Any tips on getting started?

[JasonP]

I never collected ponys actively, but they have accumulated over the years (mostly from friends who thought it was funny because I really like horses), and since I joined this place in search of a custom, I've been somewhat tempted to actively start collecting them... Does anyone have any tips on how to get started? Like where to buy, what things to pay attention to, which ponys to start with, etc?
I have around 90 G1s and 150 G3s, so I was thinking of sticking with those generations.

How did you start collecting? Where do you buy your ponys from? How do you decide which one to buy next?

Thanks for any info ^^ (or pony collectors stories)

[Taffeta]

Lots of good questions and it sounds like you've a great start point collection

Have you identified all the ponies you already have?

If so, maybe a start point might be to look at the sets they come from and see if there are others in those sets you'd like to get to complete groups.

Otherwise, I would advise looking at ponies but not prices first. Basically decide what ponies you like and what you want and make a list...and then find out if you can afford them. Sometimes people get too blindsided by value but it should be that you collect the ponies you really like...

The same obviously applies to the ones you have - deciding if you want to keep them all. You might find people who will trade if you have ones you don't like.

It's harder to find them in the wild now but second hand sales in your area, also toy and antique, collector fairs are quite good for G1. I find G3 still at carboot sales and second hand sales quite a lot. Charity shops or thrift stores.

Then ebay, but ebay can be expensive. And places like this too

I've collected on and off since I was a kid. I had my first pony just before I turned 3 (Rainbow Windy). I stopped for a bit when I went to secondary school at 11, but then restarted at about 12 or 13 with second hand sales. That was the late 1990s when they were more common. I got online in 1997-8 and I've collected on and off ever since.

[JasonP]

I have not identified any... They're just there. I know they all have names and they were all on the packages, but I threw them away long ago... Is there some kind of list where I can find the names?
Where do you find information on sets?
Or where do you check for ponys that you might like?
I've seen a lot of nice ones around here, but I'm always unsure if they are real ponys or custom ones xD

I'd like to keep all the ones i have... the G3s are all ones I got packaged so they're in great condition, and the G1s are ones my mom bought (either for herself, or for me because I was the only one of her sons who accepted ponys as legitimate toys xD), so they have a lot of sentimental value... and they are also all in good condition, I think. Though people's idea of 'good condition' seems to vary a lot when it comes to ponys...

I checked on ebay, but there is so much I didnt even know where to start. I'll try the antique stores and charity shops. We have a lot of those over here.

Oh wow, that's such a long time... I also got my first pony when I was around 4 xD I still have it. It's blue with a brush and a mirror as symbol. No idea what it's called though... How many ponys do you have meanwhile? How many ponys does one need to qualify as a real collector?

[caracallie]

I would recommend getting very well acquainted with Mylittlewiki. On the g1 tab it has identification help, lists of ponies by year, playsets... it's super helpful! Before I even bought any I just browsed it for fun, and it inspired me to make the leap For ebay G1s, you'll wanna look up "mlp g1" or "my little pony g1" on ebay (and search pre-1990) for the best assortment of purely toys! Sounds like you have a magic message pony btw... she's a cutie!

[ColdRuru]

When I started my collection I did a list of those I found particularly pretty.
Then I goes after thoses (ebay and other second market internet place) plus I started hunting in the wild (flea market, thrift shop, etc). The idea is: I bought online only rare/HTF ponies in my country and I collect what comes to me from the wild.
Sometimes, I get a serie I really love and decide to complete it, so I hunt thoses ponies prior.
In fact, the best way with starting, is to choose a first line and stick to it. Once a first goal is archieved, you can go to a next one. Etc. Like: Do you want ALL the ponies? Only one specie in particular? Only some series? Only thoses with themed symbols? Color? Etc.
Another good thing to know is: do you want each pony comb/accessories? Are you picky?
It could help you found the right add to you.

Start also by ID all thoses you got, it may help you to found the series that come with and define your taste .
Info can be found on several MLP sites like My Little Wiki or Strawberry Reef or the Ponylans Press, but they are many others.

And the most important: enjoy yourself and your ponies

Edit: And make pony friends!

[Taffeta]

A real collector is mindset not number of ponies I think 2 ponies counts as a collection ;D

There are a bunch of websites for ID. The most popular is the My Little Wiki.
http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/Main_Page

I noticed you're in Austria so you might have some European ones. My website is UK based (link in sig) so may help too. There are some ponies which were only sold in Germany and Austria as well.

Strawberry Reef has a by-colour guide for G3s. It's not great for G1 accuracy, and has a lot of errors re European ponies for G1, so I wouldn't use it for that. But it's good for quick ID for G3s.
http://www.strawberryreef.com/Index/Color/index.html

So there are some places to begin

My instinct with the description was maybe Twisty Tail, but she has a brush and comb...and Mirror Mirror does have a mirror, but not a brush??
http://mylittlewiki.org/wiki/Twisty_Tail

[invaderhorizongreen]

I know my little wiki and strawberry reef are good places to find ponies by color or body type. I keep a running list of ponies on my pc, and update it when I get the chance. I also have guidebooks, and typed out want lists by year, and pony types to make it easier.

[JasonP]

Wow... I had no idea the pony world was so large... The littlewiki looks like a really great place to get started. I can't believe something like that actually exists xD

Oh, I was wrong about the pony... It's not a mirror, it's a brush...I always thought it was a mirror... Shows my eye for detail. Twisty Tail. I'm going to write it down. Thank you ^^

Ah... there's so much information here, I don't even know where to start.
I don't think I'm much into accessories, though I have a lot somewhere in a pony box... Do people collect the accessories too?
I think I like the G1s best, so maybe I should start there.
Does anyone know the average price for ponys? Approximately?
Does it help to make a list? I'm generally a large fan of lists, and I have all the ponys picture documented so maybe I could try that?

(thank you all so much for the replies, by the way. I really appreciate it ^^)

[ColdRuru]

Yes they are people collecting accessories. I know some that wouldn't thinks their collection is complete without them and are hunting even the tinyest and HTF ones.
Also, they are people collecting more of the merchandises or playsets, etc. It really depends from a collector to another.
That's why building a collection is personnal to how you want yours to be, as many, many collectors do not share the same way. There's no good or wrong, as it's up to everyone to be happy with their goals of course.

[Taffeta]

Yay One pony ID down! Twisty Tail is a really pretty one as well

Lists are good. I am really bad at organisation but I have just about got my collection organised into lists now and it helps, esp when I need to check if I have a pony. I remember with G1 but I don't always with the others.

Pony prices vary wildly from pony to pony and it isn't always logical. Some are very cheap, some are very expensive, but they can be ponies from the same set. That's why I suggest leaving prices till you have targets. Then you can post a list of pony names you're interested in and get some input on them

People do collect accessories. Some accessories are very common and cheap, others sell for more than the pony. Again, it's specifics.

[TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

For the most part, I thrift. I go to Goodwill, Value Village, a couple other thrift stores around here, and hunt for ponies. I'm a pony collector who buys whatever I find thrifting if I don't already have it, so most of the time I end up coming home with at least one new addition, be it an actual pony or some sort of merchandise. Of course the most common finds are G4 ones, so if you are just collecting G1 and G3, it'll likely be less common to find stuff you want while thrifting. I also recommend going to any antique malls you have around and seeing if there's any vendors there who sell ponies consistently.

eBay is a great way to find specific ponies you're after, I don't have my own eBay account yet though so I rarely get ponies here since I have to ask my dad to do it for me and then he has to take said money out of my bank account, haha. But that's a pretty good way if you're after specific ponies, and you can always buy some lots, too.

Wow... I had no idea the pony world was so large... The littlewiki looks like a really great place to get started. I can't believe something like that actually exists xD

Oh, I was wrong about the pony... It's not a mirror, it's a brush...I always thought it was a mirror... Shows my eye for detail. Twisty Tail. I'm going to write it down. Thank you ^^

Ah... there's so much information here, I don't even know where to start.
I don't think I'm much into accessories, though I have a lot somewhere in a pony box... Do people collect the accessories too?
I think I like the G1s best, so maybe I should start there.
Does anyone know the average price for ponys? Approximately?
Does it help to make a list? I'm generally a large fan of lists, and I have all the ponys picture documented so maybe I could try that?

(thank you all so much for the replies, by the way. I really appreciate it ^^)

Some people collect accessories! I don't actively search for any since I don't really have much room to display accessories, most of mine are just in storage. I would love to display them when I have more space. Price varies a lot depending on the pony. Many go for around $10, some around $20 or so. Some ponies are over $100 on average. I think it'd be a little hard to calculate a general average, it varies a lot! Depending on pony, condition, etc. As for documenting your collection, it can certainly be useful! Though I keep putting off updating it further, I use an app on my phone called Snupps, which is an app for taking photos of and writing down information on items in your collections. I've really got to work more on mine still.

[JasonP]

I guess that makes sense.
First thing I'm going to do is name all the ones I have and put them in a proper list xD that should take a while... I'm sure in the process I will find some others that I might want. Though I'm still unsure what to go by. Maybe I'll just go by whatever I find?
Here in Austria we have this website where people sell their old stuff - I just checked there and theres a whole lot of ponys on there. I'm really amazed. I think I'm going to take a closer look at that. When I search for 'my little pony' it shows over 1000 results...


What do you list them according to...? Color? Generation? Pose?


Yeah, eBay would probably be a good place once I know which ones I want specifically. Generally I buy a lot on ebay, but I'm not a great fan of the shipping prices... So it would need to be a very special pony xD

Somehow I'm not such a big fan of G4s because they are so small... Theyre the size of a G1 head xD But yeah, we have those in stores here everywhere.

Sadly we don't have any malls like that around here, I think, but we do have that one website I mentioned. I think I might be able to find something there.

[BlackCurtains]

Ponyland Press is also a great resource!

When I look for ponies it's always by generation first, then by name. Or, since I mostly collect orange ponies I'll just look for 'my little pony orange' or even 'orange pony'.

As you go through the ones you already have, see if there are some you like more than others, then look up what set if any they're a part of. You might find you like the whole set and that'll be a good starting point. Or maybe you'll be like me and only want to collect a certain color, or a certain theme like Space ponies or Weather ponies

[JasonP]

Orange ponys... I have a few orange ponys xD but only G3 ones... Are there a lot of orange ponys?
I think the set thing is a good idea. I already found a few on the my little wiki site, but I'll definitely try the ponyland press too, thank you.

[Taffeta]

Also, one other tip for you going forward - the year on the hoof is the year of the pose/mould. Not necessarily the year that pony came out. A lot of people have issues with that when they start because a pony from 1990 might have 1985 on the hoof and then it's harder to identify.

And if you really get stuck, you can ask for help