In our pop culture life, we have always been spoilt with good products coming out from companies like Hot Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, King Arts, Neca, Hasbro, Kotobukiya, etc. Some of us may have outgrown the urge to buy any more of these so called collectibles but others may have upgraded themselves into higher end products from Gentle Giant, XM Studios, Premium Format from Sideshow and quite recently Prime 1 Studio. What really set Prime 1 Studio from the other higher end collectible companies is they really up the ante of what is available in the market with bigger outlandish polystone collectibles at a very premium price point. This has inadvertently push the high end collectors to make the shift to these type of collection bandwagon.
In
my past year conversations with the high end collectors who have already
amassing Prime 1 Studio statues, I realised that most of them may not know that
sub consciously once you start getting into these high premium collectibles,
there will be less hesitation of buying toys with slightly expensive but below
the VVIP premium price as set out by Prime 1 Studio. This probably due to the
fact that the collectors had already breach the so called high price point and
anything below that may not feel as much pinch. Now it may not completely be
true to everyone but this is my personal view with collectors in mid income
level which I met who are willingly spend a big chunk of their hard earned
money for the love.
We
do know now that there are several main categories of collectors out there
which can be summarise as following:-
a.
Low end toys collectors of everything
by kids/teens
b.
High end collectors of 2 or 3
specific themes of collection. E.g. Star Wars,
Transformers, Ironman, Batman,
etc.
c. Single specific theme collectors E.g.
Star Wars, Transformers, etc.
d. Vintage collectors. E.g. Star Wars,
Metal/Tin Vintage Toys, etc.
The
above list does not even include hobbies which do not categorise as Toy
Collecting like Lego, Gundams, Trains, Remote Controlled vehicles, model making
and prop making. Some collectors may even be a cross between a model maker and
toy collector too which is a great combination. We have seen some very skilled
model makers building fantastic diorama in compliment with the toys and it does
really brings out the environment and feel of what the original toy intended to
be.
There
are also a small particular group of vintage collectors out there who are
spending a fortune collecting rare items. These rare items whether it is from
Star Wars or others are fetching above USD10K and above. Most present
collectors are also influence by the fact their old collection may fetch
something at a similar price too by having their purchase minted in sealed box
(MISB) for several years. Frankly, a Kenner Star Wars MISB item may probably
fetch 50% higher the most which may cost USD50 for a USD25 original price item.
Sadly to say, it would probably not fetch USD10K in the next 20 years to assist
you in your kids college fees. The only true reasons a toy which can fetch
substantial price are due to the fact that it’s likely a limited edition
production of less than 10 pcs in the world and not an old item with 1,000 pcs
already sold despite it being MISB. It can also be an unreleased version of a
toy or prototype unsold to the public or the first debut issue of a popular
franchise which was 40 years ago. E.g. Star Wars.
Therefore,
for all collectors who intended to have their stuff MISB and hoping to strike
jackpot, I would suggest that you rip the box and start playing with your old
stuff. Sorry maybe the word ‘rip’ is a bit harsh here. The fact is that your
collection will definitely not going to make you rich anytime soon. I genuinely
feel that the real reasons some vintage collectors collecting these old but
amazing stuff is to feel some of the old memories coming back to us when we are
a kid and what we were experiencing around us during that time. That toy could
be your totem or benchmark in a point of your life which you can relate to. It
may not need to be even a vintage item to begin with. Most items which are 5 to
10 years back are still available and it really does bring back some fond
memories of the toy or maybe your very own experiences in life back then.
It
has been around 5 years as a collector but I don’t really collect every piece
of expensive stuff. Some of my stuff probably cost less that USD1 and I’m still
proud with it. My advice is try not to be a competitive collector among your
friends and certainly not egoistic as you may end up spending something that
you don’t need and dislike after a period of time. You may want to consider of
trading or selling off some of your collections if you do not really want it so
that they might just be someone out there who sincerely appreciate it. Never
stack boxes of items that you buy which you never opened till your house has
restricted habitable space for your kids and family. It can be a fire hazard
too and obstruction to any fire escape in the event of any emergency.
Hope
you guys like reading and please do comment and give us your views.
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