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

[VanillaBean]

1. Who is your most "valuable" / proud moment / grail-y pony?
It's a three-way tie between SS Twilight, Gypsy & G2 Copper Glow.
They're all in perfect condition & were grails for a long time. ^-^

2. Who is your favorite pony?
Glory & Surprise.

3. Who do you think the most sought after pony is?
At the moment, I'd say it's probably Night Glider. She's incredibly popular (& for good reason.) 

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?
Glory.
A classic pony from one of MLP's most influential years. Her design is simple but stunning. A magical snow-white unicorn with shooting stars on her butt: what more could you ask for? 

5. Who is your most wanted pony, right here right now?
It changes pretty frequently, but at the moment, I'd say G1 Skyflier.

6. Do you collect individual ponies or do you collect by set?
Individuals. I collect ponies whose designs stand out to me, or whom I have a strong childhood connection with. I wouldn't buy a pony I wasn't keen on just to complete a set, although there are some sets that I would like to complete.

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)
A few less expensive ones. One pony is never enough, & I love seeing different types displayed together.

[Beth3346]

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

Probably when I got my Mimic.  I think I had been collecting for about a year and was just starting to get serious about my collection.  She was one of those ponies that I never thought I would have.  She is still one of my favorites and IMO she is a gorgeous pony.

2. Who is your favorite pony?

Mint Dreams

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

I think one of the Mountain Boys.  Maybe Ice Crystal?  I had a couple MBs (Fireball and Lightning) for sale a few months ago and they sold in a few hours.
Gusty seems to be on a lot a want lists for a common/less expensive pony. She is definitely one of the prettiest and one of my favorites.

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?

Red Roses

When I first started collecting I thought the Perfume Puffs were so weird looking. I didn't really see the appeal of Red Roses until I got her in a lot. I was planning to sell her but she is so lovely I couldn't do it. She is still in my collection today. Her color combo is so pretty and she is the only US release yellow unicorn.

I'm a big fan of perfume puffs now.

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

So Soft Crumpet
She's so elusive.

I also really really want Baby Candy.

I think my dream grail ponies right now are Italian Blue Lickety-Split and Italian Blue Posey.

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

I like to have complete sets. Though most of the time I end of selling one or two of my least favorites from the set. I don't have a lot of complete sets right now. It is my goal to have a complete US G1 collection.  I would consider myself a 'catch all' collector.

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)

It depends on my budget at the time. I tend to buy mostly less common/less expensive ponies. but if an opportunity to get my hands on a rare grail pony comes up and I have the budget I won't hesitate.