LA, CA Collecting Thread

I dunno, I thought we needed one...

For those of you who I haven't bored with my discussion of this topic, I'm what you might call a "specialty" collector. I specialize in Padme Amidala items -- if it has Natalie Portman's face on it somewhere, I probably have it. Then I also collect ILM items, CCG and TCG cards, and the books and magazines and other "paper goods" from the GFFA. Plus miscellaneous stuff.

I know some of you out there are also collectors, and I'd be pleased to hear about your collections -- and where you purchase items. Right now my mainstay is eBay, of course, but I also buy from Entertaniment Earth (convenient for pick up since they are in North Hollywood), and also from KEBco Toys -- I'm waiting on my Padme Wedding figure from them, although if I see one at Comic-Con I'm going to snap it up.

What's the pride of your collection? When did you get started collecting? Are you able to display (most of mine is in boxes, alas). Inquiring minds want to know!

 

I guess I let my old collecting thread die..mostly because it's been hard to find new stuff, especially action figures. I was going to Target (3-4 stores)/Walmart (1 store)/Toys R Us (2-3 stores) early in the morning on my days off and on the weekends, but I would usually come home empty handed. Then one day, Walmart and one of the Targets had everything I was looking for (Aayla Secura/Yoda and Padawan wave). Now they have newer stuff.. I managed to pick up a couple new Clone Wars toys.. although I don't think I'll buy the CW Jedi Starfighter and Gunship, as I have the AOTC "Saga" versions. I collect mostly 3 3/4" figures. I've been collecting the Unleashed figs too.. most of which I've got from Kebcotoys.com because they are nowhere to be seen in the stores. I don't collect 12" figs, but I'll buy pretty much anything else that I think is cool. I like the SW Playskool toys, I have a lot (not all) of the Lego sets (including the Star Destroyer!) I have a lot of autographs.. my prized possession would have to be my George Lucas autograph! I had him sign a magazine when he was participating in the Pro-Celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. I felt like I was stalking him.. just waiting for him to come out of this little press room.. but I got him!
My whole collection resides in my spare bedroom, my friends call it the Museum. I put up shelves to display selected items, and I have a lot of figs stuck onto the walls. Most of my collection is stored in clear plastic bins though. I really don't have any more space in the room, so I don't know what I'm going to do when Episode III comes out. I would like to show off my room to my fellow fan-forcers, but my townhouse is so small, I don't think I can hold a meeting there.
I guess my collection started when I was a kid and Star Wars was new.. I bought all the original figs, and some of the ships..I still have all of them. But I don't have much from ESB and nothing from ROTJ. I didn't have much money when I was a kid. I only started up again with Episode I (since I was an adult with a job and $$!). I don't have much from the Power of the Force line.. I didn't like the way the figures looked, they were too "buff". It's ok though, if I had bought that stuff too, SW stuff would take up every inch of space in my townhouse.

 

Oooh, a George Lucas autograph -- that's very cool. I have a few autographs, lots of Natalie (and they all look the same, which is good LOL), a couple of Liam Neesons, some that I picked up at Celebration II like Carrie Fisher, I have a Boba Fett poster signed by Jeremy Bullock, and then my prize autograph is a copy of the Visual Dictionary from EPI signed by Ewan McGregor with the message "Ach aye the Force!" I won that in a Scottish Children's Hospital Charity auction.

I store most everything because the spare room we have is taken up with other things. One of these days I'll have the space, but not right now.

I'm lucky in that I'm able to get my hands on the new Padme Amidala figures that are coming out, like the Hallmark ornament in October. And of course the books continue on a regular basis, so I'm able to keep up with that AND fill in the few blank spots that I have, like the Galaxy of Fear series. Just won one of those in eBay that's coming from Belgium....I'm hooked, what can I say.

 

Wow! I was just thinking about where I can find a thread like this. Kewlness ValedaKor.
My collection is fairly big. I started back in '97 when the SE came out, which was the first time I actually noticed SW. From then on I've been collecting SW figures, but I'm missing a few here and there. I don't collect 12" figures, but I do have a few. I still can't believe I don?t have the Millennium Falcon!! [face_shocked]

I pretty much open all my figures and I know people would disagree on that decision, but I like playing with them still and setting them up in little scenes! I have some items closed such as all the cinema scenes, Sio Bibble from E1 and R2 with holo Leia. So far I have not opened my E2 figures because of lack of space and I do like them nicely closed in their package, but I?m sure I?ll end up opening them too

Out of all my SW toys, my favorite ones are the Skiff with Luke, Clonetrooper Gunship and the Death Star Escape cinema scene. Aw the heck with it! All of them are my favorite!

 

I have a few figures myself, well, quite a few, but not nearly as many as JediRacer. His collection and "museum" are impressive. It's really hard to find the new figures. I don't have the time or resources (read $$) JediRacer has so I don't always get the new ones when they come out. I just got the droid collection of figures from Star Tours from a co-worker of mine (JediRacer got a set also). That has set me back a bit.

Between my Padawan and myself, we pretty much have all of the Lego Star Wars models. My fave of the Legos is definitely the Star Destroyer and am looking forward to getting Tantive IV (I have to save up some money) and the AT-AT.

I don't know what my most prized item is since I treasure all of them. I do love my ornaments. I have all of the Star Wars ones. Maybe my Jorg Sacul...or my interactive R2.

Mr. DarthHaskett was mentioning that perhaps we can convert one of the bedrooms into a Star Wars room since my collection seems to be overflowing. If so, it'll probably in the next year or so.

Some of our stuff is opened (by my Padawan) and some is kept closed. I brought home a Jorg Sacul for my Padawan and he wanted to open it and I refused to let him.

I guess I collect most things but I love all things Vader.

 

ok, this may be a little lame, but here goes:
When I was nine years old and visited London, I bought a Jawa figure. Were talking first edition, Kenner.

I forget, but I think it either had a leather robe, or the cloth robe. Which ever one was offered in the state, I had the opposite. I think it was leather. Some collector told me it was pretty rare. Also...

Imperial Royal Guard Plastic Bank
Imperial Royal Guard with Talking Palpatine (12 inch figures)
Imperial Royal Guard Lapel Pin
Imperial Royal Guard Light switch
Imperial Royal Guard black t-shirt (The Few. The Red)
Imperial Royal Guard 3 inch figures (all versions)
Imperial Royal Guard costume.

Signed Poster by Carrie Fisher, where she wrote something somehwat sarcastic/ but funny. Signed poster with Prowse, Mayhew, and Bullock.

 

Yesterday morning I went to Target while waiting for my son's rocket launch and MAN! the new figures are out! I was able to pick up quite a few figures! It was so great! I am glad I did not pay the outrageous prices they were charging at Comic-Con.

 

KB TOYS in Sherman Oaks had 5.99 figures on sale for 2.99, reduced to 1.99. I bought 8! Episode I and II. (and 4,5,6)

 

Did they have the new Tie Fighter?? I think it's either out or supposed to be coming out soon.
Darth Haskett scored on the new figs! I haven't had a chance to hit the stores when they open in a while.
I saw the new Unleashed Obi-Wan and Darth Sidious at TRU in Monrovia yesterday. I had already bought those online.
I've also picked up Dengar, IG-88, Bossk, and 4-LOM Kubrick Figures from Japan. My friend was selling them at his skateboard shop(?!). But they were kind of expensive ($12.50 normally, he sold them to me for $10 ea), and he didn't have the Boba Fett.
I am anxiously awaiting my Parks Sabers Graflex replica (original Luke ANH saber). He had a few at Comic-Con for $75! That was a great deal, and they look awesome! I paid $125, plus another $30 for the grips and a covertec clip.

 

I'm pretty behind on my figures The funny thing is, when ever I do find a figure I need I say "Oh, I'll buy it later". After that, I never find it when I am ready to buy it! What a collector I am huh? I have to save up a few $$$$$ and buy all that I need at once to catch up.

The next project I'm shooting for is to make more scenes for my figs. That clone wars scene at Comic-Con was really neat with the brown mountains. Imagine having one of those for Endor, Hoth, Naboo, etc. That would be real awesome!

Do any of you guys know where I can buy figs cheap? I remember I bought a bunch of E1 figs from this one site, but when I went back a few months after to buy more, it had turned to a porn site. What are the odds of that!?

 

Yep, that's the thing with Star Wars collecting. You have to buy things when you see them!
Online, I've been pretty successful with Kebco Toys. Their prices aren't outrageous or anything. But I've only bought the Unleashed figures from them. They have a "one of every figure" club in which they send you one of every figure as they are released..which is cool. I'm tempted to do that, but I like going to stores and finding stuff..kinda like a treasure hunt. But lately, there's been no treasure.

 

I ordered two figures (Padme Wedding) from Kebco in May and have yet to receive them. I have a message into Customer Service to see what the deal is... I doubt it's a big deal, I have an order number, after all -- but I would like to get my darn figures!

I have also ordered several times from Entertainment Earth. They're out in North Hollywood, so I just go out and get the figures -- no shipping charges. And they do sales.

There's also Jabba's Palace. A lot of info there -- you'll never know what you'll find.

FYI -- KB Toys is currently selling their "four in ones" for $7.99, regular price $9.99.

 

Usually I am the one who sits by jealously as JediRacer picks up all of the figures. This time I lucked out. It's really hard to find the figures but I've been lucky the last couple of days. I just found a snowtrooper and a Jango yesterday! I can't keep buying like this...

 

I started when I was 5 and some of my vintage stuff survived my growing up years. I really started collecting big time in 1995 with the POTF figures and my collection just grew and grew to the point where it takes up an entire spare bedrooom. I collect everything Star Wars no matter what it is. My main focus is figures and comics which I am trying to catch up on. I also collect stuff like instructions,flyers or advertisements which go into several binders I have been keeping since day one. I sometimes buy 2 of each figure one to leave carded and one to open. I base that on if I think it will be hard to find out down the line. If it is a pegwarmer then I wait until I find it cheap loose somewhere. I'm lucky to work in retail because that is where I get most of my figures when the scalpers don't beat me to them. I also buy loose stuff at Frank and Sons or at the monthly show at the Shrine Auditorium or sometimes the swapmeet. I have not really bought on ebay in more than a year, no reason why really.

 

Welcome DannyB!
I know exactly where you're coming from. My Star Wars collection takes up my spare bedroom too. I don't know what I'm gonna do when Episode III comes out!! Actually, I have half a closet with non-SW stuff in it still, so that'll be good for some Sterilite 66qt containers full of figs. I've been mounting a lot of figs on the walls, so that frees up some storage space. I'm thinking of getting rid of some of my doubles though. I was going through my collection just the other day, and I realized I had 5 Clone Trooper pilots still carded! I have 2 loose ones in my Republic Gunship. Maybe I'll trade them on Rebelscum. Unfoturtunately, I don't have many POTF figs, 'cuz I didn't like the way they looked (too buffed out).

 

You guys are lucky you have such extra space! I share what extra room there is with my family, so I'm not able to put my collection up at all. Everything is packed away in boxes, which is a real shame because I would love to display everything.

I still buy on eBay because it's the only way I can get Padme/Amidala items sold outside the U.S. I'm waiting on some fact files from Spain, some cards from Chile and a magazine from Belgium. When you "stick" to one character like I do, it definitely becomes a treasure hunt. I even had a Queen Amidala kid's bicycle shipped to me from New Jersey because I waited too long to get one out here. It's used but in pretty good condition anyway. I'll go/buy anywhere I need to, as long as it has a connection to that character.

And since I also collect the books/comics, it's always great to go to Comic-Con because many of the SW authors/artists/comic writers are always there, and I can get my stuff signed.

 

I try not to buy on ebay whenever possible. Hey JediRacer, let me know what you are planning on selling before you do. I might buy some off of you. My Padawan wants a few extra clonetroopers for his Republic Gunship.

 

To anyone who frequents Frank and Sons:
What happened to the vendor that sold the "Star Cases"? I went this past Saturday, and they were gone! Does anyone know where they went? Or where I can pick up Star Cases from now on??

 

Matt, I will be there tomorrow, and will ask around. Do you remember the booth number or at least what row they were in?

There have been a lot of dealers that have "moved on," that's for sure. Some of these guys (like Ivan, who had a big SW collectibles booth), still sell every month at the Sci Fi show at the Shrine.

 

ValedaKor,
The Star Case dealer used to have a large booth in the far right aisle (as you go in through the main entrance, I guess it would be the East side of the building). If you find some info, great, if not, then don't worry about it. I'm sure I'll find another source. Thanks!

 

I know exactly what booth you are talking about. I have not been there in a while so I don't know what happened to the people who sold there. Speaking of the Shrine, I think we will be there on Sunday morning so I may be a little late to the meeting coming back from L.A. Has anybody else been to this once a month event? I have been there a few times and have found some really good stuff like Star Wars comics for a dollar and a vintage C-3PO carrying case pretty cheap. I have also bought some loose Star Wars and Simpsons stuff there. So Sunday is a big day for me.

 

I was at the Shrine two weekends ago, and there was a big crowd. Seemed like a few more sellers than usual, too. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the DVD bootleggers have disappeared...

Helen

 

How did you like the convention?

 

I assume you guys are talking about the monthly comic convention at the shrine. It's been a while since I've been there but it seemed a bit pricy mostly. I try to buy retail whenever possible. I just buy things I know I can't get at places like that.

 

Oh yeah, the prices are usually pretty inflated! LOL I will buy trinkets, like pins and whatnot, if somebody has something that looks interesting. Otherwise not. I just like to walk around and see what's going on -- and get the free posters and stuff they give you when you come in.