Wednesday, July 7, 2021

To Restore or Not

Several of the toys the Toyman acquired have been restored - basically stripped down and repainted, with new logos applied.

In some cases, doing this could be a good choice, if you aren't ruining an original toy to do it.  Original Otaco toys bring far higher prices that restored/refurbished toys do, but whether you choose to restore or not will depend on your purpose in collecting.

If you are collecting for the joy of having and displaying your finds and are less concerned with the dollar value of the purchase, spending the money (or learning to do it yourself) to restore old toys might be worth it, but that's really an individual's choice.


Me, personally, I would prefer toys to be left in the original condition ... while I don't "hate" that we have these as a collection, if I were left alone with them, some would be handed to our grandson's, but a lot of the collection would be sold off.  I like them, just not enough to keep them for myself, and given the cost of some of these purchases, resale value is something to consider.

We aren't young folks. My husband is enjoying "the hunt" and likes meeting other collectors and discussing the "stuff". He likes having the toys around him too, so, I want him to enjoy it all while he can.  At the moment, the money invested is just that - at least to me. Some of those toys are an investment (cost-wise), and if you choose wisely and buy the rarer ones, you aren't likely to lose money on them when the time comes to sell ... unless of course you've done a refurbish on them. They might bring a little less than the one in original condition, depending on how bad the original was.

Overall, whether you do or don't restore is a personal decision, but look into the values of the "before restoration" toy, and "after" restoration, so you aren't taken by surprise when  you decide to sell.

All that having been said, restoring old toys could become a hobby in itself, particularly if you have a knack for crafty things.  Restoration isn't something you do in an hour or two with a spray can, but it's meticulous work that can involve more than just a new paint job - sometimes fashioning missing pieces yourself.

Take this fellow - I don't know his name, but his YouTube channel is branded as "Chip Channel".   I accidentally fell into one of his restoration videos on Facebook, and found myself going back for more. Funny thing, that. I'm not thinking I'd want to do it myself, but it's interesting to watch the work that goes into it. When I shared it with the Toyman, he was taken by the videos as well.

 


Definitely worth a visit to his channel, or his Facebook page if you're a toy collector or a just a fan of old toys.

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