Collecting Passion

[dinonikes]

Well tomorrow will be one week since I first was steered to this site by an ebay customer of mine. I have to say that although I originally came here casually , as maybe an outlet to sell my models to collectors of dinosaurabilia, I have found that I have enjoyed reading all of the talk from members.
I can relate to the collecting passion that members have for all of these lines of dinosaurs available. I have checked out some of the sites suggested at various points along the many threads here, and am excited to see all of the cool stuff out there. When I was younger, there weren't so many to choose from.
I never was a big dino collector to be honest- certainly i had probably more dinos of some kind in my possession than the average. When i was in my early twenties, I got hit by two collecting passions- one was collecting Native American Artifacts, the other was collecting Marx, MPC and other plastic 'figures' whether they were army men, cowboys, dinos, or farm animals-whatever plastic i could find.
The first obsession started when my father died and my siblings and myself inherited my father and mother's collection of Native American artifacts that they had been amassing since the very early fifties. This wasn't a cheap thing to collect really so it didn't go too far as far as how much stuff I got myself to add to my split of the inherited collection.
Second collecting phase came while i was spending a lot of time at garage sales, flea markets, estate sales and the like with my brother, me looking for things to use in my art which had gotten into a phase using 'found objects' as material and so i spent a lot of time browsing and started seeing enough of this plastic material- great little sculpted men, animals, cars, robots, farm animals. Started to buy some and used in my art. Then it just seemed that we were seeing it everywhere-wewere getting these big boxes of stuff at various sales. Then we would find complete playsets in various conditions. I had probably ten or fifteen complete Marx sets in the box with the bags and all of that stuff, flat tin buildings- some unassembled. There were finds to be had as the big boom in this plastic genre didn't really come until just after then. My greatest find was a Rin Tin Tin Fort Apache from the fifties absolutely mint- I paid 400.00 for it at the toy show and had offers of double that in ten minutes as I walked through theshow. A little later, I found a guy that had an absolutely MINT Ben Hur set from '59, with the better 'marble white' swirled plastic ampitheatre. It was acquiredby me by trading him a large stock of misc. plastic that I had. He was a dealer at oneof the shows andheliked the stock, as it would move quikerat showsthanthe set would have. SoI had this primo Marx set. my favorite one. I liked this set better thanthe Blue and Gray set really. JUst the four chariots sold me, with all the various colored variations of plastic on each one. The purple BenHur figure,which actually looked pretty much like the man. It was to me at the time my ultimate.

I ended up selling off these two collections at a time when i needed funds as I was starting my own art studio with two partners. I sold the Native American stuff, kept a box of potshards. As for the plastic- I put aside a shoebox of 'uranium level' figures, to be held at all costs, and parted with the collection. I have to say, I really enjoyed it in a way- seeing the faces of the guys buying my stuff at a toy show, digging the stuff I had accumulated over the few years Ihad collected.Some of the faces were guys I had gotten the stuff from in the first place, paying me more now for these same figures. I made a lot of money selling it off. I had made a great investment really, I had thousandsof dollars when my career path really needed it.
I had gotten a lot of rushes along the way. Finding boxes of cool stuff at a sale reminded me of those days back at Woolworth's digging through the bins in the toy aisle- bins along the bottom of the shelf of toys. We always had made a beeline right to those bins to see all the cool plastic.
Collecting is a passion that can just hit when you least expect it.

[dinonikes]

Collecting is something that not everyone does- but most do in some form or another. i know a mechanic who collects tools. People collect anything really. But there is always the one friend or family member who just can't relate to collecting. Their homes have no displays of multiples of any kind.
Musuems collect, only on a much higher plane than most.
I was wondering what got you into the collecting of dinosaurs. Was it something that started early, and carried on, or was it something that fell away for a time only to resurface later.
I ifnd that collecting of things can sometimes be triggered by the enthusiasm of others, somethiung shared with another, a close friend, relative or spouse.
Collecting itself definitely has its pros and cons as well. DO you think that those who collect have a better eye for variational differences in things. They collect such differences, and those variations can mean big money in some cases. Do you think that collectors get a high of some kind when finding that perfect addition to the collection, like does the brain produce happy chemicals like other stimuli produced good feelings? What drives a great collector, whats the better collection- one high on value or content?

[bmknj17]

Dave Barry wrote that there's a fine line between collecting and mental illness. I not only agree with him but I've wobbled over that line several times, luckily for me mostly in the relatively distant past.

I still have no idea how or why I amassed an extremely comprehensive collection of plastic/PVC Disney characters that cost me around $10,000. All I can say is that, while yes, I enjoyed it for the 10 or so years I built it, I was very happy to have been able to sell it off...in small sets...for at least as much and likely more than what I paid for it.

The interesting thing about it, other than its indication of my OCD personality (I bought figures to complete sets even when I didn't like them, and not necessarily for the smart reason of looking ahead to reselling.) and perhaps a temporary regression to some kind of childhood state, is that toward the end, Tomart's CEO asked me to create a comprehensive collector guide which I was excited to do, both for the experience, the little bit of money, and for the fact that I love to write, even if there'd have been very little of that involved. And yeah, I'd have gone with shorter sentences in the book...

But, as eBay and the Internet, the economy, and (in this case) the diminishing quality of Disney's animated features led to a greatly reduced market for collector guides, Tom canceled the project before it started.

Anyway...I've collected since I was a child...first plastic animals (upgraded from carded and bagged to Britains as I got older...) and dinosaurs, then rocks, fossils, sea shells and other sea life. Later, in my teens, it switched to esoteric gift shop type realistic animal figures--cast bronze, some porcelain, etc.

In my twenties I began collecting (mostly (wild) cat) prints by major wildlife artists and later, while living in London, Lineol composition animals. In my early thirties, I began collecting a bit of from the 1966 Batman TV series, including costumes.

In my latish thirties--Kaiyodo animals, both modern and prehistoric, and action and PVC figures of characters from Christmas specials from my youth (Rudolph, Charlie Brown, the Grinch, etc.), which I thought would be a more contained and reasonable replacement for the Disney figuers as I no longer wanted toys all over my living space and these would be relegated to a comparatively small display one month of the year, and one in which this type of kitschy subject matter sat more comfortably with me.

And all along I've collected toys that do nifty things while running along tracks--from contemporary plastic in the 80's to some vintage tins like Technofix.

I've spent the money, done the searches, gotten the highs, and lost a bit and made a lot of money selling off most of the above, keeping only my absolute favorite collections and my absolute favorite examples from most of each one. And I worked hard emotionally to get to that point (I didn't just decide one day out of nowhere that I didn't want these things...), as it made sense to me intellectually both because I knew some collections were getting out of control both in terms of cost and space assumed, and because I wanted to focus on and be happy with less.

Therefore, getting rid of things felt just as good if not better than amassing the collections, and surely it was the healthier of the two endeavors for me, at least to the extent that I took the buying. And whereas before I needed a lot to enjoy the individuals and more actively pursued buying, now I feel I appreciate what I have more and proceed with caution before buying anything that doesn't absolutely impress me to the fullest, as with the dino (and animal) figures I've been discussing on the board.

And now I photograph local wildlife and my most valued collection in a great sense is of my own (some finally just framed) shots, one of which I will try, I'm guessing unsuccessfully, to post here:

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Figured...

For whatever reason most of these collections point to an interest in not only nature/animal life but also in recreating real or imagined worlds in miniature. Not sure what that's all about but also can't deny that it likely speaks a certain amount to control issues as well. I do defintely enjoy the aesthetic of displaying things (and have made a few simple dioramas for Kaiyodo figures).

Ultimately though, collecting has served me pretty well, providing me with interests and a bit of education, filling my time more or less productively, developing tastes and an eye for certain things, and, in the end, thanks to the computer, as a source of some fairly serious income (as I not only sold my items but also bought specifically to sell as well, as with Dinotales).

And again, though certain things will inevitably go some time down the road, certain things will not, and I'll be happy with what I have and what I let go at whatever point I find myself.

Brett

[dinonikes]

I can totally relate to what you say here Brett- collecting in some form or other is something that most of my family has inherited from my parents- my father moreso than my mother. I am not in the financial position to really be able to collect much these days- but still do a bit when i see something real cheap(can't pass up a deal)- and always will to some degree. I am an artist so that means that space is limited- too many art projects laying around and too many materials (mainly collecting materials to use in art these days). I don't really have the space for a collection of any kind anymore. I agree a lot with the feeling you describe of the satisfaction that I got once I decided to liquidate my toy collection to get the money it represented (most collectors who haven't made this choice assume it would be heartwrenching to do). I did this back before ebay was even known to me, so it was done the old school way of going to toy shows to sell it off. It was maybe better that way as I was able to talk to the people that were scrounging through all of my boxes of plastic toys and my tin toys, seeing in their faces the joy they had as they culled out the pieces they wantedto buy, and recognizing in their faces the same joy I had when i had found those very same pieces. My collections were a better investment than if I had put the same money into the bank, and were there to save my butt when things might have gotten pretty hairy for me. I got my money's worth in pure enjoyment from them while I had them as well. And hey you know they were only things- things that could be replaced some day maybe- heh heh- the collecting passion rearing its head again there a bit right?

[bmknj17]

Hey DN.

What kind of art do you do? You mention collecting materials which makes me think collage, but I assume I'm oversimplifying and that there are other possibilities, particularly sculptural. I don't follow art at all but I do enjoy it and did major in art history.

And yeah, part of the pleasure of letting go of my collections was in knowing that I was making other people happy in their being able to buy what I was selling. Often collectors I knew were involved, and that was nice. Other times people would write messages indicative of their excitement and appreciation. Made it all easier--not that it was so hard once the decision was made.

And yeah, there is no doubt that my collections were a great investment, especially since I sold off things I had since childhood. About 300 Cracker Jack prizes I casually threw into a box over the years went for over $300. That was during my first eBay sale, and it shocked me and everyone I told.

The only things I couldn't sell I didn't or wouldn't want to anyway, with one slight exception. I stopped buying sea shells in 1990 when I realized that what I was doing was essentially killing the animals that I thought I was appreciating.

But when I considered selling them I learned that eBay had essentially reduced their value to the point that it wouldn't have been worth it. In the end, though I regret buying them, I'm otherwise happy to still have them.

And my wildlife prints, which are expensive (and often cost much more to frame), are extraordinary and I'll undoubtedly want to keep those.

My big decision now is regarding whether or not to buy a built and painted dino model. As much as I want one, it will be a huge investment, and though I don't know how that market works, or if there even is one, I assume I couldn't recoup it. So I've got to find one that I really love that my best guess tells me I'll always want to keep.

Not the biggest problem to have though...

[dinonikes]

Jan 7, 2009 0:53:14 GMT bmknj17 said:

Hey DN.

What kind of art do you do? You mention collecting materials which makes me think collage, but I assume I'm oversimplifying and that there are other possibilities, particularly sculptural. I don't follow art at all but I do enjoy it and did major in art history.

And yeah, part of the pleasure of letting go of my collections was in knowing that I was making other people happy in their being able to buy what I was selling. Often collectors I knew were involved, and that was nice. Other times people would write messages indicative of their excitement and appreciation. Made it all easier--not that it was so hard once the decision was made.

And yeah, there is no doubt that my collections were a great investment, especially since I sold off things I had since childhood. About 300 Cracker Jack prizes I casually threw into a box over the years went for over $300. That was during my first eBay sale, and it shocked me and everyone I told.

The only things I couldn't sell I didn't or wouldn't want to anyway, with one slight exception. I stopped buying sea shells in 1990 when I realized that what I was doing was essentially killing the animals that I thought I was appreciating.

But when I considered selling them I learned that eBay had essentially reduced their value to the point that it wouldn't have been worth it. In the end, though I regret buying them, I'm otherwise happy to still have them.

And my wildlife prints, which are expensive (and often cost much more to frame), are extraordinary and I'll undoubtedly want to keep those.

My big decision now is regarding whether or not to buy a built and painted dino model. As much as I want one, it will be a huge investment, and though I don't know how that market works, or if there even is one, I assume I couldn't recoup it. So I've got to find one that I really love that my best guess tells me I'll always want to keep.

Not the biggest problem to have though...

I am an artist that has many outlets for his need to make things. i have never gone to school for art- don't have any degree of any kind- I wouldn't make the claim that i am self taught as i have learned from many artists and craftmen through the years.I do impressionist paintings where I go out and set up on site and paint what i see- I make prehistoric models- I sculpt animals-sculpt anything- I draw cartoon style imaginative stuff out of my head- the pieces I was refering to when i mentioned looking for stuff to use in art are surrealistic tinged 3D collages that I embed in polyester resin.I like to say they are like Cornell and Arman tossed together. It was these two artists that freaked me out a bit- I had been making these embedments for a while and was really big on myself-- being in your twenties can do this to you- so anyways I'm making these things-thinking wow no one has done anything like this- and then i come across a colllection of Cornells boxes at the Art institute who had just acquired the Bergman surrealist collection, and at the same time my local library got a copy of a book with Arman's stuff in it- I was like a balloon with the air being let out-lol. My brother told me at the time a great quote - an artist is like a miner - someone may have worked a vein for a while before you, but there is no reason that there can't be some good ore taken from that same vein. You can see some of this other type art on my photobucket site- just look for the other album titled Fine Art. I have many more photos to upload there- just have some for now- time is more precious than any collectible and when i have more of it i will get more stuff up. Here is the link-

s478.photobucket.com/albums/rr146/malcolmmlodoch/

I never have shown my work anywhere, and still have all of it that i haven't given to family and friends as gifts. I guess I am more concerned to make stuff than to sell it- except for the prehistoric stuff. Making art to me is just like collecting really- in that it stems from the same type of mental obsession- I get depressed if I go too long without making SOMETHING- even if I just sit down and draw my dog or something line that. It's also hard to part with pieces that i have an emotional connection to- just like pieces in a collection of toys. I hope you find what i have there interesting- i have explained them in the descriptions/ captions when you click on them to make them bigger.

[bmknj17]

Hey Malcolm.

I understand your need to create very well. I love to write and I think I likely mentioned to you already that I spend a lot of time photographing nature/wildlife (Over 100 posts in 6 days and I can't recall to whom I wrote what...). Even something as simple as a little diorama for my Dinotales is rewarding. There's even an art to arranging a collection, if we want to stretch the definition that far.

As for your real art, well gosh. That some eclectic talents you have there...working in so many media. The Impressionist paintings are a pleasure to look at but I think I found the resin collages most interesting. Do you have a fascination with masses of people or the movement of people in urban settings?

Of course you likely already know that I find your dino work most enjoyable. That t-rex figure is a beauty and I'm glad I found this board in time to hopefully follow your collection. I forget, are you going to sell them painted? And I'm looking forward to the para pics.

You wrote: I never have shown my work anywhere, and still have all of it that i haven't given to family and friends as gifts. I guess I am more concerned to make stuff than to sell it- except for the prehistoric stuff.

Of course the big question, and I hope I'm not out of line asking, is, why??