I only want to buy stuff in bags with header cards... is that f'ing stupid? Thoughts from the old school?
Depends on whether you are actually expecting to get any of the toys you are collecting or not. If you are just buying the latest thing that is available in stores, more power to you. But if you are looking for anything even a year old or so (let alone stuff from a decade ago) I wish you good luck with that. The bag and headers are nice to have, but it is really about the toy....or else you are in the hobby for the wrong I reason I would suggest.
I disagree, respectfully. It is quite possible to collect figures in sealed bags w/ headers, but you need to be very patient in order to do so. Some figures were also produced in such limited numbers that it may be virtually impossible to find them in unopened condition- unopened specimens are probably locked away in collections, and casual collectors may have already opened them. There are also figures (e.g., lottery items) that were never bagged to begin with. So you need to know the details of what you are looking for. I prefer to have an unopened figure, but depending on rarity and price, I'll take an opened- but undamaged- figure. Another consideration is that clear vinyl tends to 'sweat' a bit, so opened specimens sometimes fare better than ones that have been in sealed bags for several years.
Of course, the preference would be towards an unopened figure, in that why would anyone not want one in as good condition as it is possible to come. But you are missing that he ONLY wants unopened figures, and by your arguments, you concede that is unlikely for a lot of things. Of all the photos of people collections and shots of what they just got in and want to show off, how many are filled with bagged figures? My other obvious query for uNiVerse555 is does he/she open the figures once they have them? I would guess the answer is yes, but guess what, it is for most of us too. There is a limited supply of any figure out that, and while sure, you can even find a vintage figure on occasion that has by some miracle survived yard without being opened, it is not very likely, and is that small payoff if any really worth years and years of hunting, for something that is going to be opened anyways? It is a nice thing to be able to get when you can, but awfully silly to expect or demand.
not stupid but impractical in my opinion, there are few ways to nicely display sealed figures(bag and header style ones at least) and nobody seems to ever pull it off, I have never seen pics of someone that stone cold leaves there toys bagged collection and been blown away, most people that collect like that have boxes of toys they never truely get to appreciate(if you feel otherwise enjoy being wrong) alot of paint apps get stiffled by the bag and you will never get to explore all the nooks and crannies, it is nice to get figs new so there is a lower chance any paint got scratched but let those beauties breath, let them strut there stuff on a shelf, mingle damn you! mingle! and this is all on the assumption you want to leave them sealed which is what I would assume as you ONLY want sealed figs
also the title of this thread sounds like what the kids would say behind my back when I won't give back the baseball that broke my damn window
"unopened detolfs collection" i don't have to buy a toy in a bag or with a header card... most of my favorite toys have come bundled in bubble wrap and scotch tape. and i definitely can't imagine displaying them in bags (unless they're hanging, somehow... but still...)
So unopened figures = good condition, but only wanting unopened figures that are in good condition is silly? I don't follow. My point was just that you need to be sure that you're not chasing rainbows when searching for unopened figures, particularly with new JP vinyl toys. Our mentality of 'open bag, play with toy' is probably something that is not followed by the vast majority of toy collectors, I would suspect. I'm sure the fact that grown men and women would open up these $60 toys, roll them around in the mud, and photograph the whole event would be shocking to many of them, although that's just another collection thread here. In other words, I don't think it's particularly unusual to seek unopened JP vinyl figures if you're used to collecting that way.
I am not sure what we are even discussing anymore exactly. I think everything I said is in agreement with you, but be that as it may, I do think it is interesting that someone might limit themselves to just sealed toys. I did not think that this was a common occurrence, let alone to leave them bagged, but I am fully willing to admit I could be wrong, and that people who open the packages are a minority (hard as this is to believe from my experience). So I started a poll. We can see what the actual numbers are, based on the Skullbrain audience. I remember a similar discussion once taking place on headers, e.g. keeping, displaying, chucking, etc. As the headers are a nice bonus, especially for history of the toys and great artwork, but the main purpose of it is the toy, this seemed to make more sense.
Original post seems kinda OCD to me. It doesn't have to be so binary, meaning only one way or the other IMO. I've seen bagged toys that had paint issues cause they were bagged when they were not completely dry. Some collections work for me when they have a few bagged toys mixed in with loose ones. But all bagged seems kinda odd to me, how would you really display them? Flocked toys seem better bagged IMO as loose they attract dust and such. Kinda reminds me of collectors who only buy toys with header cards, even if the header card is not unique, say RxH headers.
If it's mint or near mint, my only preference is that it comes with the header card. If by chance I get an unopened figure, it'll be opened within 5 minutes of receiving it regardless, any rarity whatsoever aside. And even including the header card is only a preference, not a deal breaker. However, if it's a toy that I'm buying for nostalgic value, like a Boglin, Madball, Food Fighter, or whatever... I'm looking for mint, unopened in original packaging. Firstly, because something like this was most likely played with and not in prime condition if out of box for 20 years. And secondly, because the OG packaging definitely enhances the nostalgia factor for me personally.
New collectors have the misconception NIB = mint. Do you know how many brand new figures MIB I've received directly from makers with paint scuffs, tons. How many MIB toys I've bought from other collectors with paint scuffs? Even more. Bags don't do shit. It's not protective, they just get dirty, crinkled and interrupt viewing the toy. I keep header cards I want the intended package, If the maker cared enough to create some graphic to come with toy I want to preserve that. But really the discussion shouldn't be about bags or no bags, it should be around how to properly handle and ship toys to prevent paint scratches and accurate disclosure/descriptions in seller listings.
^ Agreed Joe. I tried to discuss that in this thread, but as with most things of a helpful nature on SB, it is not checked out by new folks, and ignored by those who just don't care.
I know, what can you do. add it to the announcements in the buy forum? People probably still wouldn't look. I could add much advice to the how to ship or properly and if you're painting a figure how to finish a figure to prevent any kind of stickiness or reaction to plastic. But this isn't the thread for that.
And who's to say a bagged toy is mint blah blah blah? I would not put it past some collectors to rebag toys, with the original staples, and resell them as MIB after they fell from a shelf or something. Just saying...
Yeah, well, my bagged toy detolf looked pretty cool - basically I ran out of display room, shoved as many of my new toy stash as I could on a shelf and slammed the door shut. If you opened the door they poured out. Heh heh. Like a wave of mutilation....or something. I liked looking at it from the side, it reminded me of that dissected look you got on one of those ant colonies in a glass box... Anyway - i PREFER to buy unbagged toys, because I'm not tempted to keep it in bag. So yeah, bags, whatever. BUT I do like to get the header, especially if its not a generic one. Some headers are so rad its like a part of the whole package....and it seems incomplete without it....but again, given a choice between toy and header...toy wins every time.
