When Is It Time To Part With A Collection?

[Ruby Fusion]

Apr 16, 2024 3:25:51 GMT -5 hbkjason said:

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.

I feel you: like yourself I also have other collections, next to my wrestling collection. Most is indeed sitting in the attic. My collections even resemble yours: comics, board games, instead of consoles I own Commodore computers and their games. Then I also have a (mostly metal) record, tape and cd collection, a vhs and dvd collection. There's also my Playmobil geared to adults collection: Star Trek TOS Enterprise, 007 Aston Martin, the A-Team van, Knight Rider K.I.T.T. 2000 and Magnum's Ferrari 308 GTS. Yes, I guess I'm a horder...

Anyway the last six months I've also been thinking about parting wth a huge chunk of my wrestling collection, in the end I only want to keep my: Bullmark JWA figures, Popys (and JSD figures), Charapro 3 3/4" figures, some bootlegs and rings, some LJNs (Hogans, Kirchners, Studds) and rings, some Hasbros (Hogans, Jannettys, Roberts, Valentine, Undertaker, HBK, Repo Man, Skinner, Shango, Bomb) and rings, retros (all makers), every other Akira Taue, Hogan and Jannetty I own.

[hbkjason]

Apr 17, 2024 3:06:44 GMT -5 Ruby Fusion said:

Apr 16, 2024 3:25:51 GMT -5 hbkjason said:

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.

I feel you: like yourself I also have other collections, next to my wrestling collection. Most is indeed sitting in the attic. My collections even resemble yours: comics, board games, instead of consoles I own Commodore computers and their games. Then I also have a (mostly metal) record, tape and cd collection, a vhs and dvd collection. There's also my Playmobil geared to adults collection: Star Trek TOS Enterprise, 007 Aston Martin, the A-Team van, Knight Rider K.I.T.T. 2000 and Magnum's Ferrari 308 GTS. Yes, I guess I'm a horder...

Anyway the last six months I've also been thinking about parting wth a huge chunk of my wrestling collection, in the end I only want to keep my: Bullmark JWA figures, Popys (and JSD figures), Charapro 3 3/4" figures, some bootlegs and rings, some LJNs (Hogans, Kirchners, Studds) and rings, some Hasbros (Hogans, Jannettys, Roberts, Valentine, Undertaker, HBK, Repo Man, Skinner, Shango, Bomb) and rings, retros (all makers), every other Akira Taue, Hogan and Jannetty I own.

I have gotten better at passing stuff up too, I went in hard with the Star Wars Vintage and Retro Collection and would pick them up all the time on clearance, even if it was a character or figure I did not care about. I did the same with with Masters of the Universe too! I can see something in a store, think it looks cool, look at it and move on better these days. I try to be way more selective with what I buy these days.... although the two Movie Star Turtles and Last Ronin Comic Cover Pop I just bought over the weekend may suggest other wise lol, but I am getting better.

At the end of the day I only have so much space and if stuff is in boxes, totes or even worse, bags up in the attic it is better going to someone who can display and appreciate it more than I can. I do not think I will ever stop collecting, but I am way more strict with what I buy these days than I was even just a year ago.

Also, not that I think I am going to die any time soon (I am 42) but my son has no interest in wrestling and he is not really a huge collector of things, thankfully he has always been way more selective. He is not going to want any of my collection and I would not want him to have the hassle of dealing with it. My wife would probably just take it all to the dump

[hbkjason]

I am back with another update that no one asked for

I went crazy over weekend and I put a whole bunch of stuff up on eBay, mostly video game stuff. I had some pretty heavy hitters in my attic such as boxed copies of stuff like Silent Hill, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Dino Crisis and some pricey stuff for the Wii U. I also for some reason found not 1, not 2, not 3, but 11 yes 11 Sega Mega Drive/Genesis controllers, 7 SNES controllers, 6 NES controllers. 14 (no typo by the way) Xbox 360 controllers and more. Why I was hoarding video game controllers is beyond me, but I am going to keep a few for each system and get rid of the rest.

I am still not any closer on my Hasbro stuff, but when my attic is cleared, I am 100 percent going to have the original series one 12 up on display and then I will take it from there. I think I am getting to a point where I can see myself selling some of the figures. There are many that I liked as a kid, but do not have any sentimental attachment to. For example, off the top of my head, Duggan 2, Bushwhackers 2, Nailz, Boss Man 2, Bret Hart 2, Mr. Perfect 2. I am sure there are others, but these are the ones of the top of my head. I know Bret Hart 2 is a better figure than the first, but it was the first I played with a ton as a kid, not the second release, same with Mr. Perfect.

I dug out my Thundercats collection and put it up on eBay and made a deal with a dude locally and it is all gone. It felt great to get rid of that to be honest with you. I liked Thundercats as a kid, but why I went all in buying stuff for it I do not know.

This was never something I went into with making money in mind, but already, from the games and toys I have sold, I have made a decent chunk and anything I make is going to go towards a trip to Disneyland Paris we are taking later this year so that is cool.

I have said it before, but if you are in a situation like I was where your collection was starting to overwhelm you, start by selling just one thing, one thing that you know for a fact you are not attached to and you may be surprised at how it opens the floodgates for you.

I am still a collector and over the last few weeks, I have added a few Turtles and even a Star Wars figure to my collection. However, if when I see something in the store or online I cannot think of a place to display it, I can appreciate it in the store and then move on.

[MKSavage]

Apr 22, 2024 2:30:28 GMT -5 hbkjason said:

I am back with another update that no one asked for

I went crazy over weekend and I put a whole bunch of stuff up on eBay, mostly video game stuff. I had some pretty heavy hitters in my attic such as boxed copies of stuff like Silent Hill, Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter, Dino Crisis and some pricey stuff for the Wii U. I also for some reason found not 1, not 2, not 3, but 11 yes 11 Sega Mega Drive/Genesis controllers, 7 SNES controllers, 6 NES controllers. 14 (no typo by the way) Xbox 360 controllers and more. Why I was hoarding video game controllers is beyond me, but I am going to keep a few for each system and get rid of the rest.

I am still not any closer on my Hasbro stuff, but when my attic is cleared, I am 100 percent going to have the original series one 12 up on display and then I will take it from there. I think I am getting to a point where I can see myself selling some of the figures. There are many that I liked as a kid, but do not have any sentimental attachment to. For example, off the top of my head, Duggan 2, Bushwhackers 2, Nailz, Boss Man 2, Bret Hart 2, Mr. Perfect 2. I am sure there are others, but these are the ones of the top of my head. I know Bret Hart 2 is a better figure than the first, but it was the first I played with a ton as a kid, not the second release, same with Mr. Perfect.

I dug out my Thundercats collection and put it up on eBay and made a deal with a dude locally and it is all gone. It felt great to get rid of that to be honest with you. I liked Thundercats as a kid, but why I went all in buying stuff for it I do not know.

This was never something I went into with making money in mind, but already, from the games and toys I have sold, I have made a decent chunk and anything I make is going to go towards a trip to Disneyland Paris we are taking later this year so that is cool.

I have said it before, but if you are in a situation like I was where your collection was starting to overwhelm you, start by selling just one thing, one thing that you know for a fact you are not attached to and you may be surprised at how it opens the floodgates for you.

I am still a collector and over the last few weeks, I have added a few Turtles and even a Star Wars figure to my collection. However, if when I see something in the store or online I cannot think of a place to display it, I can appreciate it in the store and then move on.

Yeah, I've been in the same boat recently. I've been thinking of selling a bunch of my WWE Mattel stuff. It's just getting too much. Space and cost being the main issues. Also, now with all the re-releases, it's hard to keep up with purchasing stuff. Plus, all the exclusives to Walmart make it hard to find things. I went through my Mattel collection and looked at figures I'm not that attached too. Mostly of wrestlers who I have more than one figure of, I figure I will just keep the most definitive (too me) figure of a wrestler and sell the rest. I mean, really... how many grey-gloved Undertaker's do I need... I think I went through my collection and found about 50 I'm going to get rid of soon. Possibly, more after a while. Still can't part with my Hasbro's, though. That was my favorite toy line growing up, so it has too much sentimental value at the moment. I've also thought of pairing my Hasbro collection with my Mattel collection. Basically, I want to buy a Mattel figure of a wrestler that matches the Hasbro figure. For instance, the new UE Dusty Rhodes figure works perfectly for the Hasbro Dusty Rhodes figure. The old Ringside Exclusive Mattel Macho King in the purple tights works best for the Hasbro #2 Macho King. And so on. But, time will tell. 

[darkprophet]

I’m with you. I’ve learned over time that a smaller collection can actually look nicer and more organized, comfortable and fun. Maturity in middle age, perhaps?

[newgenandy]

Apr 22, 2024 9:24:33 GMT -5 darkprophet said:

I’m with you. I’ve learned over time that a smaller collection can actually look nicer and more organized, comfortable and fun. Maturity in middle age, perhaps?

I also think it’s more interesting for discussion too

If someone curates a collection on eras, superstars, particular PPVs or feuds, based on what they had as a kid etc is far more interesting

I’m all for going all in on a collection if it’s limited in some way, e.g. there’s been 3 wwe hall of fame funko pops spread out a bit and I’m going to go all in on those as they seem to be very few and far between and uniform boxes etc

But as far as figures so I only have the hasbros on display I had as a kid and Mattel’s I have my fave wrestlers - bam bam, bret and Seth.

With my star wars Lego it’s key moments from the films primarily the 18+ or anniversary sets.

[hbkjason]

Good day my hard rocking amigos, here is another unwanted update

I have been kicking ass! My entire Amiga and Sega Master System collections are gone. My Transfromers collection all bar three figures is gone, all of the Sega Mega Drive games that I did not want, gone. I donated a ton of comic books to my sons old primary school and the school my wife works at.

I even have a few Star Wars figures for sale that currently have bids on them. With my Star Wars Retro and Vintage Collection my rule is that I can have the figures I have on display in my game room and that is it. For example, I want to add the two Ewok vintage collection figures so that means two have to be sold. This clears room in the game room, but without adding anything to the hoarders paradise that is my attic and it also makes the new figures a little cheaper or in this case free with a few quid to spare

One thing that is a bit devastating is that my Guitar Hero collection is gone, I am not sad it is gone, but I had the pretty rare Aerosmith guitar and I left it in the attic for years and forgot to take the batteries out, no prizes for guessing what happened I was still able to sell it to a guy that thinks he can fix it, but for a fraction of what it was worth. I even had the box, the strap, the little booklet and everything! Thankfully, the guitar was not stored in the box so it did not ruin that. I have managed to clean up battery corrosion before, but this was something else! One of the little metal springs that connect the batteries fell off completely, like just flaked away!

Now, with all this stuff gone, you may think my attic is clear, but that is nowhere near the case. It is still a freaking mess up there, I have to move something to a different place, step into that place, move something else, step into that place. It is honestly a nightmare and even though I have sold a bunch of stuff, it can still get overwhelming.

As far as my Hasbros go, I am leaning more towards keeping them than I have been before. Once the attic gets more cleared out and I can turn it into a little kick it spot and have them on display I will decide if I want to let any that I have no nostalgia for go.

I may be at a point where my wrestling programs can go, but I am not sure if that is worth doing, I do still have my SummerSlam 92 one and some New Generation era programs, but I do not think there is any value in them. My trading card collection is weird, I have several collections (I made a post a while back about them and my programs) and there are three I am very attached to, the WrestleMania I to VI collection, the 1991 collection and the 1995 collection. I would be willing to let all the rest go, but apart from the WrestleMania set, all my other collections are in three binders so even if I got rid of the collections I do not care about, I would not be saving any space.

Sorry for the long post, but even if no one reads this, keeping a record/diary/rambling or whatever you want to call it is helping keeping me going.

[darkprophet]

Great progress! Congrats!