Posted in: Collectibles, Funko | Tagged: collectibles, funko, funko pop

Collecting and Me: Inside the Mind of a Funko Collector

Funko collecting for me started back in 2012 when I was in the service and living in Alaska. Not much else to do, but the local comic book store started to get new collectibles called Pops. These odd-looking figures were quite unusual, but they had so many, and that was what was pretty amazing. Being a big fan of The Walking Dead at the time, I had to get one for myself; and I still have him to this day, Daryl Dixon, aka Lil' Daryl. As a collector, Funko always captivated me with its wide variety of licenses. What initially pulled me into them, was seeing collectibles for shows I have not seen collectibles for. The first franchises that really pulled me into the Funko Pop series were shows like Supernatural, Arrow, and Flash. It was great to see some collectibles for some of my favorite TV shows, getting collectibles that no one else was making at the time. From there, it was the growing licenses like Agents of Shield, Mass Effect, Regular Show, and more. My love for these Pop vinyls didn't stop there, and over the years, my collection has grown to new lengths.

In 2016 I left the service; heading back home was an interesting experience, but one thing that stayed with me has been Funko. My collectibles have been there the whole time, and with more time on my hands, I was able to dive deeper into collecting. It started out simple with getting ones that really intrigued me, scoring up hidden gems, and even trading. Selling and trading are a big part of collecting as it can expand your collection without spending big bucks. I've seen plenty of amazing Funko Pops come across my collection over the years with some like Ace Ventura, Red Skull, GITD Reverse-Flash, and many more. Some pieces in my collection I've gotten for some crazy prices, but they are priceless in my collection like The Mummy Nick Morton. Other great pieces that are near and dear to me are The Thing, Predator Conan (from winning the Conan contest), Freddywise from the Fundays Box of Fun, and even SDCC Black Suit Superman that is limited to 1008 pieces.

One of my most significant accomplishments for collecting Funko was the completion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Pop line. Focusing on a single line of Pops was a great idea, and with the many Marvel films out, there have been hundreds of Pop vinyl figures. Finding them and hunting them down was a real challenge like the Mossy Groot, Spider-Man/ Iron Man 2-Pack, and Hot Topic Exclusive Thor from Thor: Dark World. The last piece of the puzzle that I thought would never have come into my possession was the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con The Avengers Loki that is limited to only 480 pieces. He is the rarest, priciest, and most elusive of the MCU Funko Pop line. Being an average collector, its impossible to drop +$2000 on a collectible. So to get this bad boy, I had to sacrifice many pawns of my collection like The 100 set, the Regular Show set, Jar Jar Binks, Billie Jean Michael Jackson, Logan, and many more. To get a Pop like this was a dream, and that dream was turned into a reality. With over 700 Pops in my collection, Loki is my number one favorite, and he is easily the highlight of my collection.

Funko has been there every step of the way, and they will continue to be. Their extensive line of collectibles opens  doors to so many whether you are a fan of comics, movies, or TV. The possibilities are endless, and they still continue to surprise me with new releases like Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Unique ideas like this are what pulled me into collecting, and they always keep me going. Pops can be found all over nowadays and online, so the fans can start building their own collections today and here. What are you a collector of? How many Pops are in your collection?

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