Forgive the total noobie question, but I want to know what people do. I've been getting good deals on lots of rare Balzac stuff these days. To my surprise, despite being 8 years old, some of this stuff is still mint in the bag. I just feel bad opening it because they've been kept in perfect condition in their bags. Plus, there's something I like about a still sealed figure. But as a record collector, I hate records that are still sealed. Records are made to be listened to, not kept sealed in plastic. So wouldn't the same apply for the other kind of vinyl? I'm interested in knowing your thoughts and practices.
I don't keep anything sealed because the best part is opening the package and examining everything and posing it It's all up to personal preference and how much you care about the "value" (i.e. are you planning on ever selling them?) Or you can do as at least one SB collector does and have a set of opened and a set of unopened
I think everyone will agree with the '' Open them " theory. I tried to keep one of my figures sealed one time. It lasted about 2 weeks.
I think a lot of Japanese collectors keep toys sealed though - one collection was described to me before as "bagged perfection"
2 weeks is like a lifetime for me. I'll even immediately tear into toys at sdcc or dcon. I am the most impatient 3 year old kid when it comes to checking out and playing with toys. My wife likes to open some toys with me, the wait of just a few hours is painful.
I keep stuff sealed these days just to push myself into finally setting up a proper display case. It's like a form of punishment actually.
I agree with most people: open em! i do keep most stuff bagged until i can display it properly. I got so busy right after sdcc that i didnt even open the box i packed at the hotel for a month...shame on me!
Keep them seal! Then throw them in a air tight time capsule container and bury them in the ground 6 feet deep! Dig them up 30 years later and slowly open them and savor that old vintage vinyl smell!
While I think these figures are meant to be opened and enjoyed, I do keep some of my collection bagged. I've found some of the early RxH, SB, Blobpus, etc. figures still unopened and in-bag and have a hard time opening these knowing that they might be the last unopened examples still out there (some nearing 10 years old to boot). It's almost better to find them opened/loose so I don't have to think about it. I suspect my itch to photograph and display them will eventually win, but there are a couple that I may never open... Some of the other ones that I keep bagged are unpainted gift/lottery items. This is mostly to preserve their authenticity and reduce speculation that they are merely stripped production figures. To some extent, I think it is easier to enjoy JP vintage or new vinyl figures in the bag. The bag is clear and you can generally see the full figure, unlike other boxed toys where MISB may mean never seeing the toy at all (which always struck me as sort of Schrodinger's cat type of quandary- what if you open the box one day and discover that the vintage MISB toy has yellowed horribly or is missing a bunch of parts from the factory?). Anyway, I normally fall into the open-and-enjoy camp, but the increasing age of the early figures has made me reconsider on a few occasions as well.
I don't understand why you would ever keep them sealed. When it boils down to it, they're still toys!
I agree with everyone here and I think this says it the best. Nothing I'm buying a plan to resell. I know the stuff I'm buying won't have value in the future and I just buy it because I enjoy it. So the other day I won these on yahoo japan for very low prices: I already have a loose one I paid $100 for in October from a member here, but it didn't have a pumpkin. So now I have a small dilemna, sell the loose one and open this, or have one of each. I also scored this: which would be stupid to not open because it cannot be viewed as intended. But it makes me wonder why the previous owner never opened these.
Unopened toys can be the mark of a complusive collector: they buy, and buy and buy, chasing the "score," but not having the ability or time to open, play or display the toys. Ive even had small bouts of that, buying too much, opening the shipping boxes and then putting the toy right back in, all the while the usps boxes start stacking up... Or like bansheebot said: greed
my 2cents... I have a number of toys MIB..which will stay that way as that's how i like them.. this has nothing to do with "value"... for me,,when a toy has a beautiful header,,it sometimes contributes to the overall appeal and creates an entire package which I choose to leave intact... besides..it's not like western boxes or blister packs where the toy is encased..there is still a playability factor with the bag...possibly somewhat limited at times but still poseable.. I also find it helps for displaying when you're out of shelf space as a nail in the wall can hang a header with a hole punch.. plus small toys MIB can be hung by blutack on walls or mirrors.. it also spices up the collection aesthetically for me..giving a jumbled toy store feel.. i truly love header art and find that it's much easier to forget about when stored away in a folder,, drawer or box... cloudy/dirty bags can be cleaned with windex to keep them fresh looking..I do it when necessary.. end of the day...do whatever you want and don't be too influenced by naysayers if you truly like the toy bagged..
i have done something i swore i would never do but all my shelves filled up and i have some bagged toys now until i figure out my next display move. they are not loved any less.
Since vinyl sometimes 'sweats', I have gotten some older sealed figures that had gotten sort of funky in the bag, They were fine once they were set free & given a bath, but I am not sure of the long term effects of not being able to 'breathe'. As for your Skullmen - they look so good in a chorus line. Free 'em!
I used to keep the majority my toys sealed. I finished up having a room full of them so I eventually decided to open all the bags and that turned out to be such a great day (and a turning point in my collecting). I understand that one may be inclined to keep them sealed but ultimately I think there is less enjoyment in MIB toys.
I only leave a toy bagged if I buy it and for some reason after it shows up I dont like it. Some toys show up and they are alot bigger or maybe a bit smaller than I had anticipated. So they will get resold, no need to take away that feeling of opening a MIB toy from the next guy if Im not going to keep it. I say let them out!
