The Original Collectors

[tuneful87]

Do we have any idea if there were adults (20+ yrs old) collecting MLP back in the 80s? These collectors would now be 50+. If so, I'd love to know their stories. I often think about this.

I'm sure there must be some original collectors who never made it to the online community, but there must be a few that did. Or maybe you know of an adult friend or relative who collected back in the 80s. Love to hear any stories you might have!

I have this vision of a few adult men and women in the 80s binging on all those lovely MOC and MIB ponies and feeling like they were the only adult on earth who was collecting such a thing. Hehe.

[Silver Glade]

I never really thought about that... ha!  Yes, it'd be great to hear from some of them if they're out there! 

[gabumon]

I'd love to hear this too.  Though, I think that back then one thought to collect them.  Trying to think, in the 80s what "vintage" toys did people collect?  1950s? "Buck Rogers", tin rocketships?  wind up toys? or Barbie?   I would think people who collected that sort of stuff may have also gathered up MLP as it was coming out fresh.  Yeah they'd be older now, but maybe some brave researcher could look around parts of the internet that collected this prior "vintage" for people to ask?

[Haruna]

Well, once when I bought a MOC Fifi, the seller told me her mom had saved it on its card because she was sure it would be collectible someday. So I guess she wasn't exactly a collector, but someone with a good sense of what was going to become valuable.

[lunar_scythe]

I don't think many collectors from back then are still active in the community; the Delaneys(sp?) were adult collectors I believe?

[HoustonCollector72]

That would be great and also if they could show their collections that would be EPIC

[sweetiebabyfizzy]

I don't think many collectors from back then are still active in the community; the Delaneys(sp?) were adult collectors I believe?

Yes these people and there was a very nice lady who used to post at the TP, and she was an adult who collected G1 when they came out. I cannot recall her SN, I haven't seen her around in sometime. I was to say it's partypony55 or something like that... I know she's a mod here though so I don't think it's her.

I think it may have been prettypony55?

[ValeofSpring]

My impression of the Delaneys (I believe based on the story they had on their website) was that they did not start collecting MLPs until the G1 US run was over. Now granted if this was true they built an amazing collection in a short time (as I started re-collecting in 1998 and remember them then).

I'm guessing there were some adult collectors at the time but likely very few--and they certainly must have been isolated. The internet definitely stimulates all kinds of collecting!

[MiRaja]

I'd love to hear this too.  Though, I think that back then one thought to collect them.  Trying to think, in the 80s what "vintage" toys did people collect?  1950s? "Buck Rogers", tin rocketships?  wind up toys? or Barbie?   I would think people who collected that sort of stuff may have also gathered up MLP as it was coming out fresh.  Yeah they'd be older now, but maybe some brave researcher could look around parts of the internet that collected this prior "vintage" for people to ask?

That is a really easy question to answer!  There are a lot of things collectible pre-1980's, and I would actually say there's a lot more that has collectible value pre-1980 than afterwards.   My mother actually remembers working in Kmart when MLP came out, and remembers stocking Twinkle Eyed ponies, including Mimic, and that she wanted to buy one ( this was previous to her having me, she actually wasn't supposed to be able to conceive ) to collect, but her and my dad were pretty broke then.  She liked Mimic because she had always loved Macaws and would eventually end up raising them for a time when I was a kid, so, that's why she remembers that so well. 

[kellyponyfeathers]

Yes, at least two of the collectors who dominated MLP Ebay auctions in the 90's were already adults, which explains why they had more money to spend than many of us did.  (I for one was in college.)  The Delaneys have already been mentioned.  It's a family hobby with them, but the mom Jeanne is the most serious about it.  No, she did not grow up with MLP; she discovered them at flea markets and thrift stores and started buying them for her kids.  That expanded into serious collecting, which took off with Ebay.  I think she has 4 kids and had to stop collecting for quite a while because she didn't have space.  She is active again but not as active as she used to be.  The other early adult collector that I know of was Helen Kiker.  I believe she originally started buying used MLP's for her grandkids, and then that grew into a serious collecting hobby.  She passed away from cancer a few years ago.  Jeanne Delaney knew her personally and bought her collection, kept some, and sold the rest on Ebay and here on the Arena.  I bought a few including a sparkle Baby Firefly prototype that I haven't seen anywhere else, and I know glacia's OOAK white Vennie Lickety with pink and yellow hair came from that sale too.

[SpookyTrees]

Hmm. Interesting question. I consider myself an original collector, although I was far from an adult, I was 8, and I both collected to collect and collected to play. I was told I got the first two MLP ever available in my province - as in they opened up the boxes to stock the shelves as I stood in the store isle trying to pick out a Birtjday gift from my out-of-town grandma. I collected Years 1-3 obsessively. I spent much time in the hospital away from my family and people would bring me new ponies to keep me company. I would line them all up along the window sill and the adult volunteers would come in and talk horses with me. After that my collecting was somewhat sporadic, I'm assuming I started to outgrow them, but still held on to my complete 1-3 collection with ferver.

Anyways I will be watching this thread as I would love to hear from some adult collectors in that time!

[Jellybean]

Aw, I'm sad to hear Helen Kiker passed away. She came to Pony Palooza '99 at the Delaney's house, and my teenage eyes were so starry at meeting adult and senior collectors. I just had to spend the last 20 minutes nostalgically browsing my very tiny, 15-year-old photo scans from Palooza. The Delaneys had an AMAZING pony room.

I'm not sure if she collected when G1s were new but my long-ago friend TJ used to be proud to be an older collector. I wonder if she's still around..

[Starfall]

I remember going to boot fairs when I was about 10 (mid nineties) and there being adults selling mlp for top dollar because they were 'collectable'.  I remember one lady wanting £5 (a great deal of money to me back them) for a Milky Way with white stars. I think of her often.

[KarentheUnicorn]

In 83-84 I would have been 11-12. My first ponies were Moondancer and Firefly, so depending on which actual year I purchased them I might have been between 11-13 when I started collecting MLP.

[flyawayraven]

I regret not being active when the Delaney's were involved with the community. I've heard incredible things about their collection and regret never seeing it.