Michael Mierzwa
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
John Wooten wrote:
> >Actually one of the few pieces I have seen sell *was* a Yak and for
> >$3000!!!
> wow
Yup. That is about what I was thinking ... and to think, I thought I
was crazy for buying a loose General Lando POTF85!!! :)
Anyway, I believe Dave Wonnenberg posted something about this, I
remember us talking about it and he knew the dealer (I think).
I can't remember what was so special about this Yak, but I watched my
chances of ever getting a vintage Yak cardback shrink down to nothing!
Michael Mierzwa
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <6guasj$...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net>, "MegatronForever"
>items. Take that at face value for what ever you want, but I like to think
>that "advanced collectors" don't relate and are kinda smug towards "new"
>collectors because they see the hobby differently and kind of mask their
>own difference by supposing a divide between themselves and those
>collectors who haven't comt to or never will what supposed advanced
>collectors do.
You really like these anonymous and vague stories, don't you? Put up or shut
up, it's getting old.
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
>And when I see people who are only interested in rare items, and seem to
>have no interest in other aspects of star wars collecting, than I begin to
>wonder about people's intentions. For instance if someone actively sought
>out an ROTJ Leia or a Trilogo Madine, but had no interest or owned no other
>ROTJ or trilogo figures.
Criminy man, when are you gonna start paying attention?!?? Who cares WHAT or
WHY?!?!? Who appointed you in charge of deciding what people's motives
are? So what if someone wants those figures and only those? maybe they enjoy
the challenge of it all? despite the repeated statements toward this fact, I
still think you are under the impression that this is impossible. Rubbish!!!
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
>> Well, you know, that might be because I hold some respect for the people
>I was
>> addressing my post to (regardless of whether I agree with them or not)
>and I
>> tend to speak to them as such. Ya think?
>Well I am sorry if my expressing my opinion offended the mighty gods of
>rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage.
are those violins or violas? I can never tell.
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <6gu8vd$rk...@halcyon.com>, l...@halcyon.com (Gus Lopez) wrote:
>Why does prototype collecting make one elitist? I think such a conclusion
>says more about Joe than about the collector Joe is judging.
Yep, it's no better than what some people are accusing said collectors
of...thinking those that collect more common stuff are inferior. Both ideas
are a lot of baloney.
>Please, let's end the scapegoating. We all collect different things, and
>no one is "better" than anyone else because of what they choose to
>collect.
sadly, certain people in this thread refuse to acknowledge such statements...i
mean, several people have been saying this for a week now and some people
still don't get it. I imagine within 5-6 posts, it'll be just another whining
thread from those who feel oppressed.
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <3532CB1E.7...@ix.netcom.com>, mmier...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>Ditto for looking at a slice of a SW collector. If *all* I see is
>prototypes, then I'm going to make some assumptions (right or wrong).
>While it is possible that I've run into *just* the prototype display ...
>and while it is possible this person just likes them because they are
>cool or because this person likes developmental stuff ... I still might
>wonder if this person likes having stuff just because other people
>can't. NOTE: I'm not saying that *I* would assume this, but from what
Can you please explain to me how this alone could be or is pleasurable?
What's the fun in having something no one else has? There's a *lot* more to
it than this. people like the hunt, they like the work involved in finding
stuff, or maybe, just maybe, they think it's really cool, or they have the
regular stuff and are interested in the history. Better yet, why are people
judgemental? It makes no sense. here these folks are, telling people in this
thread over and over and over that if A makes someone happy, then they have
every right to collect it and we should all appreciate that fact and not even
worry about it. I guess I would think that people would think as I do when
they see Gus's, Chris's, Steve D's or anyone elses rare stuff...WOW...without
judgement and just full appreciation for the sheer coolness of something you
just don't see every day.
>I've seen of Eric's posts, I think he might. And there isn't anything
gee, ya think? :^)
>wrong with that. Afterall, I have to accept that Eric's judgements are
>based on his collection of experiences, and he might have good reason to
or possibly his incessant need to whine about the "haves" this isn't new, you
know....of course, he hasn't said anything in a long time like this...I had
thought maybe he grew out of his little vendetta...
>I don't think anybody in this thread has suggested that. Of course
Read Eric's post, as well as one or two of MegatronForever's
>As for it being impossible for everybody to have every unique item ...
>of course, math alone would argue that. :) Mass balance, mutual
>exclusivity, etc. etc. But that isn't the point.
I've seen some people's stuff who are damn close :^)
>I've been a long time advocate on this and other RASS.* groups about the
>diversity of backgrouns and motivations of SW fans and collectors! I
>honestly think that many people are only seeing what they want to see.
>:( While I personally trust Eric about as far as I can throw him, due
>to this scalping issue ... I still see the merit of some of his posts,
eric? Eric S isn't a scalper, that I think I can say with certainty. I think
you've mixed up him and megatronforever.
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <6gujl0$cn...@newsd-123.bryant.webtv.net>, gel...@webtv.net (Mike B) wrote:
>Am I the only person here that doesn't get turned on by protos? They
>just don't attract my interest.
>Production pieces remind me about the good old days the most.. (and only
>loose ones at that). I'm not knocking anybody here as I can see a SW
>collector eventually getting everything possible and then turning to
>protos because they love SW and still have the need to collect. SW
>collecting is fun, and that really is the bottom line, isn't it?
Amen man, Amen.
I'd love to have a figure proto someday, but to really turn me on, it'd have
to be more than a first shot or something...looks too much like the regular
figure. I do like proofs and such, though I'm not sure whether you'd call
them prototypes in the sense that has been used here.
john
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <3532E008.7...@ix.netcom.com>, mmier...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>John Wooten wrote:
>> Demand sets these prices.
>Or is it supply. ;) I think POTF85 is in shorter supply than say, ESB
>or ROTJ figures.
depends on which ones, IMO. POTF figures are everywhere, IMO. You can find a POTF Stormtrooper 10 times
easier than a ROTJ 48 back or ESB 21 back Stormtrooper
>Actually one of the few pieces I have seen sell *was* a Yak and for
>$3000!!!
wow
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <3532FC28.2...@ix.netcom.com>, mmier...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>But there are collectors of rare antiquities that like them because they
>are one of a kind. Shoot, part of the reason I like my custom droids is
That's a lot different than saying someone is collecting something "just so no
one else can have it" That's the sort of rubbish I've read in this thread.
>Judgemental makes perfect sense ... well not exactly, but it is
>something that most people do every day. Is that car really going to
>stop at the stop sign? Do I need to count my change right now? Is this
>person a good person to trade or deal with?
You're not using "judgemental" in the same context as I did. Judgemental, as
I meant (and it usually means) refers to the drawing of conclusions about
someone's motives or actions and then judging them right or wrong.
>Asking a human not to make a judgement is like saying, "please sit and
>do nothing ... nothing at all."
Come on Michael, that's not at all what I meant. This is silly.
>The thing about their collections is they actually share a slice of them
>with us, via the web! :) What surprises me is that few people remind
>others of this when the issue comes up, as it would seem to me that they
>do collect for reasons beyond what Eric was thinking. I would guess
>that part of the reason they collect is to perserve stuff so that people
>in the future might get to see it ... hence the Collector's Archieve.
I know, I brought this up way early in this thread when someone thought it was
"showing off" or whatever.
>Which Eric are we talking about? Megatron or Eric S.? :/
megatron is "eric"? now it gets confusing...I thought you meant eric s.
didn't think about eric duchak, my bad
>Eric D. *is* Megatron? Right??? :/ I thought his handle was Megatron
yeah, already cleared up.
John
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <3532FCC5.3...@ix.netcom.com>, mmier...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
>John Wooten wrote:
>> sadly, certain people in this thread refuse to acknowledge such
> statements...i
>> mean, several people have been saying this for a week now and some people
>> still don't get it. I imagine within 5-6 posts, it'll be just another
> whining
>> thread from those who feel oppressed.
>If you think that danger is present, then have you considered doing
>something to prevent it?
like what? the very presence of this thread and the people in it are enough
to bring out the wacko squad
>Asking more questions, than providing answers might help steer people
>stuck in a rut to move on or discover their own answers. At least I've
>found I respond great to when people ask for me to think through my own
>logic. ;)
What am I going to ask questions about? I'm perfectly clear on this. I don't
care what anyone else collects and I should hope they certainly don't care
what I would think about it. People should collect whatever makes them happy,
whether it's SW bedsheets, wax protos or SW buddies.
John
Chris Fawcett
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
MegatronForever wrote:
> > However, collections do speak to the people whom assembled them.
> And when I see people who are only interested in rare items, and seem to
> have no interest in other aspects of star wars collecting, than I begin to
> wonder about people's intentions. For instance if someone actively sought
> out an ROTJ Leia or a Trilogo Madine, but had no interest or owned no other
> ROTJ or trilogo figures.
And what's wrong with this? Nothing. Why can't a person genuinely want
a ROTJ Leia, but not a ROTJ Weequay???
Here's my take on the whole thing. I agree that some people tend to
chase hype and rarity. *But* the ones that are doing it simply for the
fact of doing it are the ones that won't be in the hobby long. They're
the fad collectors out there colelcting what the media, other
collectors, etc. tell them to collect.
Take this example: What if there's a collector whose collected Star
Wars for 10 years, but all he has in his collection are super rare
production pieces, with no "theme". Like POTF Anakin, the X-Wing Aces
game, all the Canadian Utility belts, 12b VC Jawa, a Sandcrawler. Does
he have bad intentions??? I think not. He just likes rare stuff and
there's nothing wrong with that. And he's certainly involved and cares
about the hobby if he's been at it for 10 years. Obviously he's happy
with what he's acquired to have stayed in the hobby this long. So, his
intentions are correct. He's collecting what he wants and enjoys.
Cj
rlcox
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <3532F757.3...@ix.netcom.com>,
mmier...@ix.netcom.com wrote:
> > It is a fallacy to think that people who collect rare stuff do so with
> > malicious intent to deprive their fellow collectors of such items.
> I'd agree with that. But I would be in error to not expect a fraction
> of people to think this. And I would be in error again if I did not at
> least accept the fact that they might have reasons beyond their own
> "personal" interests to motivate them as such.
Like what? Why would they think this, if not motivated by something
personal. I sometimes feel that "Nobody can have this it should be in a
museum." equates to "I don't have it and it's your fault so nobody should
have it." It's ridiculous and I don't understand it. And let's be realistic
here. Somebody's going to pick up the rare stuff, period. Why begrudge those
who have the time and resources to find the stuff? More power to them. I love
to hear about new finds in thew hobby. We're lucky everyone likes to talk
about their stuff and that there is a toysrgus.com
> But Joe is like I said in another post, a hypothetical or imaginary
> creation. Joe allows the issues to be examined without any personal
> attachments. For example, in statistics examples people always count
> widgets, urns, marbles, and gum drops. Why? Well, they are small
> countible things, but also simple enough to allow the statistic to
> dominate the examples, and not the ... well example. :)
Well, fine, but is Joe a collector? If not then he'd walk into *any* of our
rooms, add up the $ we've spent on cardboard and plastic, laugh in horror,
then proceed to tell us what *useful* stuff we could have spent the $ on, or
how muc $ we should instead have in the bank.
Now, if Joe-Bob IS a collector, one would hope he wouldn't be so damned
negative. Whenever I see a collection I feel is either better or different
than mine, I'm not envious, but interested. It's a chance to learn something
new, see some really interesting stuff. It's a learning experience. People
love to talk about their collections, and I love to listen. I would hope that
Joe would say "cool!" and ask questions. This isn't a competition.
> And I also agree that there are larger issues that can take hidden
> meanings in threads. The only problem with judging based on the hidden
> meanings (which interestingly enough falls in line with the perspective
> issue), is that if you don't give credit to smaller ideals or ideas, how
> can the larger ones exist. Or in other words, you could literally go
> mad if you always second guess motives. NOTE: since few people are mad
> around here, I'll guess that people don't "always" second guess motives
> behind threads. ;)
Sadly enough, there are those whose motives are as plain as day, right keef?
And yes, Michael, I know you're just playing devil's advocate, but it's durned
annoying. :^)
Richard
rlcox
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
> John Wooten wrote:
> > Demand sets these prices.
> Or is it supply. ;) I think POTF85 is in shorter supply than say, ESB
> or ROTJ figures.
Yes, but there is also a high demand for the POTF line. You don't see people
beating down doors for a micro Falcon, do you? :^)
> Actually one of the few pieces I have seen sell *was* a Yak and for
> $3000!!!
Then I'm willing to bet it was a newbie with a lot of $$ to throw around.
That price is way off the spectrum, IMHO.
> All I can say is never in my collecting life have I been so shocked! It
> was great watching people haggle over not $1-$5 but literally hundreds
> of dollars! :)
Haggling is half the fun.
Richard
rlcox
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
i>In article <6gunol$b7...@charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
woote...@osu.edu (John Wooten) wrote:
> >Well I am sorry if my expressing my opinion offended the mighty gods of
> >rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage.
> are those violins or violas? I can never tell.
Who knows. Poor fella. Annoyed the gods of RATA-F, then RASSCm, now RASSCv.
Aren't we all to be ashamed. ;^P
Richard
rlcox
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
"MegatronForever"
> Funny how with that being said I remember getting a call about year ago
> from an "advanced" collector, who may or may not participate on this group,
> selling a complete set of POTF coins and another smaller set of rare coins.
> When I politely told him I was not interested, he insulted me ( a non coin
> collector) on his assumption that I was primarily interested in loose
> items. Take that at face value for what ever you want, but I like to think
> that "advanced collectors" don't relate and are kinda smug towards "new"
> collectors because they see the hobby differently and kind of mask their
> own difference by supposing a divide between themselves and those
> collectors who haven't comt to or never will what supposed advanced
> collectors do.
Dude, this is getting to be *so old*. If this is the way you feel about
high-end collectors, then why do you want to be one? So you can be smug
towards newer collectors? Come on, your posts are so contadictory and full
of vague stories it's silly. Maybe this did happen, and if so, then you're
right in being upset *with him*, but what if I judged everyone who doesn't
collect high-end stuff by you're remarks?
You're the one being divisive here.
Richard
Kirsten Schaulin
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
MegatronForever wrote:
>> Well, you know, that might be because I hold some respect for the >>people I was addressing my post to
(regardless of whether I agree with >them or not) and I tend to speak to them as such. Ya think?
> Well I am sorry if my expressing my opinion offended the mighty gods >of rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage.
heh...I think you just *slightly* missed my point...
I express my opinions all the time. I'm a very opinionated person.
(ask Wooten or Maybury ;) Many people don't agree with me. However, I
don't "offend the mighty gods of r.a.s.s.c.v." Why is that?
Kirsten Schaulin
John Wooten
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
>Yes, but there is also a high demand for the POTF line. You don't see people
>beating down doors for a micro Falcon, do you? :^)
I agree. POTF is high priced because it's high demand, not because it's rare.
Sure, Anakin, Yak and a couple others are hard to find, but on the whole, the
line is just not rare, IMO. You can't shake a stick at a show without hitting
some POTF figures.
In fact, I happen to think most carded figures are easy to find when compared
with trying to find good sealed SW stuff :^)
John
Chris Fawcett
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
r...@uncg.edu wrote:
> Well, fine, but is Joe a collector? If not then he'd walk into *any* of our
> rooms, add up the $ we've spent on cardboard and plastic, laugh in horror,
> then proceed to tell us what *useful* stuff we could have spent the $ on, or
> how muc $ we should instead have in the bank.
> Now, if Joe-Bob IS a collector, one would hope he wouldn't be so damned
> negative. Whenever I see a collection I feel is either better or different
> than mine, I'm not envious, but interested. It's a chance to learn something
> new, see some really interesting stuff. It's a learning experience. People
> love to talk about their collections, and I love to listen. I would hope that
> Joe would say "cool!" and ask questions. This isn't a competition.
And this brings up something I don't get. It's been said in this thread
that some people think that some high-end collector do it for the
"status" of having that stuff. This doens't make sense to me.
As Richard says, if Joe is not a collector, he'll walk into the room and
not be impressed at all. Even if I tell him how rare and amazing
something is, he still won't understand and/or care. He's not a star
wars collector.
So that brings me to this point. Who are these high-end collectors
showing their stuff off to to gain this status?? It must be other SW
collectors right?? So how do they know these other SW collectors?
Probably from being involved in the hobby and getting to know people.
This ends up being circular logic. These people started collecting for
the status it would gain them in the eyes of other SW collectors, yet
they didn't know any SW collectors until they started collecting. It
doesn't work. They wouldn't have started collecting for status at all.
In fact many of my non-collector friends look *down* on me for my
collection. "How can you spend so mouch $$ on..." Yadda, yadda.
So they must have started collecting for the love of SW alone. And if
that's the case, then it good in my book.
Cj
rlcox
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
In article <6gvmcu$...@bgtnsc02.worldnet.att.net>,
> Where is the vagueness in the story whatsoever, you don't remember
"MegatronForever"
> everyone's name you get a call from, and also it is my liberty to not give
If they were such a high profile collector, why can't you remember their name?
> the names of some of the people I talk to being that they do not
> participate on this group and I don't know how much they would appreciate
> thier instances and opinions being brought into an arguement they will not
> or never see and only hear about second hand.
Granted, but that still doesn't explain your above comment.
> Is that the best thing you can take from this.
You're making this up as you go along, arent you?
Man, I'm starting to sound like John...:^)
Richard
Michael Mierzwa
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
John Wooten wrote:
> I agree. POTF is high priced because it's high demand, not because it's rare.
> Sure, Anakin, Yak and a couple others are hard to find, but on the whole, the
> line is just not rare, IMO. You can't shake a stick at a show without hitting
> some POTF figures.
Yes is part of the function, but are there less POTF figures than ROTJ?
If the answer is yes, then supply *is* a factor!
The point isn't can you shake a stick or not without hitting "some", but
the question *is* how many POTF figures does your stick hit opposed to
ROTJ or ESB figures.
There are also some other factors, first, dealers at a show aren't going
to display items for which there is little demand ... there is demand on
POTF (and way more than on anything Micro), second, I'd also say that
I've seen just *1* micro falcon in my life ... back in the mid 1980s at
a Target store ... thus it too *might* be is very low supply (of course
I do know somebody with one and think the issue is the demand factor
causing dealers to not waste too much time at shows with this piece).
> In fact, I happen to think most carded figures are easy to find when compared
> with trying to find good sealed SW stuff :^)
Yes, this is what I've observed too! Figures tend to be smaller, thus
easier to store. However, if you collect loose POTF figures, the supply
of these guys appears much smaller than loose ROTJ or ESB figures! :)
What is kind of interesting, is when people say POTF85 the picture that
comes to my mind is a *loose* mint Yak Face and company, never carded
figures! :) And the things that I compare these figures to are other
loose figures.
Michael Mierzwa
Tim Sparks
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
MegatronForever wrote:
> thats a question you'll have to answer for yourself. It would seem that
> the Sm and Spiral Stairs reference should tip you off to whether there is a
> point where the joke ends and begins.
So what you are implying is that people should start analyzing your
posts to determine if they are in fact "real" posts or trolls. I think
you will find that people aren't going to be willing to spend this
amount of time on your posts, and will just write you off as a troll,
since sometimes your posts are "real" and other times you are just
trolling to see who you can dupe. Just my opinion of course.
Nobody likes to be duped. But many like to killfile.
Michael Mierzwa
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
> Like what? Why would they think this, if not motivated by something
> personal.
It likely is something personal! As Gus said (paraphrased), the
assumptions people make are most revealing about their makers! :)
> I sometimes feel that "Nobody can have this it should be in a
> museum." equates to "I don't have it and it's your fault so nobody should
> have it." It's ridiculous and I don't understand it.
I think that does exist. And it seems a bit silly to me, because I'd
think if somebody else has it, I could also ask to borrow it or buy it
out right, but people can be silly and illogical! :/
I don't think we have to understand it, 100%, but if we accept that
people are going to feel this way, then we can begin to modify that
feeling. Or in other words, we can't become confrontational we the idea
pops up. People respond much better when the answers come from
themselves, as they can repeat the "logic".
> And let's be realistic
> here. Somebody's going to pick up the rare stuff, period. Why begrudge those
> who have the time and resources to find the stuff? More power to them. I love
> to hear about new finds in thew hobby. We're lucky everyone likes to talk
> about their stuff and that there is a toysrgus.com
Yup! We are very lucky. I image that when I see the Tomart pics, I'm
going to wonder if anybody here actually has these pieces. And that
will make them seem a bit more real and also interesting to me!!! :)
> > But Joe is like I said in another post, a hypothetical or imaginary
> > creation. Joe allows the issues to be examined without any personal
> > attachments. For example, in statistics examples people always count
> > widgets, urns, marbles, and gum drops. Why? Well, they are small
> > countible things, but also simple enough to allow the statistic to
> > dominate the examples, and not the ... well example. :)
> Well, fine, but is Joe a collector? If not then he'd walk into *any* of our
> rooms, add up the $ we've spent on cardboard and plastic, laugh in horror,
> then proceed to tell us what *useful* stuff we could have spent the $ on, or
> how muc $ we should instead have in the bank.
:) He might do that, but lets assume that the collector asked Joe to
judge him/her based on his/her stuff. What then would Joe say? And
what can be done to change what Joe might think.
> Now, if Joe-Bob IS a collector, one would hope he wouldn't be so damned
> negative. Whenever I see a collection I feel is either better or different
> than mine, I'm not envious, but interested. It's a chance to learn something
> new, see some really interesting stuff. It's a learning experience. People
> love to talk about their collections, and I love to listen. I would hope that
> Joe would say "cool!" and ask questions. This isn't a competition.
To many collector like you and me it is not. But spend a month trying
to convince RASSC.mers that! There are people who rush to the stores to
buy the POTF2 stuff the *second* it hits the shelf. "Must be first,
must be first!" I think some of this is based on the uncertainity of
being able to ever find the stuff, but there have been "collectors" who
have based their purpose on being in the group on the *size* of their
collections.
As chris said, even the SW collecting hobby is diverse. Joe-Bob could
be a collector of any one of these types.
> And yes, Michael, I know you're just playing devil's advocate, but it's durned
> annoying. :^)
:) Well my purpose isn't to cause anybody to pull out there hair.
However, I think that it is good to look past the people and look at the
diversity of SW collecting. While there is no doubt that there are
posters in this group who are interested in vendetttas and/or games,
this is a good chance to look beyond individuals instead to group
dynamics.
Michael Mierzwa
stuntboy
April 14 1998
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage
> Am I the only person here that doesn't get turned on by protos? They
> just don't attract my interest.
they have their place just like everything else. of course there will always
be some folks who aren't interested in certain things - that's a given.
> Production pieces remind me about the good old days the most.. (and only
while this is a legitimate reason to collect, it's not the only reason to
collect or to keep on collecting.
> loose ones at that). I'm not knocking anybody here as I can see a SW
> collector eventually getting everything possible and then turning to
> protos because they love SW and still have the need to collect. SW
it's not so much "there's nothing left to collect" because that's hardly the
case. there is so much out there (foreign and domestic) with the star wars
logo on it that you could spend a lifetime buying it all up. it all boils down
to interests and focus. bookmarks and records do not interest me, so expect
me not to care about seeing them. other stuff on the otherhand is quite
interesting to me. so much that i spend time nearly everyday discussing them.
so much that i want to research and promote them as cool things to collect or
own.
this isn't directed at anyone in particular, but gus and myself found
prototype toys very interesting and wanted to delve into the background and
history of them. a large portion of his web page is dedicated to them because
we wanted to do it. we wanted to assemble and hand out information that was
previously unknown or unaccessible to the general collecting public an to us.
lots of work went into researching and cross referencing the information and
putting it up in formatted pages that make sense. afd and afn had shown some
protos before the sw collector's archive exploded with them, but the
information was usually scant. now everyone takes all that for granted and
all these terms and all these items, but i can assure you that the information
was not cut and dry like you see it. we learn as we go and change it if
necessary. now many people are into these things and that's cool. ron has
added lots of information to the site and many other collectors have helped
out with information and photos - that's what makes it such a great site and
such a collaborative effort. that's what make the archive such a great
encyclopedia of knowledge. even a virtual museum.
i can't even begin to tally the hours and money spent working on that page and
getting all this information together - flying out to cincinnati to visit
steve d.,tom n., tomart, the earth, and a few other people. we did this twice
though the second time was also to meet up with internet collectors as well.
if gus and all the other contributors didn't care about the hobby then
toysrgus.com would be a pale shadow of what it is.
people see prototypes promoted in the archive and think that they have to
collect them or aspire to collect them. the fact is that they are HISTORY and
we are archaeologists of sorts. if the history of the line doesn't concern
you then that's your perogative, but don't try to use it against us.
there are many galleries in the archive. personally i find the history of the
toy line more interesting than the toys themselves. these prototypes aren't
always as aesthetically pleasing as their production counterparts, but their
beauty lies in their purpose.
if a person wants to collect the toys they had as a child then great.
however, that's not the end-all reason for toy collecting. some of us may
start out that way, but interests and tastes change. then there are the times
when you just go off on a tangent you never would have dreamed of.
i've been labeled an "elitist" because all i want to buy and talk about are
non-production kenner items (be it prototypes or displays or catalogs or
whatever). items that many may consider out of their reach financially and/or
acquisition-wise. however, i find it disturbing that someone would look at
the time and effort i spend on making previously "unknown" information public
and put me down for it. then there are the times when people tell me they
appreciate my work and my dedication and that's nice to hear.
the bottom line is that i like these items and i like to talk, so naturally i
would be discussing them. i'll leave the burger king glasses, trading cards,
comics and the plethora of other sw items to their promoters. that's the
beauty of the internet - people have their individual interests and they
promote them (usually) free of charge. that makes it nice when one wants to
look up a topic they didn't previously know or care about and say "man, look
at all this info!". usually the first reaction i hear is "this person needs a
life" but that generally comes from people who have no real interest in
anything so they can't appreciate when someone promotes their hobbies or
interests.
i'd venture to say that gus is the same way though i won't speak for him.
all i know is that guy gets tons of email everyday and still manages to crank
out magazine articles, work on the web page and *still* beat me to buying
things! :^)
> collecting is fun, and that really is the bottom line, isn't it?
yes. and "fun" is *definitely* in the eyes of the beholder.
-chris
Click here for part 7 of this thread.
Back
to 1998 Main Menu