Should I open it?

N

Nocato

Teeny Tiny Baby Pony
Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Messages
16
Hey guys,

I recently purchased online a MOC G2 Light-up family Ivy and Baby Fern, and I just got it today. It's terrific, perfect condition ponies, and the box is even in amazing condition, with only a slight bend in the bottom left corner of the card and no breaks or dents in the bubble.

Here's where my predicament comes in. I love touching my ponies and brushing their hair, and because of that I usually only buy loose ones. Now, I paid a bit of money for these MOC ponies, not only because they were MOC but also shipping from overseas, it came to a good $43 (coming from a jobless college student, so it's a lot, lol). I usually wouldn't have done this but Ivy is my favorite and I haven't seen either of these two anywhere else. So the thing is, I reeeeeeally want to open my ponies and touch them and make their crazy box-hair pretty... but the amount I spent on them is holding me back.

Is there a way to open it without destroying the card and not removing the bubble completely so I can maybe put them back in the box as I please? Thanks for any help in advance. :)
 
I wouldn't open it. If I know I couldn't NOT open a pony I won't buy it. It may take longer to get a loose one, but at least then I won't be devaluing an expensive purchase.

You could always offer your MOC in trade for a loose set. You'd lose out on some money, but not as much as if you open yours.
 
NOOOO
Resist the Urge!
I'm with Skeen, leave them on the Card, they are becoming more rare everyday!

Either trade down for the lesser value (maybe you could get a couple more)...already opened pony, or wait a bit and buy an already offcard pony n_n
 
Well thanks for your opinions guys. I probably wasn't going to open it anyway but it's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks I probably shouldn't. I'll just display them up on my wall where I can stare at them with admiration all the time ;D
 
I am the voice from the dark side....

Open it! You bought it because Ivy is special to you and it makes you happy to touch your ponies so it seems like a no brainer to open it. If you've never opened a MOC/MIB before it can be really fun. Knowing you are the only one to have touched that pony really gives you a personal bond with it.

The only thing that would keep me from opening a MOC/MIB would be if either a) you see yourself selling her in the future or b) if it's really rare. You should consider how long you've been collecting as well. Could ponies be a passing phase? If you are a new collector I would keep her MOC for now until you are sure.

That set is htf but I don't know if I would say it's rare imho. If you think you would sell her later, try trading for a mint/loose set with some extra $ or other ponies to balance the trade in your favor since it's MOC.

We open a lot of ours but we've been collecting for over 12 years and the ponies are a special part of me and my daughter's relationship and her childhood, so I know they won't be going anywhere. We also keep super rares MOC.

You just have to know when it's right for you.
 
Don't open it . . . Trade it for a loose, complete set! :)

Having opened some MOC ponies early in my collecting days (late 90s), I can tell you that most of the time they don't retain true mintiness once their out of the package. Their hair doesn't keep that amazing "out of the package" look, they fall off shelves, they get dirty (even when they do nothing but stand on a shelf--beats me where that dirt comes from!), and some of mine have even attracted small marks over time. And any little flaws that they had in the package--a factory error eye blip or symbol paint--is suddenly ten times more of a flaw when the pony isn't in fancy, shiny packaging.

Soon you end up with a nice pony, but one who isn't any more impressive than the "in good condition" one on someone's sale list.

Also, most people do give up collecting ponies at some point. Most of the people I knew in the 90s are gone; a lot of the people I knew in 2000 are gone and so are quite a number from 2005 onward. Nothing wrong with that, there's no law that says we have to collect ponies forever. But every time a collector opens a MOC pony, only to move on from collecting in 5 or 7 or 10 years . . . well, it just makes MOCs harder and harder to find for the rest of the community.
 
LadyM~ You must have very bad luck with your opened MOC/MIB stuff. We also have ponies we opened in the 90's and not a single one has aged at all.

The smell just as wonderful, look just as bright, original curls not brushed out.No marks or age spots or anything. Ours were opened by my daughter (the original collector) and she even played with them for many years. She was just very good with them. They have gone through several moves across the country (military), living in several types of climates as well.

Now, you might be thinking I just don't see the flaws. However, several people have been to our pony room and have seen them first hand and are amazed at how minty they still are a dozen years later. We are also mint condition collectors only, believe me, I would have noticed even the slightest change. There are only a few ponies in our collection that have shown any change. A couple are from regrind and were not MOC when we got them. The rest are ones that have original pink hair that has faded to a lighter pink. In fact, the ones with the biggest fading hair issue are still MIB. I think they were just exposed more to light from being on the wall rather than the shelves like the others.

I would be most concerned about the batteries in the pony causing problems as they deteriorate. I don't know if there is a difference in or out of the package with that issue. If they are going to damage the pony anyway, I would rather enjoy it out of package myself.

The biggest and best reason to keep a pony MOC is if you think you might sell it in the future. Otherwise, who cares if it is worth a little less? After all, that doesn't stop people from buying new cars even when they lose thousands in value the moment they are driven off the sales lot.
 
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I'm going to jump in here and back up what lil alley cat has said. Open it :D I know there's all these things about not opening the ponies and how it decreases their value and what not, but these are your ponies now. I have opened some MOC ponies before and i haven't thought about it since. It's so nice to know you're the first person to hold them. I know that soemtimes ponies, certainly G2's, seem to be far more common on card than they are off lol.

At the end of the day it's totally your choice. If this pony is special to you and you know you'd enjoy it out of the box then do it :D At the end of the day these were originally childrens toys whose purpose was to be played with and cared for ^_~
 
I'm also jumping in on the darkside. FREE THE PONIES. I just don't believe in collecting MOC, when it comes to G1s (I at least know this to be true with argies, haven't confirmed it with US ponies) the card actually destroys and marks the pony. Especially since they're G2s I would just open them, G2s are less common loose with all their stuff. I've purchased and opened many MOC G2s because that is just how you find them.

You bought them and if you want to free them I say go for it. Especially if you don't have intentions of selling them. You can't love through a plastic bubble.
 
THE DARK SIDE HAS COOKIES!!! :D

...I say free them as well!!! If you really wanted those ponies, they should be worth that much in or out of box. If you want to free them and brush their hair and whatnot, go ahead! I would.

(I know that was very short and possibly not helpful but...just putting in my opinion.)
 
I'm backing up the first posters who urged you not to open it. I used to be a huge advocate for opening ponies - they're toys, they're meant to be loved and played with, what kind of stuffy collector keeps them in the box, etc.

On the other hand, I've got only one G1 pony that's MOC. She was a gift from another collector I met. This particular collector had sold off most of her collection years ago, and this was the only MOC pony she had left. When she gave it to me, all she asked was that I leave it on the card, because she had spent years and years hanging onto this pony, storing it out of sunlight, leaving it on the card.

I feel like every MOC pony has a story like this. Someone went to the trouble of keeping it as it is today, and I think that's the function MIB ponies have in the community - preserving a little bit of history. :) Once the pony is opened, it can't go back to this.

98% of my ponies are loose, lots of them opened by me, but I just wanted to say that leaving them in the packaging doesn't have to be a bad thing. And eventually, I'm confident that you'll be able to get this same pony loose - so why not hang onto the MIB one?
 
Wow, another one of these threads? Seriously, we've had the To Open vs To Not Open debate dozens of times. The conclusion is always that if you're the one spending the money, you pretty much get to decide whether or not you're going to put a hurt on your pocket by opening the item. Most of the G3 stuff has no serious price changing, but with some G2 and G1 stuff, there is a big difference (over a grand and some change for an MOC Mimic versus 100 dollars on a GOOD DAY for her). And if you got it for cheap? Well then there's REALLY no big loss, so why not?

Most people say if you want to touch one so badly, buy a loose one and keep the MOC one in its packaging for posterity's sake. I'm not a collector of MOC stuff anymore, so I say if you want to spend 200 bucks on a box and then open it and reduce it to 20 bucks, you go for it. Just remember that some MOC ponies can still have yucky little flaws. I opened up a Sweet Stuff once and she was the stickiest thing I'd ever touched.

Her hair is/was still perfect, though. 8)
 
I am an anti-opener and I am not explaining my reasons because ultimately the choice is yours. Muahaha.
 
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