Exploring Toy Collections
One thing the newbie collector needs to know about toys is that there are literally hundreds and thousands being produced worldwide each day. They are not going to stop and there is no guarantee which will be a huge success and what will not. But one thing is for sure any new collector does not want to go off and buy lorry loads of toys, it is a single item hobby.
Toy Collectors are not people that want to play with their purchases or investments, but that is not to say that they do not enjoy owning them and seeing them. A true collector is refined in this hobby, passionate about what they want and the standard the expect. The skills and knowledge of the collector are challenged on each purchase.
Playing with their collections is not a high priority as the collectors know this will devalue their individual monetary value, however any collections offer all kinds of dividends and values to their owners not all are financial.
Action Dolls
It is true that dolls were played with long before toy collecting became a hobby or investment forum, but that is not to say that collections are limited to dolls. Doll over the centuries have come in all shapes, sizes and colours. If you are not motivated by the evolution of the Barbie Doll or the baby doll, then maybe the action dolls are more to your taste.
In the forties the toy market was looking for something new for the boys market, that would be accepted as only for the boys, just as Barbie had been accepted and only for the girls.
The toy manufactures in the 50s and 60s had to turn to popular culture when they wanted to start new trends, there was no global internet to help, so they used TV and comic book characters.
The action figures that are being produced today are a far distant reminder of the original action heroes.
Back in the days all the figures were based on a similarly proportioned body type, but since manufacturing technology and techniques have vastly improved so has the defining features of the figures become more and more life like and recognizable as the person they portray.
Some of the recognized collectable action figures
Batman
Batman and Robin
Best of the West
The Lone Ranger
Power Rangers
Science Fiction Collectables
Without a doubt the biggest imaginary pull on the past five decades has been the universe and its challenges both real and imagined. The Transformers to Star Wars has gripped several generations and goes on doing so. Star Wars has a section in the collectables of its own. Life on other planets, time travel, and evasion of earth by aliens is a huge market in all sense of the word. Just a few ideas for those of you that want to collect spacey type toys.
Model planets and galaxies
Star Wars memorabilia and action figures
Space-themed toys like astronauts, aliens and life from beyond the Earth
Transformers (Autobots and Decepticons)
