, they have been in a box in my attic. My son has no interest in wrestling at all so there is no way he will want them so I have been kind of thinking that it might be time to let them go. I did start a second Hasbro collection a few years ago where I would pick up figures when I saw them cheap in charity shops and at car boot sales and I did get rid of all those.

Have any of you done this? Not just with Hasbros, but any kind of collection? I am a huge video game collector and no lie, I easily have over 300 games across a number of systems in my attic too and I am thinking it may be time to start thinning that down too!

Anyway, back to the Hasbros. I thought about maybe keeping the first 12 or say five of my favorites, but I am not sure if all or nothing is the way to go. I have also thought about maybe just selling one that I have no real sentimental attachment to. For example, I have a great condition 2nd version of Hacksaw Jim Duggan and I still have the flag accessory. I loved the original Jim Duggan, but this figure means nothing to me, so I thought it might be the way to go. If I could sell one, maybe that would open the floodgates and make me more willing to let the others go. On the other hand, if I sell it and regret it, at least it was a figure that I had no attachment too.

My son finishes high school this year and my wife and I have said that in the next couple of years, we would like to move and my attic is so bad when it comes to my collectables, I simply cannot fathom organizing it and taking it with me so I am getting more serious about letting things go.

Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated

[romanthenewyorker]

My first initial thoughts is to thin down the video games, as a Physical media collector as well I understand the importance of keeping physical copies, but we’re approaching the singularity with video games imo.

Between Classic hits 4 in 1 rereleases on new systems and emulators with thousands of games maybe winding down to a handful and converting to those all in one systems solves that.

Personally for hasbros I’ve never been able to complete the set because my unwillingness to spend so much for specific figures but I’m more than half way through, I collect used ones with wear because it doesn’t bother me.
As a investment I think having a complete or near complete MOC is a easy sell for a high price with many ppl still trying to get a full set or secondary collections etc so you’ll be at no loss.

Last thing I’ll say is that every good collection should be displayed…if you and your wife are moving and you can’t have a dedicated space for your collections are you even getting to fully appreciate them?

[hbkjason]

Mar 26, 2024 5:24:40 GMT -5 romanthenewyorker said:

My first initial thoughts is to thin down the video games, as a Physical media collector as well I understand the importance of keeping physical copies, but we’re approaching the singularity with video games imo.

Between Classic hits 4 in 1 rereleases on new systems and emulators with thousands of games maybe winding down to a handful and converting to those all in one systems solves that.

Personally for hasbros I’ve never been able to complete the set because my unwillingness to spend so much for specific figures but I’m more than half way through, I collect used ones with wear because it doesn’t bother me.
As a investment I think having a complete or near complete MOC is a easy sell for a high price with many ppl still trying to get a full set or secondary collections etc so you’ll be at no loss.

Last thing I’ll say is that every good collection should be displayed…if you and your wife are moving and you can’t have a dedicated space for your collections are you even getting to fully appreciate them?

That is what I am thinking, rather than stuff being in boxes in my attic, it would be better being enjoyed and appreciated by someone who will have the space to display them. My memories of collecting and playing with Hasbros is never going to go away

As far as the video game stuff goes, I still love playing games and I have a large SNES collection for example, but I also have a modded SNES Classic which is in my game room so all my actual SNES stuff is in the attic! It is the same with NES and Mega Drive too!

[newgenandy]

I have a simple rule of thumb which is

1. 6 months. Have I used the item in 6 months? If not it goes

2. Do I enjoy the item? This is the bit more pertinent to collecting. If I collect something I want to enjoy it. Star Wars Lego being the best example. I enjoy the building process than when cleaning or rearranging the collection I can take time to marvel at the intricacies and engineering involved. Change up the display and combat scenes etc. I had a huge amount of figured I got rid off cos they were just up the loft collecting dust.

If you don’t have the collection on display or enjoy it I’d get rid but we each have our own collecting rules, habits and quirks which I’d part of what makes it fun imo

[kiphouse]

Basically do you have the space and do you need the money. If you dont have the space or could use a few bucks then go for it. Otherwise keep it.

[hbkjason]

Mar 26, 2024 10:01:51 GMT -5 kiphouse said:

Basically do you have the space and do you need the money. If you dont have the space or could use a few bucks then go for it. Otherwise keep it.

That's the thing, I have a game room where I have my collectibles on display, but it is a very small box room so I can only have so much on display. I am in a situation where if something new is added, something has to be cut. I do not really need the money either, do not get me wrong I would always like money, but it is not like I am (touch wood) desperate for it to pay bills or anything like that. Technically, I do have the space as my attic is out of sight so it is out of mind and it is not doing any harm up there. I would hate to sell it and then the money just be kind of pissed away on nothing. if there was something big that I wanted, it would probably be an easier decision to sell.

It is not a decision I am going to rush into

[hulkjoegan]

I nearly gave my near complete Hasbro collection to a toy guy at my local market 15-20 years ago….as they were just sat in a tub in my mum’s loft.

I’m VERY glad that I didn’t….but I still regret the fact that I nearly did.
So my advice would be DON’T DO IT.

[nibs92]

I fell on hard times around 10 years ago and ended up selling my whole collection. Like you, Hasbros were my favourites but had to say goodbye to them. Felt like Chocolate Shark when I did it.

Tread carefully if you do man. Once they’re gone they’re gone. I still wish I hadn’t but that’s just how life went.

If your new house has an attic, can you not find a corner to store a box of them?

[drblazelj]

Keep the things that hold the most value to you, not necessarily the market. If hasbros are your loves keep them hasbros!

[mrh]

I am in the process of getting rid of all my toys (and basically every single thing I own that I don't use).

I will not get rid of my Hasbros, even if they're in my own closet. I said I would keep all of them that I love (like you said, will get rid of those that really don't bring me joy). I just feel like knowing I have them -- along with a very few select other figures -- makes me happy, even if I only pull them out rarely.

Good luck!

[robbutler01]

Definitely think long and hard.
I'm in a similar place so have been selling other buts and kept hasbros.
Downsized them by getting rid of the most valuable ones that don't mean as much as got them more recently and kept my childhood ones. Also sold where there is more than one version ie hacksaw, yoko, bushwhackers, black post ring etc
Mine are in a tub but would regret selling them all.
Same with wwe dvds - kept my favourite events or dvds with matches I like most and go back to. Even with streaming etc I like to have my copies

[PVA]

If you are debating then you probably aren’t ready to sell but could be getting closer.
Maybe in 6 months from now you will be ready to have that attic space cleared out.

Prioritizes what you collect and what YOU value. If you kept the first couple sentimental waves of hasbro, would they be displayed or still in the attic?

[Thunder Chunky]

I just sold about 95% of my wrestling figure collection over the last couple of months.

What did it for me was walking into my spare room and seeing bins and boxes of figures that I wasn't doing anything with. It started to overwhelm me, so I got rid of most of everything. I just kept my favorite wrestlers and a few of the rarer figures.

[romanthenewyorker]

Another option is if you’re running out of space is to really look at the voids in space you’re not fully utilizing in that room.

I recently started a “warehouse/garage shelf” display case build from scratch & I now have space to display 4 scale rings then all of my loose figures.

Looking into alternatives to maximize your space should be the first step if you don’t want to let go

[@Chair.Shot]

Years ago I moved from Washington to California but wasn’t sure how permanent it was going to be. I stored my childhood collection at my moms. After a few years I decided to sell it. Around 100 Hasbros, 300+ Jakks, OSFTM, Toybiz, etc. Probably in the ballpark of 20 rings.

I couldn’t even give it away. Ended up taking it to goodwill other than a handful of figures that meant something special to me. At that time there just wasn’t a way for me to store it, transport it, etc.

[darkprophet]

When it was just me and my brother, as an adult with a professional income but not a lot of my own financial responsibilities, my collection was immense and was all over my home, including in totes/storage. I collected all kinds of action figures, including wrestling, Star Wars, Marvel, and random movie figs; along with getting a large Sideshow statue collection. Now though, I am a married father, with significantly different priorities and space limitations. I have sold the majority of my collection, holding onto the pieces I love most and what I can display in a small home office. Now, when I want to buy more, I think about space limitations first. Do I want it more than things I’ve already sold? If needed (for space), would I want to sell something else to fit this? Additionally, I have given myself a monthly “allowance” now to manage my collecting spending. I “could” afford to spend more, but don’t want the temptation. So this keeps me mindful of my purchases too. I have held onto (and proudly display) my childhood LJN collection, and still buy figs of wrestlers from that era (my favorites now are the Coliseum Collection and Big Rubber Guys). Personally, if I can’t display it, I’m not enjoying it, so don’t see a point in keeping it. It’s a LOT less than what I had 10 or so years ago, but it feels tighter and better displayed now, which actually makes it more comfortable to enjoy too! To each their own, truly!

[Dylan ❤️s Wrestling]

I am definitely getting where you are at with my WWF Hasbro collection.

I personally decided to keep the most mint figures, especially those with accessories.

It ended up being 11 favourites.

I will probably just sell the doubles first, then the rest to friends if I can and whatever is left maybe to a local shop where I know the owner?

It always feels a bit better when they go to a better home, at least for me.

[britishbrickfan]

I guess my questions would be:

1) what are you keeping them for? is it to sell them and profit from the sale? or to display/own them?

if it's just to sell them, then I guess the next question is:

2) are you happy with the current going rate? is it more or less than you were hoping to get? (being realistic) and does the collecting market look like the price will increase soon?

if you were not keeping them to sell, and you weren't actively checking to see if there's an active/thriving market to sell them, then are you just collecting for fun? if so....

3) what do you find fun? is it just the concept of "owning them all" or is it more you're into specific figures, and the others are a "nice to have"?

if you find yourself with figures you don't care about, or don't like, then maybe sell those and keep the ones you have a sentimental attachment to?

[hbkjason]

Just wanted to say thanks to all for the replies and I wanted to share my progress so far.

I started with the video game collection, I was absolutely ruthless and got rid of over 100 games across many different systems. I now do not own any repeat games on any system. I had three copies of some games across different systems! I am going to thin it down even more I think, I have a large SNES, Mega Drive, NES, Master System collection and I have already got out some Mega Drive, Master System, N64 and NES games out ready to be processed to sell. The SNES is my favorite system of all time and I have a bit more attachment to that so I am struggling there a bit. I have the various mini consoles so it is not like I ever play on the actual hardware, but as of right now, the hardware is not going to be sold. I want to thank those who said to start with the games as this has really opened the floodgates and made me comfortable getting rid of stuff. It is like in American Pickers where they would try and get someone to sell just one item as that can then make them realise its ok to sell stuff.

My attic is honestly like something out of an episode of horders, but I am making progress. I have a board game collection and I have decided that the majority of it is going. I know you get next to nothing for board games, but if I even get £1 to £5 for them at a car boot sale I am going to at the end of the month, it is better than nothing and better than them sitting in my attic.

I do have a bunch of my sons toys from when he was a kid and there are things I have decided that I will not get rid of and save them for when he is older and then he can decide if he wants to keep them or not. His Skylanders, DC Imaginext collection, Star Wars Galactic Heroes, Marvel Super Hero Squad and Marvel Spider-Man and Friends toys are going to be kept. Everything else, unless he says he wants it, it is going.

My comic book collection is pretty crazy too, all of my TMNT comics are staying as are my favorite issues from Marvel and DC. To be honest, I do not have anything crazily valuable, I plan on donating the rest of my comic book collection to my sons old primary school. I taught him to read via comic books and it would be cool for other kids (we do live in what is classed as a "deprived area") to enjoy and learn to love reading.

Now, to my Hasbro collection. I went through it and to be honest with you, as I was holding them and looking at them I had a smile on my face the whole time and my wife said that I would regret selling them and she is right. To be honest, at least 90 percent of my Hasbro collection is mine that I had as a kid so they are probably not even mint enough for a hardcore collector, although I do have stuff like Hacksaws accessories, the Macho King septer and crown, Damian and so on. As the attic is getting cleared out, I have realized that I have been wasting this space for years! It is an attic, but it is fully floored, I have power up there and it is an actual room. I am going to put my Hasbro collection on display up there and have my comic books out and just have it as a chill out spot.


Sorry for the long post, but if you are like me and have a large collection of all kinds of stuff, just try selling one thing or a particular series of things and then take it from there. I am honestly so glad that I have done this. Sure the bit of money I have made from selling games and a few pieces so far is great, but actually getting this space clear and the thought of having a whole room, a room which is way bigger than my game/toy room is pretty exciting.

[darkprophet]

Nicely done! I’m glad to hear you have made a plan to display the collectibles you hold in the highest regard.