Starting My Collection

Nerkin the Gherkin

Serf
Ok. So the past week I've been dedicating myself to establishing an Oldhammer Collection.

It seemed to naturally kick off on Ebay where I picked up a couple of nice late '80's Undead figures (skeletons...or 'skellies' as we called them). Back in the day I'd a handful of these but my mate's Undead army always caught my eye. Both lovely and terrifying in equal measure.

My first impressions of Oldhammer through Ebay has been mixed. It's great to see that so much of the old Warhammer figures are still out there (probably unearthed from lofts, garages and spare bedrooms), but annoying that some folks seem to think that 'collectable' means trying to drain your bank account for the sake of a pre-slotta Dwarf Thief etc.

I don't know what others feel of course - I don't expect to pay 80's prices on things that are long out of production, but seeing a Citadel blister with a 49p price tag on it and someone trying to flog it to me for £50 seems a bit unsavoury.

Nevertheless a bit of searching around last night found a small delight. I've had a small box for the past thirty years which contained the last ever bits of my Warhammer collection. There on his lonesome was one of the Dwarf bombard crew (with the huge shield) minus all of his mates and gun. Anyway, an Ebay search came up with a partial set with (you guessed it) everything but the shield guy!!

Another thing that I have to thank the forum for, is guiding me to those manufacturers out there who are still producing early citadel style miniatures. I was really overjoyed at finding that some of these were sculpted and designed by old GW people (like Kev Adams etc).

Suffice to say I've now put in a large order for some Foundry and Black Tree Design figures.
 
Turn back. TURN BACK!! Before it's too late.

Once you've sold your soul to the gods of old lead, there is no going back.
 
Seems to be too late, the virus has spread :grin:

If you keep an eye on evilbay you will find stuff with fair pricing or even better check the forums marketplace.
 
Absolutely look to find as many sale/trade groups on Facebook as you can, use "Oldhammer" for your searches. That is your key to finding reasonable prices for the stuff you want. Also go to the Private sale/trade subforum on here and look at the Guideline Prices for Rare Item. When I first found this forum and looked at those lists I thought to myself, "These people are crazy, there is no way anyone sells old miniatures for this little." I have now been on the Facebook forums and found a lot of the minis on the list for less than what they say. I'll also say that sometimes it takes patience to get what your looking for at a good price. Even on the trade forums the prices can be higher than your going to want to pay, but every once in a while you'll luck out. I don't have patience myself so it can be kind of discouraging some times, but push through and when you do find a gem it feels so worth the wait. And if you're in England or Europe then you are a lot better off than we are in America, because you'll find way more deals at good prices.
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I've set myself a strict buying limit with Ebay. I've had my fingers (and wallet) burned there too often when buying other collectables in the past.

The Oldhammer trade forum here and on Facebook sounds excellent and I'll definitely check those out.

I managed to grab a copy of Warhammer Second Edition (my favourite) from Ebay earlier. The box is a bit busted and there's no playsheets or introductory scenario. The 2nd Ed only cost me £17 including postage, which I thought was fair enough.

Ideally I'd like to start where I left off and work my way through the Third Edition rules at some point. My mate (and primary gaming buddy) had the rulebook but we sadly ended up living in different parts of the country before we got to grips with it.

I'm also picking up cheap back issues of White Dwarf (issues from around 30 to 100 was my era). Loved picking up the issue with the recreation of The Battle of the Pelennor Fields (number 58? Can't remember). The use of those many and varied figures to such effect is astounding.

I'll most likely start up another blog as suggested on the forums. My usual one is dedicated to Historical Wargaming, but it would be nice to also do one focussing on Oldhammer too.

Thanks Again!
 
I remember that pelennor fields issue too. It was a couple of years before my time, but my friend had some old copies of white dwarf that he had picked up somewhere.
 
One thing that's really worth taking advantage of is eBay's "Follow this Search" feature. With some patience and smart keywords you can land some decent deals far less than the Buy It Now going price.
 
Nerkin the Gherkin":fdlv71vw said:
I'm also picking up cheap back issues of White Dwarf (issues from around 30 to 100 was my era). Loved picking up the issue with the recreation of The Battle of the Pelennor Fields (number 58? Can't remember).
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White Dwarf 53. My favorite ever issue, mostly because of the John Blanche Orcs.

My trade-list of WDs is here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=331 if you're interested in any drop me a PM.

Also, with miniatures, buying large lots usually works out in your favour over individual figures - Top Tip!
 
Great tips there guys!

The "Follow this Search" feature is something I had never come across before.

Also thanks for the White Dwarf list. I'll check through what issues I need and hopefully drop you a PM before the weekend. I'm missing loads at present.
 
I've Ebayed old-older Citadel stuff since 09 and my advice is to stay cool and don't pay dumb money for an item, anytime I've done that I find one for a pittance the next day.
Things seem to come and go in waves, for example Space Orks seem to be extremely scarce right now...that doesn't equate to them being rare.

Keep cool, look for auctions as opposed to BIN and remember that there are for the most part, heaps of all these minis out there.

edit: look to buy in lots! So many times I've eyed off "that mini" for $50 and then ended up getting it in a lot for $20 including postage.
 
Asslessman":14efsyrs said:
When you want old models, you either have patience or money, this thread will remind you how waiting can be rewarding sometimes ;)
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1620
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I had a good half hour reading through that thread.

I'm also relieved that I've had the good sense to 'step away' from certain ebay items once the bidding war begins.

Pushing yourself into an uncontrollable spiral of debt seems to contradict the idea of having a fulfilling hobby - I tend to indulge myself in Wargaming and collecting to take a break and relax from the real work-a-day world. Not to add further stress to my life.

At present my newly found Oldhammer interest is being funded by whatever I manage to sell from my cupboards and attic. At least that way my weekly wage is unaffected and I can still pay the bills, fix the car or whatever.

On another note, I'm intrigued to find out that much of my early favourite figures were not necessarily Citadel but Marauder or Grenadier figures (for instance the undead war mammoth)????
 
Nerkin the Gherkin":2vlmn275 said:
Great tips there guys!

The "Follow this Search" feature is something I had never come across before.

Also thanks for the White Dwarf list. I'll check through what issues I need and hopefully drop you a PM before the weekend. I'm missing loads at present.
Click to expand...

If you use it in the mobile app, it only shows you the new listings, too. Much easier to comb through generic searches that way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Nerkin the Gherkin":m6yyqjdy said:
I've set myself a strict buying limit with Ebay...
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that's how we all begin. but don't worry, once you've bought enough miniatures you can pile them up over yourself and it sort of keeps the rain off.
 
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