Preserving Pop Culture

Some of you middle-aged folks may see the high prices toys, comics, and trading cards you played with in the 70’s, 80’s, and even 90’s sells for at auction and cringe knowing you once owned, and tossed, the very toys collectors go wild for today. Basically, you’ve realized you likely threw out a small fortune and have come to regret it. That’s understandable. If you could go back in time, would you have preserved your toys instead of playing with them? Would your childhood-self give up the joy of tearing open a new toy to save it as an investment in your adult future? Probably not! The reality is there are no time machines and no do-overs for you – but, if you’ve got kids (or even grandkids) there is still time for them. Maybe you’re thinking some of the toys they’re playing with today will be worth something someday, and you’re probably right. What should you do?

So, obviously you don’t want to take away all your kids’ beloved toys like some kind of cruel monster, but someone with an eye on popular culture might recognize a strong and likely collectible when it comes around. My advice? Buy two: one for playing, one for preserving. It takes money to make money, so the initial investment of an extra action figure or playset specifically to keep it in pristine condition negates the risk of regret later on! Plus, you still get the pleasure of watching your kids enjoy their toys. Win, Win!

Once you have your extra toy, comic, video game, trading card or whatever… what should you do with it? First of all – save everything! If it was shipped in a special box, save it. If you have a receipt, save it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the value of a collectible skyrocket because it has all the original packaging and documentation of its purchase. It might seem random, but 30 years from now, people will get all nostalgic looking at receipts from stores long since out of business – it adds to the collectability!

Next, let’s talk about storage. Moisture is your enemy. Sunlight is your enemy. Humidity is your enemy. Critters are your enemy. So many variables can destroy cardboard packaging, so you must protect your investments. Basements are not safe, garages are not safe, and attics are not safe unless you store these items in air-tight, water-tight, uv-resistant, and nibble proof containers. While you’re at it, maybe you want to make those containers childproof, too – just in case your little one stumbles across them!

One last bit of advice I have is labeling your bins so anyone who finds them in the future knows what they are. Often times, we get calls from kids and grandkids of collectors who have no idea what their parents have stuffed in storage. Some sort of written documentation, whether it be sharpie on the storage bins or a save digital file, can make the sorting process so much easier on them if you’re no longer there to guide them.