How do you feel about unboxing older ponies?

[Scraleos]

I'd never debox unless the bubble was in horrid condition. Then again, if it was a pony I didn't own, I'd be tempted. I don't think I could ever afford a MOC anyway! It's like with these Final Fantasy IX figures I bought; cost me an absolute ton of money to buy them MOC, and I opened them, because I wanted to feel them and put them on display. I later bought another set to keep MOC though.

[little.fox]

I love MOCs and it makes me sad when people decard them, but what can you do? I don't really see the point tho, why not sell it for good money and let the MOC collectors have what they crave, while you get a loose minty pony to enjoy? Everyone wins.

However if the card/bubble is in bad nick I don't see the point of keeping pony in there just for the sake of it, I must admit.

[Elisto]

No, I wouldn't (except as others have said, if the condition is bad/the damaging the pony). Certainly not G1s, but I'm not sure about G2s (assuming I were even interested in one). Probably not though. There's only a limited number of MOC/MIB ponies once a line ends, certainly much less than loose ones, so once you destroy that, that's one less in existence, and I don't like counting on other people to no open them in order for them to keep existing. My feeling is if I want a loose pony with accessories (which I do more than boxed ponies), I buy a loose pony with accessories. There are plenty of those out there. Sure, everyone can do what they want with what they buy and all that, but none of us are going to have them for all eternity, and personally, I'd rather not contribute to destroying something harder to come by, even if it means not easily getting all the parts. Sure, they're toys, but they're collectables to me, so I want to preserve what I have.

[little.fox]

There's only a limited number of MOC/MIB ponies once a line ends, certainly much less than loose ones, so once you destroy that, that's one less in existence .... and personally, I'd rather not contribute to destroying something harder to come by, even if it means not easily getting all the parts. Sure, they're toys, but they're collectables to me, so I want to preserve what I have.

Well said!

[Elisto]

Thanks, although I feel I should say I think I have a different attitude about collecting that a lot of other collectors. As much as I want more ponies for myself, for me, the excitement is not just in having them, but in finding them. So while I do really like accessories, I don't have many because I don't want to buy ponies and accessories that are already coming from someone's collection and have already been "found". I'll buy baits from other collectors to "rescue" them, or accessories to replace lost childhood ones, but that's about it.

So I do get that if your goal is to have complete collections (however you define complete) separate from the discovery part, you may have a very different perspective on what to do with a pony than I do.

[Sandi]

I would never unbox/decard a G1 pony unless the box/card was in terrible condition. I am planning on decarding a common G2 pony though. I've been trying to sell her for a long time, but nobody seems to want her. I want her, but not MOC. I have deboxed many G3s and all my G4s.

[Lancer]

G2s?  Well, I did unbox one about a year ago, but I'd had her for years and had always intended to do so.  I just didn't bother until I had somewhere to display her...and she was going "sticky" in her packaging anyway, as a lot of G2s tend to do.

G1s?  Never!  I couldn't do it!  I know it's up to the individual but it always strikes me as a bit sad as there are so few MIB G1s around.   I'm not a MIB collector though, and I certainly wouldn't attack someone for de-boxing a G1.

[Princess-Sparkles]

I personally would never open a G1, and I don't see the point in it unless the packaging is actually damaging the pony... I have seen plenty of ponies mint pretty much with all the accessories and they were nice and cheap. There's only a limited number of MOC/MIB ponies left. It just makes me sad personally. I think if you have a MOC and you want a mint loose with accessories a trade would be more recommended that way everyone wins.