**Before anyone posts I want to be clear on one thing. I dont want responses that are rude, stupid or accusitory**. Likewise, itf you would like to explain a particular niche that someone else says they don't get please follow the same rule above!

Obviously this site has a real interesting mix of collectors and collections. I know we all compliment each others stuff but I often wonder to myself - "Why people collect that?".

I wanted to see if I was alone on this or are there pieces of the hobby that you shake your head at? Anything from Beater Cards, to expensive items, prototypes to Ledy (ducks to avoid stuff thrown at me for even saying Ledy). Here is a small list of some niche's that I don't understand the appeal of. I'd love to hear from the proponents of them to see what attracts them to it.

...cardbacks! I like MOC's and appreciate the cardbacks but WHY collect them, especially when the majority are beaten to a pulp?! IMO they don't look great at all without the figure or bubble, actually beaters don't either but at least they're complete vintage.

Ham

This is gonna get interesting...

I have never understood why people collect the modern mailer stuff the vintage ones I understand but I prefer my figures to be displayable my early bird set has pride of place on my displays but there are some poeple who like to display the white boxes what enjoyment do you get out of them

tigerham wrote:

...cardbacks! I like MOC's and appreciate the cardbacks but WHY collect them, especially when the majority are beaten to a pulp?! IMO they don't look great at all without the figure or bubble, actually beaters don't either but at least they're complete vintage.

Ham

Scans and Restoration

Here it goes...and it's touchy.....Variations. I understand when colors may differ or sculpt. But COO...or faded figures that have degraded overtime (Green limbs Chewy)....just dont get it.........sorry.

....Bootlegs.

I respect it, I like bootleg collectors and I can appreciate the hard work and time invested in a collection but I can't say I have ever looked at any and thought "wow! that's something I want"

Probably a close second for me is cardbacks, although I would take a binder full of Ledy backers any day

dunno Joe, I am focusing on Boba and Darth and there are some great bootlegs of them out there

It's definitely an area where I have pretty much zero knowledge the ones I like the most are model trems, but the whacky day glow mexican yodas etc just not for me

Joe_O wrote:

....Bootlegs.

I respect it, I like bootleg collectors and I can appreciate the hard work and time invested in a collection but I can't say I have ever looked at any and thought "wow! that's something I want"

Probably a close second for me is cardbacks, although I would take a binder full of Ledy backers any day

Have to agree there. Bought 3 a while back and when they came was already thinking about selling them lol. Got rid of 2 but kept one just to have one in my focus :-)

Darthberizing wrote:

Here is a small list of some niche's that I don't understand the appeal of

Hey where is this list Don't wanna be the only hater in the building ! (along with Ham lol)

I'm surprised no one has said coins yet. As I've heard that one before. lol

I don't know if there really is anything in particular that I could name. As for whatever reason, I can find the appeal of most items. Even if they aren't for me.

Except for U grades.

shawn_k wrote:

I'm surprised no one has said coins yet. As I've heard that one before. lol

I don't know if there really is anything in particular that I could name. As for whatever reason, I can find the appeal of most items. Even if they aren't for me.

Except for U grades.

I don't understand people being attracted to U grades. My thought is that they just want something different and better than what others have.

Joe_O wrote:

Darthberizing wrote:

Here is a small list of some niche's that I don't understand the appeal of

Hey where is this list Don't wanna be the only hater in the building ! (along with Ham lol)

LOL I totally forgot to list mine!

Ironically Coins (sorry Shawn) and Cardbacks would make my list. Like everyone has said it's not a disrepect for them , just something I don't see the appeal of.

If I had to pick one to talk about, it's prototpye/1st shots. I can't for the life of me see the appeal. The pricing is outrageous and frankly I don't see the appeal of a pink or green pulled apart verision of a production figure. I understnas what is represents, but I can't see the "why"

Ledy ... loose or moc i just do not see the attraction of paying so much money for them, especially as there is ( to the untrained eye ) virtually no difference in the loose figures, yes the cardbacks are different but really why pay thousands for them?

Honestly, I have trouble naming anything in this thread. That's mostly due to the fact that I am completely unreasonable, and a fanatic, so if I see "Star Wars" on damn near anything, I immediately want it.

I often see something on here, or someones collection, and I instantly feel like I have to have it.

For God's sakes, I even have things like pencils and Band-Aid boxes laying around my Star Wars room, just because it has a picture of Darth Vader or Jango Fett on it.

At first, I could see beater cards being strange to collect. But then I won an auction for a MIM ROTJ Vader, and when it arrived, it was completely beat to shit including a cracked bubble. But for the life of me, I just can't bring myself to get rid of it.


Some of it is also paranoia. I'm always afraid that if I sell something, even if I get a better piece, that the next day a super rare variation will be discovered on the one I got rid of.

But I think my level of obsession is borderline unhealthy. :drunken:

Proof cards!!!!

It's like paying a zillion for a nice cardback.

TBH I have never said or thought to myself "why do you collect that?" about anyone. Even Aussie James' obsession with Teddy Bears is fine with me!

I like the fact that everyone is different here and that what brings interest to our community. I get to see items and collections that I would never think to look at or knew existed.

One thing I would say to people when they ask me what they should collect is: Collect something that interest you and not something to stay in the "in" crowd.

Craig T wrote:

Even Aussie James' obsession with Teddy Bears is fine with me!

I was going to say I'm glad no one has mentioned ewoks I knew cardbacks & loose variations was going to end up on the list. I have no idea why people would collect along those lines

Until this thread I had not realized that I am a collecting freak, collecting many times what others don't focus on. I collect cardbacks but many are foreign Palitoy or Lili Ledy, I like some variants but don't get into the COO stuff and am not really sure why I freak out about pre-production things like proofs and cromalins. Just hoping that I don't get catch the addiction many of you have for all Lili Ledy figures, that could get expensive!!! Also, I love the old catalogs and instruction sheets that came with ships and creatures.

- polish bootlegs (except the original line.....and I do not mean the first generation)

the colors are odd....the limbs are wildly mixed.....etc.
This stuff has no attraction to me! If I buy a Boba Fett I want them at least to look like one!

(Same goes for Uzay headman and Bluestars and the mexico unarticulated stuff)

Wolff

Thats really a hard one to answer. I see the appeal in all areas, whether its odd-ball stuff, MOC's, variations, bootlegs, etc. But to choose one, I'd have to go with the pre-production/prototype area. They are nice, but I just can't get into them. I have/had some non-SW items, but just don't care for them. The price some of them go for is insane.

MISB items-you can't open them up & display them in diorama's etc,all you have is a box to look at!

Saying that i hope a MISB collector buys my POTF Skiff soon as i've nearly opened it a few times so i'm being a bit of a hypocrite!

Chris_J wrote:

Thats really a hard one to answer. I see the appeal in all areas, whether its odd-ball stuff, MOC's, variations, bootlegs, etc. But to choose one, I'd have to go with the pre-production/prototype area. They are nice, but I just can't get into them. I have/had some non-SW items, but just don't care for them. The price some of them go for is insane.

I never thought I would get into it either and I can understand the price can be very intimidating (it scares me to think of what I have spent) but its also VERY addictive, especially in terms of building a run when you know the items are rarer than hens teeth, I think thats part of the interest for me, items deemed as rare are so often (in this hobby) completely out of line with reality, its really nice not only to have a piece of kenner history but to also know it shouldn't have survived and in many cases is a 1 of 1 item.

Although as I said, I completely get why some people feel no attraction to it at all, not just with the prices but the displayability and what you actually get for your money after you buy something like a proof, it is at the end of the day just a piece of card. (Don't get me started on cromalins ! Imagine a piece of photo paper ! )

DarthStanley wrote:

MISB items-you can't open them up & display them.

This + the prices of sealed ships are wayyyy over my budget.