Marking Restored G1s

[d13tp3ps1]

Hey guys! I'm pretty new to collecting/customizing, and just recently I've wanted to try my hand at restoring borderline-baity G1s. Is there a generally accepted way to mark them as restored, so that if I ever have to sell my collection there won't be any confusion?
 
Thank you!

[rybett]

Hmm, I tend to put a "J" on a leg where the heart symbol usually is when I do g3s.  Might do that under a foot for G1, but so far all I have done with them is a bit of symbol touch up or glitter touch up. 

[kCherry]

Yes, it is standard practice to mark restored originals. My rule of thumb is if I am taking things away (excess paint, dirt, stains, ect..) and adding nothing I do not mark them; if I am restoring symbols and eyes or plugs, with paint or hair then I am adding to the pony and will mark it.
  I usually just put "S7S", my studio signature, and "Resto" underneath it. I've also seen some people just simply put "R" under a pony's hoof and that's fine, too.

  Hope that helps!!

[ponylady]

Good Question!
 
I always wondered this myself??

[mlp4me]

I think this is a great thing to consider. (Would definitely help if there's variation confusion.)
And I don't remember if it was lilspark who said if you don't want something to be permenent under a ponies foot you can always use liquid eyeliner to mark them... it comes off easily.

[DevlishSmooch]

So far I've only done rehairs, and used alternate hair colors so no marking was needed.  But if/when I do use original hair colors or use paint I would seal under a hoof with mod podge then use a fine point sharpie (or similar) to mark it restore/rehair/whatever and then seal it again.  The first layer of mod podge is to keep the marker from spreading into the pony.

[sd_dreamcrystal]

I keep forgetting to mark mine, though most of them were going to a friend or staying with me and not being sold ;

[Rachel-Eyes]

Wow, I've never even thought about marking them! I keep records of which pony has what done to them though, so if I ever start selling, the buyer would know.

And when we say restore, how far are we talking? Does simply washing a pony's hair count as the pony being restored? Or does it need the whole scrub and rehair job in order to count?

[sd_dreamcrystal]

Wow, I've never even thought about marking them! I keep records of which pony has what done to them though, so if I ever start selling, the buyer would know.

And when we say restore, how far are we talking? Does simply washing a pony's hair count as the pony being restored? Or does it need the whole scrub and rehair job in order to count?

I'd say anywhere from repainting factory paint that has faded to sunfading to rehairing to a complete overhaul I've had ponies that all I had to do was rehair and then there are those I had to repaint the symbols blush funfading and a few other things

Then there are those who I consider custom restores, where you are restoring the pony but there is something that is not the same as the original pony! And example would be replacing one color in a rainbow pony's hair x3

[Rachel-Eyes]

Ah, okay. Most of my ponies are thrift store finds and many of them needed a gentle scrub and some conditioning. Most of my second-hand ponies get a hair wash, actually, just so I know for a fact that they're clean...

[sd_dreamcrystal]

Ah, okay. Most of my ponies are thrift store finds and many of them needed a gentle scrub and some conditioning. Most of my second-hand ponies get a hair wash, actually, just so I know for a fact that they're clean...

A restore, though, can be whatever you consider a restore. I think

[HavACrumpet452]

I would consider anything non-original (paint, hair, sculpting clay) to be a restore. Sunfading cleans up an original pony to its original condition so I don't consider it something you would mark.
 
If people would stop gluing the heads back on (with non-original glue I might add) you could mark the inside of the neck so it wouldn't show on the outside. Those collectors who are into ponies would know to look and if somebody bought it as a children's toy they probably wouldn't care anyway.

[pinkkittywinks]

i mark a ponies hoof according to what she/he has had done

de-bbe
rehair
symbols
eyes
DF (deflock)

and so on

sadly pen marks on feet can still be faded i used to paint on the ponies hooves with pink paint, but it was rubbed off by an owner so i took to using magic marker.

love pkw xxx

[PinkRosedust]

Cleaning a pony isn't really restoration...don't bother marking a pony that has been washed or brushed or sunfaded, lol.

However, anything you ADD to the pony (generally it'd just be new hair, paint, or occasionally sculpting I guess?) should absolutely be mentioned to any buyer and that pony should somehow be marked. We don't want future collectors thinking they have a totally mint pony when in fact it is not original. :/

I'd even recommend it to ponies rehaired in different colors, or that you are keeping for your collection - you can't take ponies with you when you go...eventually your ponies will end up with someone else! It would be a pity if 50 years from now someone found a pony with alternate hair colors and everyone thought it was a bizarre factory error and paid big bucks for it! ;D

[Baby Sugarberry]

I don't mark my ponies, simply because I dislike what most marking methods may do to them in the future.  After all I've restored them with the point being restoration, not to introduce more potential sources of damage. >_o That said, I only do things that put them back to factory original. (or is terribly obvious, like a deflocked Ribbon I'm still working on...)