Your collecting pattern over the years

[Paulbot]

This chart shows the number of new TFs I acquired each year over the past 25 years*.

When I look at the numbers this way, I see that my buying across 2007-2009 was madly incredibly out of proportion and it's why I'm both selling a bunch of stuff at the moment, and why I'm being more picky with the new stuff I'm getting.

What are other's people's collecting patterns like? Anyone else made enough to chart it up?

(And if Jaydisc is reading maybe charting/reporting could be a future feature of the iTFDB?)

* It's not how many toys from each year's range I've got, that's another chart. I also had to guesstimate quite a bit as I don't have solid records prior to 2007 so I might be a bit off each year, but no other year is as insane as 2008!

[kup]

Mine has been a steady increase of toys which belong to the G1 continuity family with the exception of Beast Machines. I am bound to slow down though since I completed US G1 but there are pretty of expensive new toys being released this year which I want.

[liegeprime]

Wow thats a bit too detailed Paulbot!

For me - since 1984 to 2005 is pretty much get whatever I like within my meager budget = 125 TFs from all lines ( G1 to Energon) preeetty meager coz of the budget , had I more money to burn it would have been more as I really wanted to complete the Takara Booktype ones but decided Ill just get some of the G1s ( this was my mindset before then)

2006 - 2008 - I would say a kerplosion of G1s, and pretty much the current lines- Energon - Cybertron, Classics a few BW, BM stuff too. I was trying to complete most of the G1s before I bought a house coz I know there would be a sharp decline due to mortgage payments, so from 125 figures my collection increased to 500-600+ figures IIRC. My mindset for G1 this time round was - I HAVE to complete it

2009 - 2010 - Finally completed G1 ( US released) also just buying out movie stuff ( not all), Generations and trying to complete Animated and focus selective completion of BW characters.... but my collection now as per figure count... is well past 1200+ Also just filling in gaps in G1 ( Euro stuff- AM), G2 and some Alts.

[SharkyMcShark]

Up to the age of 17 it was like maybe one every month or so.

Since I finished school and started uni I've had my own disposable income so now it's about one per week.

[Sharky]

wow, i must say that is a pretty good effort....

to be honest i do not even know how many figures i even own.. i do not see a point to count them.. let alone how many i purchased and when i purchased them ...

i guess it would be good and scary at the same time.......

have you taken note on how much you have spent ??????

[Paulbot]

No idea of the money spent except for this year. This is based on a spreadsheet where I was recording the figures rather than the spending, but I'm trying to track both that in my iTFDB account.

The chart may be "too much information", but once I'd done it I figured it would be interesting to share.

I'd suggest doing it if you can. It really gave me a perspective on the collecting habits and has changed my future buying behaviour setting me back on the path where I was more selective in my purchases.

[5FDP]

At least no one can accuse you of contributing to the global financial crisis

I certainly haven't gone to this level of detail with my collecting. Every purchase I make is entered into a spreadsheet (something I have done ever since I received a hand-me-down Commodore 128 from my cousins), but I only track name / faction / condition / series.

I think subconsciously I wanted to avoid reminding myself of how much money I spend each year... it's definitely something I wouldn't want the wife to see.

[1AZRAEL1]

Very nice. I have no idea myself how my pattern is, but I would say over the past few years it has increased. But has come to a halt

And I too have no idea how many I own.

[1orion2many]

Wow, you put a lot of effort in there Paul I wouldn't have the foggiest as I don't really have any patterns as such. It all depends on spare cash and what is around that I like at the time

[GoktimusPrime]

Roughly speaking...

From 1984-1987/88 my brother and I had the second or third largest collection amongst our peers. Then the kids with larger collections sold them (I got Soundwave and Gnaw for $5 each!) and so our collection became the largest. After the Marvel Comics were cancelled our collecting declined. By 1992 my brother had stopped collecting altogether and I only picked up a few figures. The G2 years were definitely the slowest for me in terms of TF collecting.

It picked right back up again when Beast Wars came out and I went nuts collecting. Then the bloody 2002 drought came... I wanted to keep buying but there were hardly any new toys to buy! My wallet breathed a sigh of relief, but the collector in me sure was frustrated. I even bought RiD Optimus Prime despite the fact that I got Super Fire Convoy 2 years before just cos I had nothing else to buy! (sad huh?) My purchasing would've peaked in 2003-04 when I was buying a lot of repaints (although most of them I gave to my gf atm who's also a TF fan - so they never went into my collection). Shortly after that I wound down and tried to become more discerning with what I bought - and that's pretty much where I am now.

In terms of volume, I'd also say that I've been buying a lot more since 2007 just because there's a lot more of stuff out there to buy, what with all these lines running simultaneously (movie, Animated, Universe etc.).