ooops, that is Always & Forever - Sweet Valentine is just the title for the picture in my Flickr, it is not her name. Sorry for the confusion

I really like Lovestruck in the blind bags too, nice colours

EDIT: In the G3 thread, katrine2309 posted one called Sweet Valentine:
http://mlparena.com/mlp/index.php/topic,304726.0.html

Yay - so many beautiful G3 pictures! Loving it!

Klein: oh my - the two first pictures are awesome! I love those ponies, which one are they? I stopped collecting around the time these were released and have no idea about names or anything, but they are just beautiful!
I'm loving that Wham!-pony too - she is a custom, right? Adorable girl!

So I have been away from the pony community for some time, and it is funny to me because when I was an active pony-fan here on the Arena the G3 generation was so popular. I started collecting in 2003-2004 and G3s were on a peak in popularity. Now, I feel that their popularity has sunked. Why is that?

So I though we should have a thread to show G3s some exclusive love! Let me hear why you like this generation so much, and if you have some pictures you want to share please upload! I would love to see some photos of more G3s around!

Here is some pictures of both my and my sisters G3s. I am not a G3 collector, but I still adore some of them and of all the generations I feel that the G3s are the most fun to photograph. They have some great poses that makes for fun photographs!

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Scootaloo by KatWoods, on Flickr

Autumn Skye is one of the most beautiful G3s ever in my opinion
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Autumn Skye by KatWoods, on Flickr

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The Easter Bunny by KatWoods, on Flickr

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Sweet Valentine by KatWoods, on Flickr

My fav G3 ever
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Snowflake by KatWoods, on Flickr

G3 babies have their own sweetness!
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Jingle Jangle by KatWoods, on Flickr

I have some pictures - if creativity is allowed

Barnacle - after all he is a pirate, doesn't get more nautical than that does it? 
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Barnacle by KatWoods, on Flickr

Aaaaand one of my favorite winged ponies of all time - Cool Breeze!
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Cool Breeze2 by KatWoods, on Flickr

This isn't a beach pony, but I thought it fitted right in with the beach theme anyway, so I'm sneaking it in
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By the Sea copy by KatWoods, on Flickr

And one, just because I am being a little creative - North Star. Her cutie mark is a compass, and that is very nautical too me
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Baby North Star Complete Arena by KatWoods, on Flickr

I might have some of Gusty, but I'm not quite sure if it is the exact pictures you need. I tend to be a little bit more artsy in my photography these days, but I'll upload some pictures later today and you are free to use them as you like

I know it is because I grew up with G1s. The happy childhood memories playing with ponies is what makes my heart smile whenever I look at them

When I first got back into MLP is was because I found old my childhood ponies in a massive cleaning out. I remembered how much I loved them, and since I totally had forgotten their names and everything about them I started researching the internet. And then suddenly I found that it was this whole community of MLP-lovers and even better - I could suddenly buy all the ponies I loved when I was a kid but never got a chance to buy. Mind you, I am thirty so my pony collection was G1s.

Anyway, my point is (trust me, I'm getting there!) maybe start with what got your interest back in the first place. If you have good memories of your G3, maybe that is the place to start? But like so many others have said already, starting with research is a good thing and even though it seems overwhelming at first you'll soon enough get the hang of it

From a more personal point of view, I can't see how anyone would not love the G1s though

The trading part is a good idea, but honestly it isn't much different from selling old ones and buying new ones for the money I said go for it, if you think you can part with them. Of course no one can tell you if it is a smart decision or not, because some people do regret selling their ponies others don't. You know yourself best!

It also depends if you are one of those collectors who want to complete every set, or if you just want the ponies that seem special to you. I have never been eager to complete anything in my pony collection and I only buy the ponies that seem special. Sometimes I sell them again, and I never regret it. The only thing I would say is that if you have childhood ponies, I would think twice about selling them. I have kept all of my childhood ponies, just because I am sentimental like that But if you want to complete your pony collection, it wouldn't be smart to sell of the ones you have.

If you decide you are not selling your current ponies, you just have to be patient in getting the more expensive ones. Save up money, or maybe there are other things you CAN part with. Then you can sell that instead. I have had some other collections that I have sold off, and been able to buy other stuff for that I wanted more. Other than that I have a full-time job, so buying ponies isn't the huge expense for me anymore. But when it really comes down to it, collecting is all about patience. We can't have it all at once, but it feels SO much better when we finally get it!

Good luck with your decision!