Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...

Discussion in 'Japan Toys' started by Lixx, Aug 6, 2017.

  1. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    So while I play waiting game with my biopsy result, this whole experience has finally awoken in me that collection database in Excel I've been promising to build to myself for probably 7 years or so. I searched online for something like Discogs for toys but there isn't one. Man that might be something I need to make in the future because it's really needed! No one dare mention Trampt to me.

    The logic of this being (and unlike my record collection which is nicely cataloged on Discogs with median values) if for some odd reason I got really sick or suddenly died my family would have something to reference to sell it off and not have to do a ton of homework.

    It's rough going! I just spent the last two days doing M1go alone. What I'm including is: company (obviously), date made, a hyperlink to Club Tokyo (which will work for vintage, M1go, Marmit and a few others), description, and value.

    Now that last one (value) is one I've currently left blank and have no idea what to put in there because it's very subjective. I mean if one were to just go by YJA, Mandarake, ebay you'd have very inflated values. So I'm not sure what to put in. I can vaguely remember buying prices on new toys but my memory isn't that good.

    Any ideas? Should I do a value range instead? That would help me not have to update often. Also thinking about maybe adding a column where I can list last known SB members here looking for that toy. That might be helpful in getting the toys to where they need to go instead of my family posting multiple sales threads.

    Again this isn't meant to be morbid, I'm not dying (well hopefully not any time soon), I'm not selling my toys so don't start pm'ing me lol. I just think having a end game for your own demise that leads to no fuss and guessing about your collection is a good move.

    I guess the good news is that once I finally get my shit together and get my own place- before setting up again I need to photograph every toy and figure out how to insert them in Excel. It would suck to do that if the collection was already set up.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2017
  2. Ethan

    Ethan Formerly siphilon

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    notepad document with artist / toy name / any specifics/ price paid

    ive got a couple other details but thats the gist of it for me.
     
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  3. Brooklyn_Vinyl

    Brooklyn_Vinyl Line of Credit

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    Such a great idea to do for family and to ensure the figures get in the right hands. My suggestion would be to do price paid when possible and just a ballpark range otherwise.
     
  4. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Yeah thats what I'm sort of doing/thinking. I honestly only have paypal invoices saved from August 2011 onward but even those won't really tell me much as most were lump sums to buying services (most of my collection was bought on YJA). I just have to sort of guess or leave blank on what I paid. I did laugh though as my first entry was M1go Gargantuas, and my first flickr pic of those says I paid $59.50 for the Gargamel x M1go Set on YJA! That was 2008! Fucking hell what a steal. Now if only I could land that glow set lol...
     
  5. Nuggets303420

    Nuggets303420 Toy Prince

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    I feel bad you are going through this situation and having to have these thoughts. But at the same you are right, it is something that needs to be done sooner than later as no one ever knows their fate. I hope the Doc says everything is okie doke and it's no big issue. My best wishes to you.
     
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  6. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    Thanks man, I'm hoping for that as well! But yeah this really changed my line of thinking regarding putting things off.
     
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  7. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Hope everything will be ok, sorry to hear of the stress and the tests. Positive vibes sent your way Chris! Getting old is really no fun!

    The database is a great idea, not only from a standpoint of valuation, but to keep track of what you have, and insurance on your belongings too. One suggestion is to keep separate column entries for brand manufacturer, toy character, variant type (i.e. Hawaiian version, etc...), size type (i.e. standard, mid, small), colorway, era (vintage, repro, neo), year of manufacture, price, Toy dbase ID (a unique character and/or number assignment, which you can write on a small label, and attach to the underside of the toy, to refer it back to your database--good for relatives who don't know much about your toys). For the truly nerdy types, add who/source that sold you the toy, purchase date, and purchase price. Separate columns are handy for sorting in Excel, and filtering out all of your toys by each category you are tracking. This is also a goal for me too!
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2017
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  8. Lalo

    Lalo Mini Boss

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    hope all comes out okay for you!!

    as for the value category, i would go with a retail price category instead. value is a bit too subjective imo, and to remember how much you paid for everything will be impossible. with retail you can have a chance of looking something up or someone on the board knowing.
     
  9. Mr. Humphreys

    Mr. Humphreys Mini Boss

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    Remembering, no, but paper ledgers yes! :oops: Just have to gather everything and set my dbase up! :D
     
  10. xSuicide Squadx

    xSuicide Squadx Super Deformed

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    It's an unfortunate circumstance and mindset to have, but when you've got something of a medical scare looming over you it's not exactly easy to avoid. Sucks you're even having the "what if" though process, but the good thing is that you're taking family into majority account. Obviously we all hope for the best, and are lookin' forward to good news and a clean bill of health!

    My opinion on value would be a middle point between retail and Mandarake/YAJ prices. At the very least, retail will be gained back for individual toys, but they could also be properly compensated to an extent on aftermarket value.
     
  11. ultrakaiju

    ultrakaiju Die-Cast Staff Member

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Yeah, nice to bring this back up Chris, even if under these sort of odd circumstances. We've talked about the possibility of a DB a few times through the years, as it's something I am a bit obsessive over too, albeit for cataloguing and general nerddom. So in that respect, I've started a few here and there, but it ends up getting pushed to the backburner in the way of other things. So I've not given much though to value, as it is very subjective. but still, if [one of] your intent is to provide a source for others unfamiliar with it to go off of, e.g. family or insurance, a fair 'market' or 'replacement' value is a good idea. Yes, you might not end up reflecting the incredible fluctuations we have seen on toys, and it might also end up undervaluing your figures, but hopefully still better than being taken at face value for 50 cent rubber dollies, what have you. Other columns I would consider, but which can be added later, are Condition (important for distinction among comparable toys, setting a value, as well as useful to identify in the event of multiples, that can sometimes happen when you have a really large collection ...... Grace....., variant (as Grace pointed out, helpful to more clearly ID among your toy collection for novices and establish which toy it actually is), and whether you have the bag/header for them (as this can be important to some people but not necessarily stored alongside the toys). I am sure they are a couple other things I have in mind for my own stuff, but everyone has certain things they care about. I think you have hit on all the other major points.

    Let us know how it goes with this, and what kind of good system you find. Excel has always been my default too, and if you are a bit savvy you can use some VBA code to make entering and searching the DB easier, but it is definitely not the greatest. All the best of luck with it man, and I hope the process helps you enjoy (and re-enjoy) your excellent toys.
     
  12. chimply.kaiju

    chimply.kaiju Side Dealer

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Seems like a lot of work Chris. Just save yourself the time and Will them to me. :)
     
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  13. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    My family said to me (in a joking way) if you die you better have a list of things we can sell to pay for your funeral! I mean I don't have a career so my record and toy collection are my 401K lol.

    Yeah its a load of work. At least now I have description notes on some of the M1 so I don't have to constantly try to use the horrific search engine here to look up things I've posted (or thought I said). i.e. those glow sets of Angilas, King Ghidorah, Mogera, Rodan, and Gezora from 2006- Osaka Superfestival, Wonderfest Winter, and Superfestival 39! Just spent the morning combing through M1's site. Man when did M1's old toys get so hard to find? I always assumed 2005-2010 most of them were mass produced but no they were not. Glad I got many of them back then. Not saying they're worth a ton but some of them are definitely hard to find these days.
     
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  14. Lttr Prssd

    Lttr Prssd Comment King

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    I've thought of this as well, and it becomes super overwhelming, and I have nowhere near the collection of most of you guys. I do have my Megos and Jumbos on top of my vinyl stuff (plus the odd Biskup and Baseman items I've held onto) but still it ain't a ton. But I can't even muster up the wherewithal to list a few items on eBay, never mind creating a personal database. I just figure I'll give everything to my kid and she can deal with it when she's older. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2017
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  15. gazpacho

    gazpacho Comment King

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Smart.
     
  16. poysntixels

    poysntixels Post Pimp

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    No matter how many times we've talked, my wife will still use some for plant/garden thingies and Good Will the rest. I'm thinking of a viking funeral at this point.
     
  17. kopponigen

    kopponigen Post Pimp

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    I've had a database for quite some time now, I made my own in excel too. Partly for my own peace of mind, knowing what and how many of what I have. But ultimately I thought it would end up being used for reselling my stuff. I've come to accept the idea that no one would be able to sell them as good as I would. Writing down one column for what you paid and a rough estimate or range of what it could go for is a good. Idea, I never thought of that. I figured whoever was going to sell them had to figure that out. May be a list of useful tags for ebay or instagram or searches for each item would be useful. A link to the photo on your flickr? It is certainly a lot of work. But it will be handy for sure.
     
  18. Lixx

    Lixx Mr. Grumpy™

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    @kopponigen actually the hyperlinking to Club tokyo for a pic reference or my Flickr pics in my excel isn't that much extra work really. I just figured it's the best move because I won't be around to tell the person doing it myself.

    I never got why families disabled loved ones accounts when they die. I'd want my flickr to go on forever lol.....
     
  19. eckotyper

    eckotyper Post Pimp

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    Glad I found this again, I was skimming this thread last week,but too busy to actually respond. It's a difficult subject for me to speak on per say. However. I have been planning on doing a database of what I own. At least on the stuff I feel has value, as a lot of my "on top of the detolf" toys are cheap purchases but still have meaning to me.

    This being said, my plan was to get small stickers you can put on the feet to number each piece, and it will correspond with that same number in the data base. I planned on having the name of the toy/artist, date released or show it was from if available, and a brief description of said toy. While numbering each piece just snap 1 frontal pic in the lightbox and rename all files to correspond with the number on the foot. that takes care of the database part.

    I wanted to do this one just for me, I'm sure some of you have seen my binders for all Pus/MVH header cards as well as other momentos(sp?) from said artists. However in the event of my demise, I feel it would help my daughter, brother, parents be able to decipher it all.

    Now the hard part... Valuing, I know a decent amount of my collection is worth some $, I will be able to ballpark it when I start this database, but the terms i'd leave for how i'd like them released is probably a little bit different than others have thought. it's hard to even talk about this, because I don't like looking at my collection in terms of value, I really don't. I love what I own, from a .25 cent keshi all the way to Handpaint Pushead.

    While I am spending dollars on both, its because I love the hobby. but I have to think in terms of my demise, and writing about this makes me want to get started on this ASAP, because we don't know whats in store tomorrow. Anyways my thoughts on what to do with my collection are as follows. First and foremost i'd like my daughter, possibly my brother and parents to pick a few to keep to remember me. even this alone sounds somewhat off to me as I more than likely had nothing to do with producing 99% of my collection, but it's one thing I know all of them would say about me in my passing is I was a passionate collector, so I think they would like to keep at least something from the collection knowing how much I cherished it.

    Moving on past that there is still many pieces left. My daughter does have savings/trust, etc... but we always want to give more to our kids as much as we can. If I happened to pass before and leave this all behind I'd prefer when the rest was liquidated, that it was done in fact on eBay. but not just dumping everything at once. I feel if I was gone and if need be, my kid could be somewhat taken care of in a "here's a bread crumb, here's another..." case. If you drop a entire collection on ebay at once you arent going to get true value. scarce community to begin with, all battling for said collection at once. Yet if you were to drop a pebble, and another in 2 weeks, and another in 2 weeks... it has the potential to bring more to the table.

    Again, like I said THIS IS HARD TO TALK ABOUT. I don't see my toys in terms of value, but to a certain degree I have to just for that "what if". I love most of you on this board... but in that event that I passed, if it was between selling at a cut rate to those here, or making sure my daughter was taken care of financially for years to come after my demise, it's the best way I see about going about it. I'm not arrogant in saying that my toys would take care of her for years to come. but between savings/trust, and liquidating my collection 1 toy at a time she'd be comfortable for i'd hope at least some time. Thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2017
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  20. liquidsky

    liquidsky Vintage

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    Finally getting around to a personal collection database but...
    paragraphs, please
     

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