Anyone else feel a bit lost with vintage?

After looking at the other thread about the $20,000 DT Vader, is anyone feeling a bit lost and bewildered as to what the hobby has become? I myself have lost the vintage buzz because i dont desire items anymore because of the hefty price tags and the infighting. I have a full set of loose and i own boxed items of everything i had as a kid and thats enough for me. I used to take more pride out of collecting that i did watching the movie, however i realised last night whilst watching ANH that im becoming more attached to the movies themselves again

Dont get me wrong, im forever a fan of vintage but i just think its shooting off in different directions and is no longer the hobby it was 2o years or so ago. Ill still pick up oddball items, and the odd desirable pieces but im pretty much done with vintage.

I remember when I first got into Vintage, prices were pretty high (not as high as now, mind you..) and then the GFC hit and prices dived in a big way. Having a focus has helped me remain interested as I don't get stuff often. Some things, such as that DT Vader are insane, and I think (myself) that there area lot of older people with money now who have gotten back into collecting vintage after the last movie - curse it to heck! They are reliving their childhoods and getting a few things together because they can afford it now.

BUT. Are they long time collectors? That is yet to be seen.

I'm still on the hunt. I'm selling a few things I never thought I would due to the high prices now, but I'm still keen to collect and still really enjoy it. I enjoy the friendships that I've made and I have made some seriously good mates through SW - some of whom I really barely know! How ironic, yet good is that!

To be honest, I think we're seeing some people - some legends of the collecting community - for who they really are too. And that has not been so good. But am I finished with collecting? NO WAY!

Cheers
Pat

I know what you mean Lee but I don't really have anything to do with other collectors apart from one very good friend who got into vintage through me. Yes the landscape of vintage collecting has changed forever in the last however many years and prices are what they are. Star Wars is so big the price thing was always going to happen one day.

If someone wants to drop $20,000 on a loose figure because it's rare and sealed with a nice sticker on it, then as messed up as that is, I'm not going to let it spoil the hobby which I've enjoyed for 30 years. If everything was easily obtainable and cheap as the 90's still we would all have complete collections and be wandering what to collect next.

The toys are like the origional films, no matter what happens I will always love them and the hobby.

The hobby seems to be full of investors rather than collectors these days! :twisted:

_Lee_ said:

After looking at the other thread about the $20,000 DT Vader, is anyone feeling a bit lost and bewildered as to what the hobby has become? I myself have lost the vintage buzz because i dont desire items anymore because of the hefty price tags and the infighting. I have a full set of loose and i own boxed items of everything i had as a kid and thats enough for me. I used to take more pride out of collecting that i did watching the movie, however i realised last night whilst watching ANH that im becoming more attached to the movies themselves again

Dont get me wrong, im forever a fan of vintage but i just think its shooting off in different directions and is no longer the hobby it was 2o years or so ago. Ill still pick up oddball items, and the odd desirable pieces but im pretty much done with vintage.

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Lee, think you've got it pretty much nailed there. It's changed beyond compare due to pricing. These grail type items have lost their appeal as prices have risen. A VCJ for £400? Yes please. Same item, 12 months later for £1,200? No. Not remotely interested.

The answer you've arrived at is perfect, I think: remain a fan, enjoy what you have, find the items that no one else (or at least only a few) collect and enjoy and new chapter in your collecting. Be prepared to be slowly edged out there, too, though. As more people start collecting the less mainstream items they will inevitably rise in price too. You only have to look at what's happened to stationery to see that.

I, too, am enjoying the odder items (mainly thanks to the podcast team for introducing the world of oddball and getting some great guests on who know so much about the various things) and I am also now enjoying finding items at the RIGHT price rather than just "market" (inflated) price. It's so much better adding a bargain to the collection than simply an item. For that I blame (thank) Joe :lol:

Asking prices are getting ridiculous on some pieces. There have always been noob sellers who list a beater at £100 because they are clueless but now we have experienced sellers who are asking similarly outlandish sums - and of course the flippers who do that within days of purchasing the item are really contributing to the escalation of prices.

I agree with Lee, because the simple truth is that when something is very expensive then buying it becomes a more serious proposition. And this is a hobby and a hobby is meant to be fun. So you have this dichotomy between a 'serious' purchase and a 'fun' hobby that can make you feel a bit lost!

Maybe we should all switch over to POTF2 collecting and start picking up MOCs for pennies again!

I can enjoy it as both a spectator and collector. I bought virtually nothing between 2007 and 2014, but I still visited this site every day to look at what others were picking up and helping out with info where I could. The new collectors always like to hear stories from older collectors so that's a good way to get involved if you're not buying much.

At face value prices are high, but there are still plenty of bargains out there. I've put together an almost complete loose set in the last six months without paying silly money for anything.

Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:

... the simple truth is that when something is very expensive then buying it becomes a more serious proposition. And this is a hobby and a hobby is meant to be fun. So you have this dichotomy between a 'serious' purchase and a 'fun' hobby that can make you feel a bit lost!

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I 100% agree with this.

This is supposed (for me) to be an escape from the hassles of work and the daily grind - but as prices have risen, deals have become harder to do as well - partly because of the cash now involved (2 weeks in the Bahamas vs 2 12 Backs?) but partly because some sellers are afraid of selling too low, and want 'tomorrow's prices today'. I've lost count of the number of deals in the past few months which have just been dropped by the seller - big sums of money too - which makes it really hard to keep interested in actively collecting.

I honestly think that buying my last house was less stress and hassle than the last 2 (aborted) deals I've had going on for some rarer MOCs. Now that's mental.

When it stops becoming an escape and starts becoming a hassle, you have to ask whether it's worth it.

maxf said:

This is supposed (for me) to be an escape from the hassles of work and the daily grind - but as prices have risen, deals have become harder to do as well - partly because of the cash now involved (2 weeks in the Bahamas vs 2 12 Backs?) but partly because some sellers are afraid of selling too low, and want 'tomorrow's prices today'. I've lost count of the number of deals in the past few months which have just been dropped by the seller - big sums of money too - which makes it really hard to keep interested in actively collecting.

I honestly think that buying my last house was less stress and hassle than the last 2 (aborted) deals I've had going on for some rarer MOCs. Now that's mental.

When it stops becoming an escape and starts becoming a hassle, you have to ask whether it's worth it.

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Fair point but that's always been the case for high end stuff. A Rocket Fett in the 90s was the cost of a small house up North, just as insane 20 years ago as it is today. Personally I've never ventured in to the high end stuff because I'm simply not willing to spend that kind of money on toys/collecting. The people who do either have money to burn (fair play) or are happy to sacrifice other things in their life, which I'm not.

edd_jedi said:

maxf said:

This is supposed (for me) to be an escape from the hassles of work and the daily grind - but as prices have risen, deals have become harder to do as well - partly because of the cash now involved (2 weeks in the Bahamas vs 2 12 Backs?) but partly because some sellers are afraid of selling too low, and want 'tomorrow's prices today'. I've lost count of the number of deals in the past few months which have just been dropped by the seller - big sums of money too - which makes it really hard to keep interested in actively collecting.

I honestly think that buying my last house was less stress and hassle than the last 2 (aborted) deals I've had going on for some rarer MOCs. Now that's mental.

When it stops becoming an escape and starts becoming a hassle, you have to ask whether it's worth it.

Click to expand...

Fair point but that's always been the case for high end stuff. A Rocket Fett in the 90s was the cost of a small house up North, just as insane 20 years ago as it is today. Personally I've never ventured in to the high end stuff because I'm simply not willing to spend that kind of money on toys/collecting. The people who do either have money to burn (fair play) or are happy to sacrifice other things in their life, which I'm not.

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This isn't mega 'high end' stuff - protos and the like have always been a pain. All of the deals I referred to have been for production stuff, some Palitoys and some Meccanos. Its the Palitoys which have been the pain - none are unique, but none were common either.

There is many investors rather than collectors in this hobby today

Even in little denmark it is much harder to find a childhood collection today. Sometimes when I see a childhood collection for sale and I do not get it. 24 hours later I see it split and the buyer is trying to sell it all again just to earn money.Some of them do not even collect star wars :roll: I have concacted some of them about a trade and they tell me they do not collect star wars. So it looks like some is there only for the money :roll:

Not long ago I could have got a mint Yak Face for £85 but one of this guys wanted it so he could earn money on it. He outbid me once and I would not fight with him about that figure because I knew it would maybe be expensive. But something inside me would have loved that he did not get it so he could sell it. A few days later he had it for sale for £300 and I have talked with him before. He does not collect star wars :roll:

Why not let a collector have it, not that I do not have a Yak Face. But maybe it was a variant I did not have or could have traded it for another variant I was missing.

But I will not let an investor destroy my hobby

I think we're all victims of becoming a little older, a little grumpier and a little less tolerant of each other....and we're only going to get worse!

Is it too much to ask for people to make a final decision to sell, name the price and negotiate from there. There seems to be so much out there at the moment and yet it always seems just out of reach. Reminds me of the stall holders at toy fairs who don't have price stickers on anything. What's the point!!! It would save a lot of time, effort and stress if we all laid our cards on the table!!! :evil:

Thankfully the buzz of landing a special piece that you're after or finding a bargain makes it all worth it!

I pretty much stopped collecting a couple of years ago because things are so out of reach price wise, and because i was happy with what I had. Its more about the social side now. I still love looking at my collection and those of others. Just don't really want to know how much things cost. Not all that interested in the value of my own stuff. Guess if I was it would have been sold by now

In recent years, since everything has gone really mental, you hear these kind of thoughts far more often.

I enjoy aspects of the hobby far less now than I used to. I still enjoy having a collection and adding to it, but everything is so much more of a hassle now.

It has largely always been about money, people always collected within a budget and there were always weirdoes and twats around that could make some things less pleasant than they needed to be.

It's just now it's on a much bigger scale.

Years ago, contacts used to be everything. There was a lot skill needed in tracking down and negotiating pieces. While that still exists, it seems slightly less important than it used to be compared $$$!!

Perhaps it's inevitable as this hobby gets more popular and even more money can be made. Maybe there are far more investors than collectors now?

But they can only make money if others are willing to buy I guess!

Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:

Maybe we should all switch over to POTF2 collecting and start picking up MOCs for pennies again!

Click to expand...

Genuinely been considering this recently

I'm still very interested in collecting as far as the toys go. I actually feel quite fortunate these days because the things I need to replace or still find are relatively inexpensive or haven't been affected by the huge price increases we've seen.

Around 2010/2011 I decided to be absolutely ruthless and sell off the production items I had collected over the years to then plough those funds into pre-production. I kept doing that until all I had left was pre-production stuff which was great and all but I then found I missed my old collection quite a bit. Fast forward to today and I'm obviously quite glad I did what I did because the only things I'm now "missing" ( or feel the need to replace ) are relatively boring/cheap production pieces. I'm also extremely happy that I don't have to chase pre-production items at today's prices too!

When I look at my collection I feel pleased with where I am now, what I've got and how it all came together so I feel very "at peace" with collecting most of the time.

The money, egos, attitudes and everything else that's become part of the hobby since the Disney take over is another thing entirely though and all of those things get me down about collecting quite a bit. Even though we all know that we shouldn't let outside factors have an impact on how we enjoy collecting, it's all too easy to let all of that stuff get in the way of the fun.

At the end of the day though, even if you try (and many of us have) it's highly unlikely you'll be able to change the behaviour of the majority so it's better to just be happy doing what you do. Especially if your involvement in the hobby has no impact on anyone else (U grades, reproductions etc etc).

ScruffyLookingNH said:

_Lee_ said:

After looking at the other thread about the $20,000 DT Vader, is anyone feeling a bit lost and bewildered as to what the hobby has become? I myself have lost the vintage buzz because i dont desire items anymore because of the hefty price tags and the infighting. I have a full set of loose and i own boxed items of everything i had as a kid and thats enough for me. I used to take more pride out of collecting that i did watching the movie, however i realised last night whilst watching ANH that im becoming more attached to the movies themselves again

Dont get me wrong, im forever a fan of vintage but i just think its shooting off in different directions and is no longer the hobby it was 2o years or so ago. Ill still pick up oddball items, and the odd desirable pieces but im pretty much done with vintage.

Click to expand...

Lee, think you've got it pretty much nailed there. It's changed beyond compare due to pricing. These grail type items have lost their appeal as prices have risen. A VCJ for £400? Yes please. Same item, 12 months later for £1,200? No. Not remotely interested.

The answer you've arrived at is perfect, I think: remain a fan, enjoy what you have, find the items that no one else (or at least only a few) collect and enjoy and new chapter in your collecting. Be prepared to be slowly edged out there, too, though. As more people start collecting the less mainstream items they will inevitably rise in price too. You only have to look at what's happened to stationery to see that.

I, too, am enjoying the odder items (mainly thanks to the podcast team for introducing the world of oddball and getting some great guests on who know so much about the various things) and I am also now enjoying finding items at the RIGHT price rather than just "market" (inflated) price. It's so much better adding a bargain to the collection than simply an item. For that I blame (thank) Joe :lol:

Click to expand...

Spot on for me as well guys, it really does sum up how I feel about this whole thing. I'm happy at the moment to enjoy what I have and also look into other vintage lines. Also as there's modern Star Wars on the shelves at the moment I've been getting fun out of picking up some of it for my son....well and me as well :lol: .

I've been living in the States for a while now so the prices on modern is pretty good with constant sales of the figures for $5 a pop. It means I've been able to pick up a fair few figures for my son and it's great to see him playing with them (as they're intended). I also have interest in modern lego and figures from the company 3A so there's lots to keep me busy with. I've also not completely stopped buying vintage star Wars as there are a couple of shops out here that get vintage collections in quite often. Last week I picked up a sealed biker Scout blaster for $45 and a mint Bespin Leia for $10, always worth a look around! My days of picking up palitoy items has pretty much stopped though as you don't see much of it out here and the prices are still to high for me when it does turn up. Saying that though I feel I have what I set out to get so there's no real need to pursue it any further.

As was said by another member I still look on this forum daily and really enjoy what's going on and what people have been picking up, it's really become my daily routine and I don't see that ending any time soon. It is a shame the way the prices have gone insane though and I feel I've been in it that bit too long to keep hunting for those bargains that come along now and then, time to leave that to someone else and just enjoy their stories.

Ian

I am in the place where I only really want a couple of items ! So will just enjoy looking at my collection .

I am sure when the hype drops , prices will ! :roll:

In a way, I feel lucky, I love SW Vintage for what it is, it's history and the feeling it gives me,
BUT I will not drop substantial amounts on a piece or pieces, mainly because I cannot justify it, so collecting on a budget has helped in some ways for me, but when I see for example the price of a Yak, or a Brown haired LFB even, a blaster for Leia Organa etc.

I'm long haul though, happy to progress slowly but surely, and feel for me it's genetic :lol:

The market, the flipping, and high prices will peak I think, and at some point things will go back a little, as for the "mines bigger than yours "ethos that applies in all walks of life and will always be present, it's unfortunate, but a fact of life.

No matter what, I will always collect SW vintage, and have been privalaged to make friends especially on this forum, that has enriched my experience in the hobby, long may it continue

Michael Sith said:

In a way, I feel lucky, I love SW Vintage for what it is, it's history and the feeling it gives me,
BUT I will not drop substantial amounts on a piece or pieces, mainly because I cannot justify it, so collecting on a budget has helped in some ways for me, but when I see for example the price of a Yak, or a Brown haired LFB even, a blaster for Leia Organa etc.

I'm long haul though, happy to progress slowly but surely, and feel for me it's genetic :lol:

The market, the flipping, and high prices will peak I think, and at some point things will go back a little, as for the "mines bigger than yours "ethos that applies in all walks of life and will always be present, it's unfortunate, but a fact of life.

No matter what, I will always collect SW vintage, and have been privalaged to make friends especially on this forum, that has enriched my experience in the hobby, long may it continue

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As usual, the voice of reason