A beginner’s guide to toy collecting: Part 1

“When I look at all these pieces in my collection, it can remind me of many things. It can remind me of a movie that I’ve seen, it can remind me of my childhood, and it can inspire me.”

- Roger Daniel Alcoce

Ever since the Toyhunter series aired in 2012, toy collecting has shifted into the mainstream. Nowadays, more and more people are seeking out the ghosts of toys past to recapture a snippet of their childhood. Some say this helps normalize a much-maligned part of culture, while others contest that this makes the entire process of collecting toys more expensive and out of reach for beginners.

For beginners, the light is not quite so dark at the end of the toy collecting tunnel as it may seem. You may be wondering where to start, what to start with, and how to get started. To help answer a few of these questions, we’ve compiled a handy guide to getting things going.

Step 1: Determining why you are collecting

The first thing to establish is why you are collecting. Do you want a piece of your childhood back? Are you collecting for investment? Or do you simply just love toys? There are many different reasons to start, and although some may not have the same reason as you, none of these are the wrong approach.

Collecting Toys for Investment

If you are considering collecting for investment, most toy collectors will tell you it is really not worthwhile and that it is not in the spirit of the hobby. A toy that is worth $200 now could be worth half of that in a couple of years’ time.

Nevertheless, it is worthwhile knowing the value of toys and what can cause changes in the market. Often, value is determined by how relevant a franchise is able to stay. The value of toys can skyrocket as a result of a reboot of a franchise, a new movie, or similar events, but that doesn’t mean that any one toy will stay valuable as a result of this. Collecting for investment can be expensive, risky, and unpredictable. Instead, focus your energy on the rewards that toy collecting brings, whether that is finding a rare item you’ve been hunting for a while or tracking down the last action figure to complete a toy line. You never know, you might end up with a collection that turned out to be a good investment — just don’t start out with this as the end goal.

To be continued…