To open or not to open? If you collect toys, this question has surely come up a lot. There are many collectors out there that will not open their toys no matter what. Some think they lose their value, which they do. But in this day and age, what are the odds that you can really make bank off of modern day toys compared to the ones in the 50’s and 60’s. The market is pretty saturated with toys unless you scoop up an exclusive at a decent price and pray that it keeps its value.
The opposite side says OPEN YOUR TOYS! Let them breathe, play with them, and display them. Don’t keep them in their cardboard coffins. Toys are meant to be played with, not stored in a climate controlled closet for the duration of your life.
Both sides have their points and make good arguments for their beliefs. Where do us fine collectors at AiPT! stand on this issue? Well, let’s find out!
David Hildebrand, Toy Editor: I am fortunate that I have cool parents. They never threw out any of my toys. I have all of my old Star Wars, Transformers, GI Joes, M.A.S.K., Visionaries, Centurions, you name it, I probably have it. As I got older, I started collecting Star Wars characters again. I picked up one or two here and there just to keep in their packaging as something to do. Then one day, my collecting got out of control and now I have boxes and boxes of toys and a closet filled. Most are in the packages just because I am that person now. If there are figures that I really dig and want to open, then I buy two. I suck. I even get mad at myself, ha ha. So yes, I have become the one that keeps his toys in their packages and I can’t lie, I hope eventually some of them end up being valuable.
It really is organized than it looks and nothing is getting damaged!
Brian Clements, Contributor: I’ve got 3 toy obsessions: LEGO, Palisades Muppets figures, and Funko POP vinyl figures. LEGO I will always open, of course, because the fun in those is the build. Whether I’m building a Brickheadz or mini model for myself or a larger model with the boys, they get opened almost immediately. My POP vinyls and Muppet figures, however, all remain in their boxes and blister packs. I love displaying my vinyls in my classroom, but I’ve had to move several times over the past few years and am very limited on flat surfaces. In my last classroom, I stacked the boxes on top of a small bookshelf, allowing them all to be seen without sacrificing a huge surface area. Same with the Muppets figures. These were discontinued in 2005, well before I had children, but finding places to keep all the accessories and bits was problematic. Leaving them in the blister packs and hanging them from the wall provided an alternative display that kept my wife, if not happy, content with the minor obsession. Of course, considering what some of them are going on eBay for right now, it might have been prescient.
Nathaniel Muir, Contributor: I tend to leave POP vinyls in the box. I also have Star Wars tiki lamps that are still in the box. But I also get collector’s glasses when I go to the movies and I have no problem using them. One of the best ice cream floats I ever made was in my Spider-Man: Homecoming glass. It is not often, but I occasionally get special editions for video games I really like. The only reason I have not used the bag from the Persona 5 Take Your Heart edition is it so small. And above all else, my godson takes precedent; if he wants to play with something, he is more than welcome to. (I had a BB-8 disco light that I had never taken out of the box before he saw it.) If you want to use something, then knock yourself out. What better way to show your fandom?
I’m gonna need that Rocket glass – David Hildebrand, Toy Editor
Dave Brooke, Media and Content Manager: Most of the toys I currently have in my home are opened and displayed in a case (check out some images on this article!). I don’t see the value ever going up on some of these toys since they’re so mass produced these days. I’d have to be 150 before my Sideshow Groot goes up in value. At least I think! That said, why keep them in a box under your bed or in your attic? If they give you joy show them off!
That said, I do have a lot of Star Wars toys still in their packaging at my parents house. I bought them at the time because I thought they may go up in value. These came out around when Episode 1 was released. Will they ever have value? Probably not since there were so many made. That said, it’s easy for me to not open them since they’re all stored at my parents house never to be thought of.
Even though I love packaging, Dave’s toys are looking pretty sexy!
Hope you enjoyed our opinions on this subject. Have an opinion of your own? We want to hear about it! Sound off in the comments and did you know that we have a YouTube channel that has toy reviews? Check it out here: AiPT! Comics
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