What collecting is really all about
Posted by: Baldy 08.11.04 12:01am
Collecting is something almost anyone can identify with whether it's tools, shoes, pets, games or toys. For some people it is just a small part of their lives and they add to it either unintentionally or over a long period of time. Others collect things with a bit more determination and get things on a regular basis. And sometimes you have the rabid collector, a frame of mind that MUST have everything to finish off the collection.

I have come across all of these types in my days as a collector of Star Wars toys and I must say that in that genre, all of them have something in common 95% of the time. And that is a love for either the movies, the toys, or just the fact of the nostalgia and memories of their past that had Star Wars woven into it in some form or another.

This feeling is one thing that brings me to my point of this article. I am pretty sure most people that are reading this will have had similar experiences as mine and if not, I hope you do soon. I am speaking of the bonds between collectors that bring us closer and let us be ourselves and help one another without expecting anything in return.

Today, 8-9-04, I received a box in the mail from my "boss" Bill Cable. I had not ordered any artwork or sex toys from him so I wasn't sure why I was getting this. Upon opening it, I found a most welcome and totally unexpected surprise: An unused Unleashed Bossk cardback that was given out at San Diego Comic Con and signed by the artist! I had not even mentioned this to him or anyone else but other friends had mentioned it to me. This was so out of the blue I was taken aback. I emailed Bill thanking him like mad and he replied with a "No problem, someone from PSWCS went out there and got some of these and I figured you wanted one for your focus so I talked him out of an extra."

*THIS* is what it's all about folks. Helping out a friend with no want or need for a return favor. Things like this make me very proud to have found a close-knit group way back in the days of TRG forums and BHC forums as well. And Bill is not the only guy that has done things like this for me. Bryan Simmons also gave me a piece for my collection and it still is one of my favorites: a Bossk candy head dispenser. A simple thing really and not that expensive to buy. But the main thing was that he had it, thought about my focus and asked if I wanted it. I said sure, that would be cool and he sent it to me for free, no questions asked. Yet another instance of the bond between friends/collectors that makes this hobby worth the time and effort.

Now not everything is given away but sometimes it might as well be. Seeing as how I am pretty vocal (yeah right!) about what I am after and what I collect, lots of people know about my focus. Another good friend, Joseph Yglesias, got a hold of a few really nice pieces and sold them to me at his cost, something he didn't have to do. But he took the hit because we are friends and he knew I would love the pieces and that they would fit better in my focus than what he had them with. I also got a really nice Cromalin of CAP-2 from Alex Sleder that he approached me with. I had not mentioned anything to him about wanting a Cromalin of any type but he came to me with it. After seeing it and telling him I wanted it, he also sold it to me at his cost. Can y'all feel the love? I knew you could!

And I can't remember how many other neat finds have come up from people at the forums on Rebelscum. People I had never spoken with before would email and say "Hey, do you have this? Do you want it?" I got my first proof card like that.

Again, my main point of all this mushiness is that the unseen bonds and feelings that collectors share about the things we collect make the hobby that much better. Without the people/friends/collectors that I have seen and made while building my collection, it wouldn't seem as cool. There wouldn't be a smile that crosses my face when I look at certain figures or proofs. I would definitely not have as many hard to find toys and Bossk stuff as I do now. And I damn sure wouldn't have that bad-ass Unleashed cardback! :^)

A big thank you to everyone that has helped me out along the way and also to anyone reading that has helped out a fellow collector in need. You are the ones that make it all that much better for us all.

Baldy