League of Extraordinary Bloggers: Would You Rather?

Wow, this is a super open topic, and I am way late posting, but here goes.

Would you rather pare your collecting down to one theme/franchise/object, or give up collecting altogether?

As someone who collects a little bit of everything, from toys of every era, shape and size to comics to art to records, this would be a horrible choice. I am not good at picking my favorite anything. Here’s the breakdown of my major categories, and my case for each.

Vintage Toys

Pros:

• The thrill of the hunt
• Nostalgia
• Owning pieces of toy history
• Many eras to choose from
• Gorgeous sculpts
• Fun to discover an old toy line
• Fun to photograph
• Strong collectors’ community

Cons:

• Hard to complete some lines
• Finite number of toys to collect in a line
• Hard to find complete vintage figures
• Frustrating when you can’t find what you want
• Some are very expensive
• Collection envy

Comics

Pros:

• Thrill of the hunt
• Easy access to new books
• Variety of places to find comics
• Items at any price range
• Beautiful artwork and stories
• Owning a piece of comics history
• Variety of styles, from handmade ‘zines to mass market books
• Strong community with lots of discussion
• Ability to support artist/writer friends

Cons:

• Hard to complete some titles or find key issues
• Condition varies
• Can be expensive
• So many continuities to keep up with
• Too much to consume
• Fanboys

New Toys (Retail)

Pros:

• Easy access
• Always something new to buy
• Innovations improve on vintage counterparts
• Fun to photograph

Cons:

• Not a lot of variety
• Stores picked clean by associates
• Expense
• Stores stock the same items

New Toys (Art)

Pros:

• Supporting friends who make toys
• Beautiful variety of materials and designs
• Innovative designs and playability
• Limited editions

Cons:

• Expense
• Availability
• Too many choices
• Keeping up with releases and products

Art

Pros:

• Supporting artist friends
• Being surrounded by beautiful images
• Personalizing space
• Owning something unique

Cons:

• Limited wall space
• Expense
• Too many choices

Records

Pros:

• Cover art
• Nostalgia
• Sound
• Fun of playing records
• Availability

Cons:

• Condition can be an issue
• Expense for rarer records
• My record player is on the fritz

So after making this list, I’ve determined that if I had to choose between paring my collection down to one thing or giving it up altogether, I’d probably have to give it up. I can’t imagine choosing vintage toys at the expense of not being able to support my friends or going to a convention and not being able to dig through longboxes.

But who am I kidding? I’m a collector by nature. It’s such a part of who I am, I’d be a bit lost without the connections I’ve made with fellow collectors and taking pictures of the cool things I’ve picked up on my travels. I’d miss buying comics in 50-cent bins that make me laugh or are just too bizarre not to bring home. I’d miss adding to the oddities in our plastic palace.

So what about you, gentle readers? Given the choice of streamlining your collecting focus or giving it all up, which would you choose?

Here are a few other links from around the League:

• http://gijigsaw.blogspot.com/2014/04/league-assignment-would-you-rather.html
• http://aeiouwhy.blogspot.com/2014/05/league-post-would-you-rather.html
• http://goodwillhunting4geeks.blogspot.com/2014/05/league-post-would-you-rather.html
• http://fortuneandglorydays.blogspot.com/2014/05/loeb-would-you-rather.html