"Must Have" Ponies: Perception vs. Reality...

[ladybastilla]

With a few points that were brought up in the "Sought After Ponies that you're Not a Fan Of" thread I think that there is another topic going on that would be very interesting to discuss...

If we're not all scrambling to get Rapunzel (whom many listed as a "sought after" they weren't interested in) who ARE the sought after ponies? How much difference is there between our thoughts and reality within our community? And do our own habits match what we think / believe we think about pony collecting? Let's find out!

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
2. Who is your favorite pony?

Notice I've asked these as two separate questions: there's a reason for this. Very often people can confuse the 'worth' of something in status or dollars with its 'worth' as an individual / item that can bring them joy. If the answer is the same, that's totally okay, too! But I want to make sure people don't automatically feel compelled to give what might be perceived as the "right" answer.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )

Feel free to take a couple guesses. Guess a big pony (expensive / rare) and a regular pony. Why? Because we often overlook the little guys when they're the backbones of our collections and could possibly be the ponies more of us are actually looking for.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

Now we are crossing personal preference with public appearance. When we add another person's potential views to our own, there is a chance for the results to become more murky.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

Feel free to pick two: one can be a grail that is long term. One should be a more normal thing that you are looking for in general. My goal with this question is to see whether we find that a lot of us are looking for similar normal ponies. Or perhaps certain odd sets have fans we didn't know about? Or any number of other outcomes. If you've been collecting long enough that you are pretty much in grail only territory, that's okay too and feel free to say so.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that the latter group does not view each pony as an individual. It's just that some people tend to have more of a pull or drive to finish a set once they start it, sometimes even to the point of not starting a set if they don't like one pony in it.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

I -think- this may tie into 'collector age' / 'time spent collecting' but we shall soon see. I'm just curious who goes after big ponies more often vs. who is more interested in pony diversity.

***

My Answers:

1. MIB Glamour Glow Rarity / Glitter Wings Ploomette / TY giant Rarity plush

I figure Glamour Glow holds some value since I haven't opened here. I know glitter wings ploomette is worth a bit even when opened, and while I doubt I'd get retail for my giant Rarity she's one of the larger individual investments I've made.

2. Coco Berry

Many here likely already know that I wanted Coco Berry because of my dog, Coco. I'm a huge fan of "gimmick" ponies--especially when the gimmick works; her colors are lovely; I adore how her symbols are somewhat 3D and her pose is absolutely precious. Plus, she was one of the gifts from my first swap here.

3. Expensive: Night Glider / Regular: TE ponies -- Locket seems to have a lot of fans looking for her.

4. Gusty. She manages to blend a simple, elegant design and beautiful, striking colors together in a way few ponies can. (I find most are one or the other.) I don't have her -now-, but I did a few years ago. I cannot believe I did not keep her! (But I was not collecting then, so, yeah.)

5. Expensive: Crumpet (that'll take a while. She isn't seen often and she's a so soft--one of the few things I can get picky about and don't normally collect.) Regular: Princess Serena (Princess Sparkle is getting impatient waiting for her friends to get here.)

6. I'm usually more of an "individual pony" collector. There are a few sets that I do want to collect, but those tend to be because I like all the ponies in them. If I had more room (and someday I will; I've been promised a pony room when my bf and I get a house but that's a ways down the road) my logic may shift. But for now, controlling the space I have available is priority one.

7. At this stage of collecting, I'm usually more likely to buy a few new ponies. My current goal is to get ponies from as many different sets as I can so I can see how each set differed. There are times--certain milestones or holidays--where I might look at a more expensive single pony, but right now that's not the norm for me.

***

Thanks very much for your time. I hope I can get some responses to this so we can see if there are any interesting patterns to look at here. Have a great day!

[Jordan]

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
Probably my Ditzy Doo SDCC. I really want one without a damaged box but I'll take what I can get 

2. Who is your favorite pony?
G1: for some reason Gusty
G3:Minty
G4: Twilight Sparkle

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
Mimic, I really do want to get her one day, her color combo is so beautiful!


4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?
Tbh I really love all ponies, that'd be a tough one! 

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
Mimic!
Second runner up is Non-Alicorn Fashion Style Twilight Sparkle

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
I used to with the G4 but then I thought why buy the same Pinkie Pie or Rarity? I now just go for the background ponies I don't have (ie: Sweetie Drops, Diamond Mint)

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)
I'm definitely the "few new less expensive ones" right now

[CloudyGlow]

1. My most valuable pony is Nightglider/the pony that was my proudest moment was the Wig Wam I found at a thrift store/my grail pony was Moonstone

2.  My favorite pony is Nightglider, because she is so gorgeous and has my favorite colors and symbol theme.

3.  I think the most sought after pony is Mimic.  That might be my own bias showing, because she is the first pony I knew was rare and I think she is so pretty.

4.  I think everyone should have an g1 Applejack (I need one!).  Because she is a simple but beautiful pony and because she has managed to stick around so long (having been in g1, g3 and now in g4)

5.  Right now my most wanted pony is Salty.  He's not the most expensive, but usually goes for more than I want to pay (I'm cheap LOL).  If we are talking no limits on money then I want the Surprise Twins Pony the most.  I think the gimmick is so funny and the mommy is beautiful and her twins adorable.

6.  I tend to go after individual ponies, but I do have my eye on completing the year two rainbow ponies.

7.  Right now I would rather have more ponies.

[FullMoonFever]

1.  My most valuable pony... it's a toss up between Greek Moonstone and my Brillitos Flutterbye (which I'm in the process of trading off)
2.  Fave pony... Moonstone, hands down.
3.  The most sought after pony...  If you mean from my collection it could be my Argie Flutterbye, Greek Moonstone and my mountain boys.  Unless you're asking which pony I believe is most sought after, then it's any reasonably priced nirvana.
4.  Which pony would I suggest to be added to a collection...   Either Lemon Drop or Moonstone, why?  Because Lemon Drop is so plentiful, and Moonstone is just gorgeous!
5.  My most wanted pony(s)...  Nightlight, and the two Mountain Boys I'm missing.
6.  Do I collect individuals or by set...  I want to finish the mountain boys, so I guess by set.
7.  Would I rather have one rare pony or more less rare...  I'd rather have the ones I want (does this make sense?)  It depends on the pony really. 


~Jenn

[Artemesia's Garden]

Great idea!

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?

I think my Dutch baby was my proudest moment, I took lots of photos and my brag got stickied! That was great.

2. Who is your favorite pony?

Glory with glitter symbols from USA
 

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )

Might be German Nightlight but I think unicorns in the Glory or Gusty poses are ponies that everyone wants

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

I love Dancing Butterflies, she's just really spectacular.  I love her oriental colours and style.

Now we are crossing personal preference with public appearance. When we add another person's potential views to our own, there is a chance for the results to become more murky.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

In my sig! Moonjumper is the last winger I'd like to get. I'm also after UK Sweet Clover to complete my UK wish list.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

Individuals

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

I'd rather have a few less expensive ones.  I only once and quite recently spent over my usual £40 limit on a single pony.

I -think- this may tie into 'collector age' / 'time spent collecting' but we shall soon see. I'm just curious who goes after big ponies more often vs. who is more interested in pony diversity.

I'm 36 and have no ponies left from childhood.  I started collecting two years ago and have nearly completed my wish list.

[Flitter]

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony? Prototype g4 Minty

2. Who is your favorite pony? I love all my ponies and have several favs. I change my mind who is my fav all the time so I couldn't really say.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? That's really hard to answer for mlp collectors as a whole. There are probably several that fall in a "sought after" category but probably not one that is universally "most wanted". As far as g4, which is all I collect, it seems to be just whoever is new.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique? Any g4 brushable. Keep the brand and particularly brushables alive! Let Hasbro know we still want them!

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now? Sweetie Drops, because she's been out a little while now but I haven't been able to find her in store yet.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set? I collect 1 version of every g4 pony character. I'm not sure how that'd be categorized.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? I'd rather have one pony I really love than several I just like.

[kissthethunder]

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?

I'd say when I got Mimic. I shed tears over her <3 My most valuable pony is mexican rainbow haired Firefly

2. Who is your favorite pony?

Firefly <3


3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is?

It's a toss up. For competitionists some ponies are hard to get because of their few numbers. Like Greek Lady Bird. But most Popularly sought after pony is not the same as rarity. I'd say Mimic is the most widely sought after that I know. There's others I think make the list but those are the two I think apply best.


4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

Collecting is so subjective. What I think is a collection staple isn't for others. If I were to advise a pony to someone it'd always be Firefly because she was my childhood favorite and a bit of a mascot for the mlp franchise. A second would be Sundance.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

I think Movie Firefly or a Firefly moc. I have others I really want like SWeettooth, Nightglider, baby blossom, and others but I think the Firefly obsessor in me wants those two items most.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

I'm a bit of a G1 completionist. I would like, eventually, the entire line of US released ponies.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth) Right now? Rare ones. I have a large collection and it's coming down to widdling out more sought after/hard to fine/ and rare ponies. Most commons have passed through my hands.

SO imho it doesn't come down to collecting the big names or diversity, but rather time and opportunity alone. You can find a great deal on a pony but it doesn't matter if you don't have the cash atm. Sometimes I can shell out money for a big lot of ponies, other times, I can't even afford a common Peachy. It's basically what is available for what price when I'm looking to buy.

[Whippycorn]

My answers are going to be G1-centric, just so you know! 

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
My most expensive ponies are my Indian Minty and Snuzzle.

2. Who is your favorite pony?
Baby Noddins is my fave (and I know the peek-a-boos aren't very popular for some reason) and I have a soft-spot for Snuzzle and Parasol.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
Hhm... it's hard to choose one who I think is more popular. Ponies like Nightlight, Ice Crystal, blue hearts Dazzleglow all seem to get snapped up quickly when they come up for sale. The TAF babies always seem very popular too.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique
I think it would be Snuzzle or Parasol...they are just quintessentially MLP to me.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
Right now I really want Baby Lucky Leaf and Flat foot Minty. Long term grail is Greek Sunbeam (dream on).

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
Well, I collect unicorns mostly but I also like CP ponies and boys. Though I do buy the occasional pony who doesn't fit into those groups because they just appeal to me (like Parasol).

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)
Well, I feel I can justify spending £100 on several ponies much more than a single pony. Once I have gotten all the cheaper items on my want list then I guess I'll have to start buyer fewer, but pricier ponies!

[CupidStrikes]

Spoiler

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony? MIB G4 Diamond Rose - I found her in a store for £5, a good two years after they were initially released. She's one of my favourite G4s, and one I had given up hope on owning because of her rarity, so to find her in the wild like that was amazing.

2. Who is your favourite pony?

I have a lot of favourites G4: Diamond Rose, G1: Masquerade

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is?

Probably Mimic or G4 Star Swirl.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

Lyra Heartstrings, because her colours are gorgeous <3

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

Hmm, prolly...Gusty, Blossomforth, and Plumsweet.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

Individual. I don't have the money or space for "collections" containing ponies I don't care for.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

Eh, depends. There are certain amounts I'm not willing to pay for a plastic horse under any circumstance so prolly go with the less expensive ones unless I got the super-awesome-rare-chocolate-fudge-coated one for a great deal.

[Nekronyte]

Ok, this sounds fun.

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
Definitely my MOC MLPTales Melody, I still cant believe she is part of my meager collection

2. Who is your favorite pony?
What? You want me to choose?? Applejack was one of the first ponies I considered to be my favorite. But I also really like Melody and Mochanut.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
Definitely Mimic, even when I first started collecting I knew she was valuable. Other than that, Firefly maybe? I'm sure she is common but at the same time I'd bet everyone wants her for their collections.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?
Everyone should have a Year of the Horse Pinkie Pie. She is just so unique, not only as a g4 release but in general as well.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
Patch, Clover, and Bon Bon definitely. But more realistically I've been trying to add any Glow n Show ponies to my collection, which arent impossible to find, its just hard to find one in my price range.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
If I'm at a flea market or toy store I'll buy whatever I dont already have. Shopping online I will search for individual ponies.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)
Definitely would rather have more ponies than rarer ones.

[Miniature Sheep]

Those are some interesting questions!

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
For me my most "proud moment" pony was Majesty; she was one of my childhood ponies who went AWOL and I had a lot of trouble replacing her. Whenever I found her, she always seemed to be in really bad shape, but in the end I managed to find one who's really nice so the patience and perserverance definitely paid off.

2. Who is your favorite pony?
Posey, Windy and Majesty were my childhood favourites, and I love my new ones just the same.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
I'm not really knowledgeable enough to make an informed guess on that matter.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?
I would recommend Windy. Her colour scheme works really well and she's in a very endearing pose.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
I really want NSS Heart Throb, she's been evading me for ages. I'm hoping to have found one by the end of the year, though.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
Individual ponies suit me right down to the ground because it takes less energy to find them and less space on my shelves. Also I wouldn't like to feel obliged to get a pony I don't like just to finish a set.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)
I'd rather get a pony that I love rather than a bunch that just look nice but don't have any personal wow factor. Price-wise I have a limit of £15, anything above that I have a hard time justifying, even if I've saved up specifically for something.

[Strawberry Swirl]

OOoh, this looks fun to do!

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?

Probably my nirvanas(Peru pegasus Blossom/white Italy Tootsie), Melody, and Night Glider.

2. Who is your favorite pony?

Ffffff I have too many but. I'm really found of any of my childhood ponies, Melody + friends, Night Glider, Galaxy,
Sugar Apple, Sweet Tooth....ok I have to many lol.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )

I always thought it was Mimic actually. But I can attest to piggy ponies as well.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think they are special / beautiful / unique?

I dunno if I would want to do this. Everybody's taste is different so I would help everyone to get their most wanted pony!

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

I have LOTS of these. Really.
Just look at how many TAF ponies there are.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

Individuals, but I often find myself wanting every individual in a set...

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

The second option.

[Taffeta]

Ah, awesome you did this

My answers apply only to G1, because although I pick up the odd G4 as a souvenir, I only collect G1.

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
This is a really hard question, actually. I have a lot of ponies which are "graily" and, honestly, the one which would probably be THE most graily and which I would be most proud of obtaining I still haven't, because I probably never will (Brazilian Paradise, because I have a deep sentimental childhood connection to Paradise thanks to writing lots of stories involving her, and we had no So Softs growing up). So if I had her, it would be her, but since I don't, and realistically never will, I'll go back to my own collection...

Maybe Glory and Moondancer, finding them here, in the UK, at a UK car boot sale, where they should not have been. They were ponies I longed for for all my childhood and that day I saw them there I was just blown away. They are "common" ponies to people in the US, but I never take them for granted.

Also my alternate Baby Susie, because she's a one and only. And, not for the kudos. I am proud of her because a: I found her through hard work and diligence of going through ebay lots looking for something special and that I could afford on my teenage income and b: because she's still mysterious, and I love hunting for the answers to puzzles. She is kinda special for those reasons - though I do like that right now she's OOAK.

2. Who is your favorite pony?
I don't have one favourite pony. Taffeta is one of them for obvious reasons (that happened after I chose her for my namesake, though, I never even saw her before then. I remember asking my trade partner for her "because I decided that's going to be my online name" in 1998. Teenage logic is awesome.
I am also very attached to the ones mentioned above, and Magic Star, Cherries Jubilee, Princess Pearl - also ponies I wrote about and who I loved reading about in the comic. Shady as well. Gypsy. I have a lot of favourites, and all of them for sentimental reasons. And from the other US ponies - Mimic


3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
The most sought after pony is the one that was the least sought after in the years MLP was out, because of supply and demand. I don't think it's Mimic and Rapunzel, nor do I think it's a Nirvana pony. It is hard to pinpoint one, though, because IMO the most sought after pony depends on where you live. For me as a kid, it was Medley and Glory. For someone in the US, that's probably a nonsense, but I couldn't get them so I wanted them and that made them important to me. I imagine US collectors look at European ponies in a similar way. So it depends on where you live for me. I don't think there is one pony overall.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

Taffeta! I also love Mimic but she gets a lot of attention already. Princess Pearl is another one as well. She's a stunning pony, especially with her dragon. But my reasons for liking ponies are usually silly, sentimental and connected to something in my childhood or trading past. So the reasons would probably not make sense to anyone else.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
I have 2. As mentioned above, Brazilian Paradise, and also Baby Sugarcake. Both long term grails for me for different reasons. Cannot afford either, so I'm in it for the long haul xD. One day I will get them! *shakes fist* If we're talking MIP, though, I have a whole slew of them from my childhood to tick off.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
I think I've completed all the mainstream sets, unless Baby Sugarcake counts as mainstream - but I collected as I found them. Car boot logic is you take the pony that's there. I generally traded in the same way. I love all G1 ponies (although not so keen on the Sundae Best, they stink), so I collected them all and still do.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

What is the pony's proper worth, though? That in itself needs defining IMO. Monetary? Sentimental? Popularity? Rarity is another thing that needs defining. It is also influenced by location. Someone in Athens may find it easier to find Greek ponies than someone in Connecticut, for example. For me it depends on the pony. I dislike the idea of spending $500 on one pony. I could never sanction that. I could buy a bunch of nice MIP ponies for that amount, or a bunch of nice loose ones, but not one single pony. If I was really rich, though, or even not saving for a PhD or working a part time job, I would probably look at that differently, though. I am by no means judging anyone else. I just am reacting to my income and acting accordingly. Right now, because I don't lack many common ponies except for issue variations in some, I would not be looking at them. But I somehow think I would find it more fun to buy a lot of 40 ponies for £100 than one pony, even if I had 39 of those ponies. Because trading is fun, too, and that's the biggest part of pony collecting I miss. Not being able to trade so much any more.

In terms of my collection, I am a completionist. I am not fussed about most Nirvana, but in terms of mainstream, I want to fill all the gaps. So all. But most of mine were acquired through carboot sales or trading, so I guess I never really thought of them in terms of $$$ so much as in terms of equal trade.

[Sumire]

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
I think my most valuable "pony" is Oakly and I just kept her (I always thought she was a girl) from my childhood collection.

2. Who is your favorite pony?
Glory, she was my first.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )
After reading this thread, I guess I'd go with Mimic. I certainly feel like I read more about her than Rapunzel. She is more unique looking than Rapunzel and she is a pony those who don't venture into the rare air of nirvanas know about. As for a regular sought after pony... I'll go with Locket since apparently almost everyone in the girly swap had her on their wish list.

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?
I don't think there is any one pony every collector would be delighted to have but I'm going to go with snowglobe Celestia because I call her "the pinnacle of all human endeavor." She's a winged unicorn princess with rainbow hair, a crown and rainbow sparkles floating inside her. My inner seven year old is simply thrilled.

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
Baby Princess Sparkle as my grail and Baby Starbow as my "normal"

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
Individual

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)
One rare pony because I'm running out of space. 

[thecakeissisley]

This is a great topic with many great questions!

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?

I'm afraid I don't have any expensive/rare ponies in my collection yet, but if we're speaking about sentimental worth, my NSS Shady is the best thing in my entire toy collection. She's just so special. I could get every nirvana in the world, but she'd probably still be my favorite.

2. Who is your favorite pony?

That would be the same as question 1. (If we're talking about my personal collection. There are loads out there which I'd consider "favorites" even though I don't own them yet.)

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is? (Apparently it's not Rapunzel )

Honestly I have no idea. I haven't been a collector long enough I guess

4. If you could advise the entire community to add one pony to their collection, who would that pony be and why do you think he or she is special / beautiful / unique?

I don't have an answer to this one. There are just too many

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?

Any So Soft ponies (with decent flocking). As of right now, I really don't want anything pony-related more than so-softs.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?

Mostly individual, but there are sets that I wish to complete in the future, like Rainbow Curl, Rainbow ponies, Rockin' Beats ponies, etc.

7. Would you rather have one rare pony or a few new less expensive ones? (All ponies in good condition and bought for their proper worth)

Since the only "rare" pony I'd be actively looking for in the distant future is Mimic, I'd rather have lots of common nice condition ponies.