by huryochagi » Sun Jun 21, 2015 4:28 pm
When I worked for a couple of years, I decided to expand my childhood G1 collection as a side hobby. I had about 30 G1 figures from elementary school. I ended up getting nearly all G1 figures and most MP's. After a couple of years, I got bored of my collection. I kept buying MP's and reissues for the sake of having them. Currently, all of my figures are stored in large cardboard boxes. I had the figures stored in a glass cabinet for years until they looked like a large blur of colors. It started to annoy me, the more I saw it. I got so fed up with the "visual diarrhea" in the glass cabinet that I stored all figures. I already stored the boxed ones, since I didn't have space for them anyway.
I've been considering to sell them, but I fear regretting it. This is a typical symptom of compulsive hoarding. I don't desire these figures. I don't even see them as they are boxed away from my sight, but I can't let go of them. I'm thinking about keeping the MP's and sell everything else, except my boxed G1 Optimus Prime. I don't need the money, but I think the piled boxes of figures in my bedroom looks ridiculous. I want to move forward in life, but I feel like these figures are dragging me down.
I already sold about 10 figures that I really don't care about. I'm thinking about the remaining ones that I never wanted such as the Seacons.
I think it's compulsive hoarding and collecting addiction. Since I got nearly all G1 figures, I didn't have much to collect and started to collect thousands of bucks worth of boxed 8-bit and 16-bit retro games that I never play. Financially, it's not a big deal since a couple of thousands isn't much for a long-term hobby compared to most adult hobbies. It's just the idea of clogging my home with stuff that seems to be used to fill a void in my life, rather than providing real joy. When I hunt down an item and win an auction, I feel great. Once I receive the item, I don't care about it much. I admire it for a couple of days and then store it.
How do you cope with this?