What do you collect?
I still have a lot of my toys from when I was younger (mostly Transformers, but I also have a few Justice League of America action figures and Star War’s toys). I also have comics – the older ones I own consist of mainly weekly/bi-weekly prints, where as my more current collection is in trade paperback form or book form (it’s nice getting an arc or story in its entirety versus week-to-week). Even still, what I have pales in comparison to this guy. His post is interesting, and he takes the notion of collecting beyond the “this will be worth something someday,” which in my opinion is often over-hyped and gimmicky (and promoted mostly by people looking to make a quick buck on ebay).
I think the most obvious reason for my toy collecting habit is that the hobby brings me back to the good times of my youth. When you’re a child and you’re playing with toys there is nothing else like it. You’re innocent, you don’t have to pay any bills, no one has ever cheated on you and broke your heart, and you’ve never had your car stolen or anything terrible like that (hopefully). I think this is why I like keeping a lot of figures in the package, especially ones of the Star Wars variety.
Sometimes it’s merely the challenge, and this guy seems to enjoy what he does. I’m curious as to how Star Wars toys in particular hit a special note with him, but it might just be timing (the toys were popular during some of his fondest memories?). Perhaps in the same way I associate childhood toys with convertible robots. hahaha.