Your collecting journey

[Xelloss]

I started collecting over 10 years ago, looking primarily for Slayers. I occassionally bought one or two gems from other series, but Slayers has always been my favorite. I tend to stick to one series due to cost control.

I don't think my focus has changed much over the years...

I really need to get a scanner, I haven't update in over a year ^^;

BTW, that for the Valgarv on ebay, tenzink ^_^

- Karen

[kamidake]

All I have to say that ever since I started collecting sketches, it's been completely out of control! >_<

tee hee ^^

Is it like http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.o ... _small.jpg yet ?

Lol! Close, real close. ^_~

[ginga123]

when i first started out 5 years ago, i only wanted to focus on 2 characters from the sm show-- mainly to narrow my focus and keep some margin of cost control. (im kinda laughing at myself now b/c i chose an expensive character to collect in the first place.) i still mainly go after high end pieces, but not as often as i used too--- i think its the market right now to be honest. i haven't pounced on any m9s since Christmas.

i was always collecting little anime stuff like notebooks, etc. the discovery or RS itself, ebay, and a few other gallery sites is what really helped me get into collecting as well.

it wasnt until around 2006-7?? that i decided that i'd showcase my love for sketches/genga etc. and become a part cel, part CG gallery. cutie commented one day that i had a knack for picking out sketches. it inspired to me to take it to the next level. i just wanted to do something unique, and i'm still keeping with it.

i just hope you enjoy it as much as i do.

[tenzink]

I really need to get a scanner, I haven't update in over a year ^^;

BTW, that for the Valgarv on ebay, tenzink ^_^

- Karen

You're welcome ^^ Good to see your collection again! And you can use my scan of Val haha

[Xelloss]

I really need to get a scanner, I haven't update in over a year ^^;

BTW, that for the Valgarv on ebay, tenzink ^_^

- Karen

You're welcome ^^ Good to see your collection again! And you can use my scan of Val haha

It's good to see your collection too. I'm still around and collecting, but have moved and am busy with work, home improvement projects, etc. I tend to fall off the net on occasion. My scanner is in a box around here somewhere...

- Karen

[jcaliff]

Although I started admiring cels at conventions starting around 1991 or so, I couldn't actually afford to buy any until I finished college and had a real job. Got my first cel in 1996, and my collecting philosophy has never changed. If I like it and I can afford it, I'll buy it. The past couple of years have been slow for me, mainly because I just haven't been able to find much from the series I love that are worth buying.

[pixie_princess]

In the ancient days of yore...
well, I suppose that should read: Back when I first started shortly before college
I was 18/19 and saving up for my schooling, so it wasn't very easy to purchase cels. I stumbled across the now defunct mangaya (as a cool place to see Sailor Moon production art) and fell in love with several cels. I was able to afford two; Seiya playing the drums and Galaxia protecting herself from ESM's healing beam of light. They were oh so terribly expensive... I think I spent around $60 or $80 for both of them together w/ shipping from Japan and an international postal money order. It was 1997/1998 ^_^

Back then I saw many wonderous beauties... A Neo Queen Serenity holding her crystal aloft while fighting off Wiseman, A few funky Lupin-esq Seiya cels, and pages upon pages of cels. I think I still have the images saved on the computer somewhere.


My goals were simple: collect some neat pieces of Sailor Moon production art that struck me visually for characters or scenes that I really liked.


My focus is still the same -collecting pieces of art for characters and scenes that have struck me visually as impressive, I've just expanded that to encompase a few other series (Slayers, CCS). Sometimes I like to buy fun pieces that have characters from series I like (Daa!Daa!Daa! is like this). On more than one occasion I have fallen victim to "ooh shiny" and purchased those as well. For Momoko's set of 4 sequence mates (Daa! x3) I purchased that partially due to the fact that Momoka's actions reminded me of my youngest daughter. Mia (my daughter) loves Sailor Moon, sometimes I think she loves it more that I do lol. There were times when she was 3-4 (she is 5 now) that she would grab her wand and do poses like SM when she's doing her Moon Healing Escalation, henshin-ing, or other attacks... Seen a toddler in pigtales via cel form doing simular poses struck me as soo utterly cute and funny and so Mia-esq that I had to get them ^_^

I was a pretty loyal customer of Celga's and since they were the only deputy service in town for a long time, I benefited greatly from their policies I am sure that several cels I have would have gone for higher prices if they were on the market today due to increased popularity and more competion between various deputies. I did take a bit of a break for a few years in the earlier part of this past decade. I restarted again in 2005 when my eldest was going to school. Around that time I also started to expand my collecting to not just cels but also genga and douga. I was drawn to them you could say. I do tend to also collect settie from some series, but this is mostly in conjunction with cosplay. When I make costumes for myself or family, I like to see every angle possible and go through as many sources as I can -artbooks, dvd stills ect. Settei offers me a greater degree of control and focuses on key details.


There have been a few occasions where I have wanted to reunite cels with sketches that I own, but all this has led to my husband trying to devise a means to better archive and protect these pieces of production art. It has also given my eldest daugthter (I have 3 kids -two girls and a boy) a healthy appreciation of animation in general and a desire to create her own mini cartoons (think flip notebook style animation). It has also gave my son (he is and youngest daughter (5) the desire to create comic strips... though Mia will draw various things for me and tell me it is a cel

I've been able to avoid most of the "buy it cause it's cheap" cel phases since I have a set budget that I need to work in -though it has taken me over several times with series that do not have very much available on the market like 'The Irresponsible Captain Tylor." Though I do still love every piece I have ^_~

So pretty much it has given my children and myself a better understanding of the animation process, and all of us a very healthy appreciation of this artform. ^.^

On a side note... I started out as a Sailormoon Collector in general ... dolls, wands, roleplaying toys... I tried the card thing for a while but in general it just drove me nuts trying to collect certain ones. hehh For those that did the math above, yes I am 32.

[ReiTheJelly]

When I first started collecting, I wanted a bit of everything. I had single cels from series like Fushigi Yuugi, Ayashi no Ceres, Nightwalker, Naruto, Battle Athletes, Ouran Host Club, xxxHOLiC, Tokyo Babylon, Sailor Moon, Twelve Kingdoms, Fullmetal Alchemist, WISH, Fruits Basket, plus many of my current series. I was really greedy and bought everything I could afford! Seeing Yahoo!Japan for the first time nearly killed me.

It was such a cluttered gallery! Eventually, I managed to cull out the series I'm not terribly attached to. But it has taken 7 years!

My gallery has had a lot of turn-over. I've probably gotten rid of 60% or more of my initially purchased items. But I've got no statistical data to support my wild claim! *lol*

I'm the type of collector who buys a low- or mid-grade cel, just in case I don't find a better one in the future. If that better one does come along, I sell its predecessor. This way, I can use the proceeds from the sale to help off-set the cost of the higher end piece. It allows me to spend smaller amount of money, spread out over time, rather than one large lump sum on a higher end piece.


Although I try to stay focused, I agree with what many others have said, "If I like it and can afford it, I'll probably buy it."

[Shampoo]

I'm one of the few that actually stuck w/ their collecting
pattern since 1st starting out- boooo boring LOL

When I got into this hobby, I wanted to
collect Ranma (Shampoo) and Naruto...
... 8 yrs later my collection includes:

Ranma
Naruto
.. and a few misc cg/cel series sprinkled here and there
Yea-- boring!


LOL!


But its kept me sane, focused, and for the most part, pretty
free of debt.
I'd like to think because I have saved my monies
for only my 2 main luvs I've amassed some hi-quality shots
that otherwise I wouldnt be able to afford had I thinned myself
out to a billion-and-one series.

[tenzink]

I'm the type of collector who buys a low- or mid-grade cel, just in case I don't find a better one in the future. If that better one does come along, I sell its predecessor.

/total agreement