Painting collectable figures or models

[Calimero]

Hello all,

As you can see here; http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=41668.msg1101028#msg1101028

I’ve painted a Tintin figures for a friend of a friend…

It was much appreciated and it makes me wonder if painting collectable figures, die cast cars, etc. "destroy" the object/models and drop the price to the eyes of collectors… or does it make it more rare and, to some point, more "valuable"?

What's your opinions?

Cheers!

[syrinx0]

I think what you did improved the collectable. Not sure how it would effect the cost though.

[rebelyell2006]

It depends on how you view "value", and how other people view "value".  A perfectly polished silver plate that appeared out of nowhere will hold a lot of value to someone who collects silver but low value to a museum; a tarnished silver plate owned by a local merchant, with oral history reports from his grandchildren talking about the special times and events that he took it out of the cupboard and used it, will not be as valuable to a silver collector, but will hold limitless value to a local history museum. A toy still inside of the original packaging may be valuable to some, while a toy with obvious signs of use and a written diary entry about the Christmas morning gift exchange and photographs or home video footage of unwrapping and playing with it may be valuable to others.

Only the collector can know if s/he holds more value in something made for the purpose of being collectable and left raw and untouched in a container, or something made for the purpose of being collectible and subsequently improved upon by an amateur or professional painter, or something made for the purpose of being collectible but later used for non-collectible purposes.  Personally, I cannot give an answer because I do not collect for the goal of collecting, but I buy for the purpose of using.

[Valerik]

It was much appreciated and it makes me wonder if painting collectable figures, die cast cars, etc. "destroy" the object/models and drop the price to the eyes of collectors… or does it make it more rare and, to some point, more "valuable"?

What's your opinions?

See this thread for lots of similar opinions:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=75482.0

Bottom line, you bought it, bend it to your will, collectors be damned...

Alas my lemony yellow Rolls Royce still patiently awaits violation...




Valerik

"when an old man dies, a library burns to the ground"

[Onebigriver]

Bottom line, you bought it, bend it to your will, collectors be damned...
Valerik

Well said that man. I stripped and repainted some of the large LOTR magazine figures for my sister. She loves them.


I've got a load of the large Doctor Who figures destined for repainting too, purely for myself.

[eilif]

Much older and rarer (read "antique") items in good collection might be "collectible" regardless of packaging, but for more recently produced items it seems that they only retain a higher value when in original packaging and many times not even then.  Really no one cares about a worn toy's backstory if it's less than 40 years old and usually not even then.

There's a shop near me that deals in old toys.  There are dozens (perhaps hundreds?) of racks of action figures from the 90's in the packaging that in most cases are priced near their original retail price.  There are bins of loose action figures that sell for a couple bucks each.

If the item is already unpackaged it's value is likely already shot and painting it will not help.  There will be exceptions, but painting anything rarely increases it's value unless you're a very good painter and their exists a current market for painted versions of the product.   Also, painting usually only adds value to something more recent. It's a novelty thing and you've got to find just the right buyer who wants an extra special painted frodo to put on their mantle.  When enough time passes that a product is collectible then it's almost always original, MISB examples that folks want.

All this to say, unless you want to start a painting business (a very difficult way to make money) paint for your own enjoyment.

[FramFramson]

See this thread for lots of similar opinions:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=75482.0

Bottom line, you bought it, bend it to your will, collectors be damned...

Alas my lemony yellow Rolls Royce still patiently awaits violation...




Valerik

"when an old man dies, a library burns to the ground"

Haha, not only do I have the same Rolls awaiting similar violation, I've already thrown my collector's box and "certificate of authenticity" away!