Share your biggest regrets for your collection

So, what are your regrets about your collection? Something you bought and wish you didn't, or something that you didn't buy when you should have? Is it repainting a figure when you probably shouldn't have? Maybe not buying figures in your youth that you would love to have today. What are your regrets?

One of mine is probably not bringing enough money on a vacation, and a bookstore had a huge display of discontinued figures.    Even today I don't have all the ones at that store. Unfortunately the store is out of business now, or I would be calling to see if they were still there!   

Not being a kind of criticism or complaint towards someone, my biggest regret was not buying some figures sculpted by Ana when they were more affordable.

Ha, I have quite a few regrets. I regret not getting some models when I was younger, repainting some models and thinking I could "restore" them (I actually ruined them and had to find new ones to make me feel better. Then I repainted the repainted ones and they look a little nicer, though my skills are still far from decent), and when I first started collecting I bought the coyote pair thinking they were being retired when it was actually the wild dogs. However I did end up finding both of those from the latter, it just took a while. Or also like you 4U not bringing enough money on a vacation and having to miss out on some great finds.   
However, I'm not complaining, I've been very fortunate for some of my additions. I've received figures I'd never thought to own, let alone touch and see in person.   

My biggest regret is similar to Roger's, I wish I had been collecting back when Anna's Bongo and Harriet's Gemsbok were still available. I love those two models so much, but by the time I became aware of them, there were no more to be had. (big sad face!   )

Other than that, I don't think I have any major regrets -- I feel fortunate in that respect. Occasionally I'll wince when I'm reminded of how much I've spent on certain figures. (I once let myself commit the cardinal no-no on eBay: I decided I was not going to lose an auction no matter what. That was for a Battat dinosaur -- an Ouranosaurus. I won the auction and it hurt. I'll try not to do that again. Ever.) But I've also passed on other models and seen auctions get won for much less than I now realize I'd have been happy to pay (I'm thinking of another Battat auction -- an Edmontonia). So I suppose I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.

Early on in my collecting days, I tried to scrape the paint off of a part of one model (to make it look more natural) and tried to scrape the numbers off of a Safari model. Later I bought new copies of both those models and fortunately they were cheap. Now my son has a schleich skunk and a safari coyote in his collection.

I'm sure I'll have lots of regret in the future though. The future is an incredibly fertile ground for cultivating regrets.

i have quite a number of regrets. one is when a children's specialty store was having a closing out sale, they had a lot of wild safari/carnegie dinos on sale, i bought a lot, had second thoughts on a couple of figures, didnt buy them and came back the next day to finally get the last ones, but the store was a already closed for good. another one: when i didnt go to a garage sale early enough and this really annoying old man got there first and bought all the ones i wanted and the most insulting part is i doubt if he really was into these figures and just happened to exist just to irritate the **** out of me!   

My biggest regret goes back almost 20 years.

In a little toy shop in Viborg, where my parents lived at that time, a lot of Reislers were still for sale, among them some of the very fragile horse carriages. They were retired already then for several years, but I had absolutely no money   

Some weeks after, I was in Viborg, and went to look, just look, and drool, - but a guy had bought the whole stock   

I have never seen them for sale since.  

sauroid wrote:

.... i doubt if he really was into these figures and just happened to exist just to irritate the **** out of me!   

  Perhaps the same here  

I haven't been collecting for so many years, but when I was little i had my beloved animals, I had a lot of them and I sure some must have been schleich.

I played with them all my childhood and when I grew up my mom said if she could take them out and she claims I said yes.

That my biggest regret. I miss them so much! And they would have been so fine in the collection.

Once we where at vaccation i Norway and I played by the lake with my little bear figure and i let him sail in the water, but soundenly he flew away and I started to go out in the water but my mom saw me and she came down screaming at me not to go in the water. I wasen't that old and couldn't swim. But I just wanted my bear back.

I waited and looked and was very sad, but there was a wind and he came back to me, not falling in the water.

I also had some small horses and I had them all, those I have managed to keep thought I have moved quite a lot. There where only produced for some years and I learned my mistake from them.

 Susanne   

i also have another: i found a Britains indian rhino in excellent condition but being a used model, i washed it using a soft brush, and i ended up with an almost paintless Britains asian rhino    

My regrets: Selling some animals, that I want now... (Sperm whale and calf from Schleich and the old elephants from Schleich.) Why I sold them? Not enough space at that time, and now I have all the space I want for those animals >.< Not buying animals in a local shop when I was younger. I often dream about reversing time and buy lots of old animals in that shop. Other than that, I'm happy ^^

Oh these stories are indeed interesting to read.   I can imagine how you felt Sauroid. And you Susanne, with those Reisler carts. Expensive auction sounds also quite scary Scott.
Karin, I think some of these figures are probably still possible to find

I quite regret that I lost one box with small animals from my childhood. In the past I started and quit collecting few times. Most of the time when I decided to finish collecting I would just give animals to younger kids, any of my cousins. And I don't regret that I gave these animals, because I think it's good that someone had some fun playing with them yet! But one box  I just lost, probably among the things in the cellar and it's very possible that my parents just put it to garbage without looking what was inside. These animals were mostly cheap Chinese but well, would be fun to look at my toys from the past again.   

Also one tiny regret, last year during the Queen's day in Utrecht I found some old schleich for 50 cents each, but I took only few. I should take them all and maybe send to collectors who would need them. They were in not really good condition but always something to, for example repaint. But well, this year I will buy whatever I find (for such cheap price)   

But after all, I think feeling regrets is not something I should spend time on. I think we can all feel happy, we are lucky collectors now, aren't we? :D

Ana wrote:

.....
But after all, I think feeling regrets is not something I should spend time on. I think we can all feel happy, we are lucky collectors now, aren't we? :D

You are right ! We are all very lucky collectors   
Imagine how rich we are !!!

And no regret ( almost ) , but perhaps there is something to learn ?   
And fun to read

Ana wrote:

Karin, I think some of these figures are probably still possible to find

Also one tiny regret, last year during the Queen's day in Utrecht I found some old schleich for 50 cents each, but I took only few. I should take them all and maybe send to collectors who would need them. They were in not really good condition but always something to, for example repaint. But well, this year I will buy whatever I find (for such cheap price)   

The old elephants are definitely for sale in some looks at marktplaats.
But the sperm whale and her calf? IDK.

Ooooh, qweensday!! (kingsday now )
I'm gonna buy all brand animals I can find, even if they aren't in a good condition haha.
Of course for a cheap prize. Found some good one last year, and I want them aallll!! *goes nuts*

sauroid wrote:

i have quite a number of regrets. one is when a children's specialty store was having a closing out sale, they had a lot of wild safari/carnegie dinos on sale, i bought a lot, had second thoughts on a couple of figures, didnt buy them and came back the next day to finally get the last ones, but the store was a already closed for good.

This reminds me of something too. There used to be an amazing toy store near me, maybe a half hour from home, when I was very little. I don't remember much about it, only that the entire longest wall of the store was lined with animal figure displays!     And the place was called "The Green Caboose," painted green and yellow on the outside. They closed, supposedly moving somewhere else in the country, and I was very sad.   I remember today some figures on those shelves that are very rare today. I wish I could go back to the store when they were open and buy them all!    I cannot find where the store moved to, if they're still open today, I don't know. All I can find is a thrift shop with the same name.   

sauroid wrote:

i have quite a number of regrets. one is when a children's specialty store was having a closing out sale, they had a lot of wild safari/carnegie dinos on sale, i bought a lot, had second thoughts on a couple of figures, didnt buy them and came back the next day to finally get the last ones, but the store was a already closed for good. another one: when i didnt go to a garage sale early enough and this really annoying old man got there first and bought all the ones i wanted and the most insulting part is i doubt if he really was into these figures and just happened to exist just to irritate the **** out of me!   

I've had that experience quite often, I know how it feels.   

Animal_Figures_4U wrote:

sauroid wrote:

i have quite a number of regrets. one is when a children's specialty store was having a closing out sale, they had a lot of wild safari/carnegie dinos on sale, i bought a lot, had second thoughts on a couple of figures, didnt buy them and came back the next day to finally get the last ones, but the store was a already closed for good.

This reminds me of something too. There used to be an amazing toy store near me, maybe a half hour from home, when I was very little. I don't remember much about it, only that the entire longest wall of the store was lined with animal figure displays!     And the place was called "The Green Caboose," painted green and yellow on the outside. They closed, supposedly moving somewhere else in the country, and I was very sad.   I remember today some figures on those shelves that are very rare today. I wish I could go back to the store when they were open and buy them all!    I cannot find where the store moved to, if they're still open today, I don't know. All I can find is a thrift shop with the same name.   

Same here, I remember seeing some figures in person in some toy shop and I chose something else over it and then that other figure is considered pretty rare now.  However, I think that's part of collecting, finding the figures you desperately want and then the feeling you have when you finally get them.   

SUSANNE wrote:

And no regret ( almost ) , but perhaps there is something to learn ?   
And fun to read

Yes, fun to read! And something to learn for future too :DI think this topic is interesting indeed.

In times when musk ox was still available I ordered 3 of them, but I regret now I didn't order 10 instead  

Night Lioness wrote:

The old elephants are definitely for sale in some looks at marktplaats.
But the sperm whale and her calf? IDK.

Oh, I'm really not sure. But if I see one I will think about you. I'm sure they must be possible to find on ebay sometimes.

For me it's some of the trades I've agreed to here. Nothing wrong with the trades, but thanks to the pricing policies of the failing Finland Post I've ended up paying in shipping sums up to eight times the going eBay price of the figurine I was to get through the trade (plus my outgoing trade figurine, of course). My fault for not knowing the postage beforehand, obviously.

Perhaps it's a small gripe, but for someone as relatively skint and absolutely niggardly as I am, it's one that'll work to rile me up for a long time yet.

i agree. sometimes it's more worthwhile/practical to just buy the figures you want outright.

For me, I regret not buying the Schleich 1:32 whales (humpback, sperm and gray) while they weren't retired, reasonably priced and easy to find. I eventually found them and bought them (including the calves) but paid much more than what I would've liked to   

Saarlooswolfhound wrote:

Ha, I have quite a few regrets. I regret not getting some models when I was younger, repainting some models and thinking I could "restore" them (I actually ruined them and had to find new ones to make me feel better. Then I repainted the repainted ones and they look a little nicer, though my skills are still far from decent), and when I first started collecting I bought the coyote pair thinking they were being retired when it was actually the wild dogs. However I did end up finding both of those from the latter, it just took a while. Or also like you 4U not bringing enough money on a vacation and having to miss out on some great finds.   
However, I'm not complaining, I've been very fortunate for some of my additions. I've received figures I'd never thought to own, let alone touch and see in person.   

Agree! Just my words xDDD I've destroyed so many amazing figures...   R.I.P

orcagirl26 wrote:

....but paid much more than what I would've liked to   

I think we've all been there.    

Animal_Figures_4U wrote:

orcagirl26 wrote:

....but paid much more than what I would've liked to   

I think we've all been there.    

I can see that   

I regret throwing away my first Schleich figure- one of the really old versions of the fox. I was about ten when I got it but I got rid of it when I was 13 or so. I was at that stage where I thought I was "too old" for such things,and since it wasn't very detailed I didn't think it was worth much.

I feel about that,but what's done is done. I haven't done that with anything since, even the no-name brand dog that I have.

...

Animal_Figures_4U wrote:

orcagirl26 wrote:

....but paid much more than what I would've liked to   

I think we've all been there.    

That is also my biggest "mistake", but i would do it again. For any months i saw a figurine from my most wanted list. I never saw this before and only one time after this ebay auction. I bought this figurine for a high price and not a month later i saw it for the half price. But never after this auction the figurine again. So i would do it again

My biggest regret? I would say I also missed the whales before they were retired, though I am lucky to have one at original retail price, the store I bought it from probably had the others just a year earlier. The macrauchenia is also one I was so close to having, but decided not to buy later on, which is very hard to find now. Other than missing models, I also regret accidentally damaging my Schleich bactrian camels, as well as a few others, which are very badly scuffed.