That moment you realize the thing you collected isn't worth shit

[ToxicAdam]

Isn't it a bummer? I collected baseball cards in the heyday of such a thing. Boxes of cards from the late 80's, with the idea (as a kid) that these things would be enough to buy a new car when I was 40. Now they aren't even worth what I paid for them all those years ago.

I had also been holding onto my original AD&D books I had from 1980. Fiend Folio, Monster Manual and a few rule books. My dad unloaded them on me a few years ago while he was moving. I got excited thinking such old nerdy things would be really popular, but they were worth about 35-40 dollars total on Ebay. Oh well.

[Kara]

Allied color fetchlands.

[Mr. Nobody]

Single comic issues 

[benjipwns]

I went through stuff a few years ago and basically none of it was really worth anything, though some you could package together to get like five bucks which is probably better than it sitting in my parents basement.

Though I do have an Empire Strikes Back art book that apparently only got one printing and is now worth like $90+ on Amazon/eBay but I got it at some discount book reseller for $10 probably in like 1988.

So I'll hold onto that until its value degrades to zero.

[chronovore]

I was stoked to have the original, light blue Topps Star Wars cards, purchased during the initial offering, circa 1977. About 10 years ago I found out they're not worth spit.

Before moving to Japan in 2001, I sold my loose, decidedly non-mint figures from Star Wars, Raiders, and Disney's Black Hole. The collectors shop nearby gave me $200 for them. We both feel we got the better end of the deal.

[archnemesis]

I've never collected anything with the intent that I would make money by selling it later in life. My Garbage Pail Kids are still fun to look at and I have a large library of books, music and video games that I can browse through myself and recommend to friends and family.

[benjipwns]

I gave my old Star Wars stuff which was still in good shape but probably not near-mint* to my cousin's son since he's like four and just got into the movies. I think his dad was more excited and probably has encased them in glass.

I think I have like four or five Power Ranger things including the first MegaZord and I just looked on eBay and they're like $50-150 which is intriguing, on the other hand though, I'm lazy.

I have no idea where all my cards are. Wonder if there's any Pogs. I don't remember ever playing the game based on the wikipedia entry's description.

*I was one of those kids. It hurt to see other kids new toys all scuffed and scraped up. And missing key weapons.

[benjipwns]

http://web.archive.org/web/20071016183510/http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1995/vp950307/03070454.htm

J.R. Broadbent, 14, squared off against Steven Hansen, 13, one day after school on the cement walk in front of Midge Peppers' house. It was 40 degrees. They weren't wearing coats. They played in grim silence for a while, neither gaining an advantage.

``Let's go inside, man. This thing's too addictive,'' Hansen urged. ``We're gonna end up dying before we win any. It's just as easy to flip 'em on carpet.''

``Carpet's cheating, though,'' Broadbent chastised.

They went inside. Three other groups of kids were playing there.

Broadbent and Hansen were stacking caps for another game.

``Put in that Tropical Storm,'' Hansen urged, pointing at a cap with an airplane on it.

``Yeah, right,'' Broadbent jeered. ``It's worth three bucks.''

Three bucks for a paper circle?

``You could stack 20 each or two each,'' Hansen explained.

``But most people don't want to stack that much because you lose money when you lose pogs,'' Broadbent added.

...

Slammers come in brass, acrylic, laser-engraved wood, plastic, you name it. Homemade slammers are made by stretching a balloon around something circular and taping it down.

``Hey, I paid $4.50 for this,'' Broadbent protested as his metal ``Eliminator'' slammer failed to flip any caps.

``It doesn't even work that good, either,'' Hansen responded.

The real beauty of pogs is that it's cheap, it's social, it's equalizing and it gets kids away from the TV and Nintendo, Edwards said.

``One of the real attractions about this is it's simple,'' she said. ``You can play it with your grandmother, you can play it with your neighbor, you can play it with your sister.

``Some of the neatest kids come in here - they're not jocks or the most beautiful - and they are so excited that they are cool. It's wonderful.''

Some school systems do not agree. A few have banned the game, saying it distracts from school work and smacks of gambling.

...

``One Nintendo game costs $60,'' Edwards remarked. ``Relative to what parents have been paying for children's entertainment, this is a bargain.''

...

Collectibles are fine, Edwards said, but adults started that, and they could ruin the game for kids. ``Kids get so they don't want to play the game because they ruin their collection,'' she said. ``I don't think we want to turn any bunch of 6- to 16-year-olds into a bunch of hoarders and collectors.''

Longevity? She shrugged. ``How long it will be popular, who knows? Probably a couple of years.''

Broadbent and Hansen have both collectibles and playing pogs. Last time they counted, each had around 200.

``I played it and then I quit,'' Broadbent said. ``Now it's back in style, so I'm playing again.''

[Kara]

I have an unopened Chivas USA car flag.

I felt like it was haute ironique for Los Angeles, home of the Lakers car flag.

Maybe I'll crack it open when I go to a Los Angeles F.C. match.

[Rufus]

I have a lot of PS2 (era) games rotting away in cardboard boxes and a slim shelf full of comics. I never really collected anything else, so it's actually a moveable amount of stuff, but most of it is going to get thrown out for sure. I just don't have any impetus right now.

[Great Rumbler]

Steam library

[Am_I_Anonymous]

My college gear's value has taking a hit since we started sucking.

[Positive Touch]

i collected cool videogames and kept them in mint condition. they were worth a fortune

[Positive Touch]

I have a lot of PS2 (era) games rotting away in cardboard boxes and a slim shelf full of comics. I never really collected anything else, so it's actually a moveable amount of stuff, but most of it is going to get thrown out for sure. I just don't have any impetus right now.

hey dude lemme get those games

[Rufus]

Don't forget I'm in Germany, shipping's gonna hurt.

[kick51]

i got spawn #1 brehs 

and punisher #1

somebody will surely take this industrial garbage bag of baseball commons for a high price

I have a lot of PS2 (era) games rotting away in cardboard boxes and a slim shelf full of comics. I never really collected anything else, so it's actually a moveable amount of stuff, but most of it is going to get thrown out for sure. I just don't have any impetus right now.

that thing you collected is worth something.  and will only go up for a while.  the video game collecting base is stronger than cards/comics ever were.

[benjipwns]

Steam library

When you hand that down to your grandchildren one day and see their faces you'll think differently.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

Lots of comics. Including some stuff from the 60s in good condition.

I have X-Men #1 like so many people my age. Yet I never was able to find #2 lol. I haven't collected comics in 15 years but one day I'm going to head to a shop and find that issue, just because.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Yeah right now hipsters are into game collections.  As long as you sell it off within a year or two, you could probably clean up nicely.

[kick51]

Yeah right now hipsters are into game collections.  As long as you sell it off within a year or two, you could probably clean up nicely.

i've always imagined the bandwagon collectors to be bored dads who have the money to seize on nostalgia to relive their childhood or some shit. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Yeah with the second tech bubble going strong, there are definitely more people who are willing to pay $80 for a PS2 game as long as it isn't the greatest hits edition and is complete.

[Rufus]

The issue is that I've bought a lot of my games used in the first place, so they are often pretty ratty looking. I gotta make a list sometime and methodically check the prices, but I really don't think the majority of them is worth the shipping cost.

[nudemacusers]

I don't like traveling-moving with lots of shit so I've never collected anything. But I am collecting beer steins (in the form of birthday gifts), so I guess that counts. But at least you can use those for beer so it doesn't count as collecting for collecting's sake.

[Positive Touch]

the game that you can get the most for seem to be b-tier games that still get good word of mouth but didn't sell millions of copies. stuff that's quality but didn't get huge print runs.

[Madrun Badrun]

Ya that moment sucks.  It took forever to collect all the parts, stitch them all together, and then I put the plug in the socket and shout 'It's alive!' and nothing happens    Onto girlfriend plan C. 

[recursivelyenumerable]

i never had any expectation of stuff being worth anything, so I've never been disappointed.

[Joe Molotov]

Allied color fetchlands.

Time to invest in Thoughtseizes.

[kick51]

i never had any expectation of stuff being worth anything, so I've never been disappointed.

stop lording your purity around 

[Kara]

Allied color fetchlands.

Time to invest in Thoughtseizes.

I refuse to spend good money on functionally equivalent Duresses.

Says the guy who bought Stifles.

[I'm a Puppy!]

I have pretty terrible luck, so I never have any delusions that anything I collect will be worth anything. I pretty much make the assumption that whatever I buy will depreciate immediately after I buy it, and it pretty much holds true. Even with stock.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Especially with stock

[close]

[Joe Molotov]

Allied color fetchlands.

Time to invest in Thoughtseizes.

I refuse to spend good money on functionally equivalent Duresses.

Says the guy who bought Stifles.

Thoughtseize and Duress both being Standard legal again, tho.

Turn 1: Thoughseize
Turn 2: Duress, Despise
Turn 3: Mind Rot
Win condition, what's a win condition? ay gurl, let me get them Polukranos.

[Kara]

In ODY-ONS Monoblack Control had Duress, Cabal Therapy, Persecute, and Mind Sludge. Duress into Therapy.

Most fun I had since the Hymn to Tourach days.

It's a shame that deck was never more than a block constructed superstar.

[chronovore]

I had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first issue since launch, and then during college while it was booming, I decided to sell it.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

When I looked at the inside notes, it turned out to be third printing.  :'(

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Still got $80 for it in 1990

[close]

[close]

[Van Cruncheon]

collecting is creepy.

[recursivelyenumerable]

The fleeting ephemerality of all existence: gotta learn to

[kingkitty]

my blue eyes white dragon 

[ToxicAdam]

The fleeting ephemerality of all existence: gotta learn to

You're obviously a man that's never owned a gold foil rookie card.

[chronovore]

collecting is creepy.

[cough]motorcycles[/cough]

[Van Cruncheon]

i don't collect 'em -- like games, i trade 'em in for new ones every couple of months

[Kara]

And those trades would be taxed at the 28% collectibles rate if you bothered to declare the income.

[bork]

I have some games that are worth a good bit, although maybe I should say "are supposed to be worth a good bit," because I've had trouble selling them.     The auctions I've tried on some games never ended with any takers, even when I listed the games at $50-$100 cheaper than everyone else.  Last time I sold something "rare" it was to someone on NeoGAF.  Sold him Shantae for Gameboy Color for $350 IIRC.  I got that new when it originally came out for less than thirty bucks.