Mint or Played with: To open or not to open?

[cup-mikey-gertha]

When I was still a kid with my siblings and cousins, we had a whole lot of toys, collectible toys and comic books. We are definetely not rich, and even though our parents bought for us good stuff, I must say that part of those treasures were bought by me and my brother with our hard-earned money of doing chores, errands, selling something, etc. within the area. But everytime, we got another toy/toy collectible, we immediately take it out from its packaging and play with it to our hearts content. We had a lot of imagination, frankly. The toys/toy collectibles had a lot of adventures-- from underwater to heavy combat to harsh environment to "monster" hunting. Adventures involved the bathroom, staplers, staple wires, punchers, hot flat iron (yes! the hot flat iron), ropes, pulleys, etc. If it's a comic book, my brother is already very careful with his, but with my comic books, I'll read it over and over again bringing me wherever I go form my room, to the living room, to the dinner table and even at school. Every adventure was lots of fun. Each reading was exciting. We were happy.

Fast forward, our old toys and comics back then? Most of them are "I-don't know-where-the-heck-they-are-where-did-you-last-put-them" state, of it not-- amputees, or burnt or decapidated. My brothers's X-Men and Uncanny Xmen action figures are all scratched. Our Ghostbusters collection is completely lost. Regarding my comic books, my Robin #1 is in a devastatng site while my Robin #2 is missing the cover. You get the picture.

Now that we have our jobs, as much as possible I don't open the packaging anymore for the toy collectibles. I just content myself staring at it (an exception of course for the GUNDAM, hehehe, since you have to assemble and custom paint them is necessary, and the anime "figurines" that are bought from the store glass windows without boxes, even my WWEs our in the packaging still). My brother's new DC, Star Wars, Marvel, X-Files 12-inch figures obviously are kept inside his cabinets and drawers (take note: not displayed) with their boxes, but at least he can take them out of the box since they are not sealed unlike with the TMNT Playmates which you have to tear open to get Mike out. With my comic books now, I make sure that my hands are soap and alcohol clean before I get to touch them.

Og course, with the comics books, it is a must to have them in mint. But how about the toys. I see you most guys here, have taken their TMNT out of the packaging. Shall I do the same with mine ans stop staring at the wall?

I just don't want to look back and have the same scenario happening again. We have cats and small children in the house. Of course, I'll be very carefully playing with them and might even have a home video or two, but is it worth it in sacrifice of the mintiness?

I don't have any plans of selling them.

(For a thought: My brother's behavior with his comic books paid off. He sold his old entire collection back then to help pay for his tuition. I asked him once before if it is worth selling them, and he replied, "If I hadn't, I will not be a lawyer right now." yup, he was taking Law then and a full practicing lawyer currently. If his comic books were not in mint, he can't sell them in that price. I'm just saying.)



Any insights?