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How to Display Your Collection

How to Display Your Sports Action Figures, No Matter What You Collect

One of the biggest questions you will face as you collect sports action figures is how to display them.

Are you an "opener" or do you keep your figures in their packages? Do you want to organize them by team, by player, by series? Will you show off your figures as part of a larger display with other sports collectibles, or do you show them off by themselves?

Some guys may find this a simple matter. They collect just a certain player or team. Organizing those is pretty easy.

It hasn't been an easy decision for me. I collect figures I like, without regard to the player or team. So how the hell am I supposed to organize that? My family finds me standing in front of my collection about once a month, staring at it and trying to come up with a way to present it in a way that makes more sense. If I put them by team, I have to reorganize the collection every time a new series comes out. By player? The same problem, although not nearly as significant. And most of the players have only one or two figures . . . how do I organize those? I could group them by series, but that looks random. I'd have different Brett Favre figures scattered throughout the collection, which makes little sense.

Obviously, there is no single right way to organize your collection. You set it the way you want and enjoy it. But I wanted to present some ideas here to give you a variety of approaches to consider.

Some members of the spawn.com discussion board have incredible collections, and several of them have graciously consented to provide photos for display here. As you look through these collections, notice how people display unopened versus opened figures, how they keep the figures separate from other collectibles or mix them all together, how they use different shelving or mounting options.

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Here are the collections, listed by the board members' user names. (Be advised - there are LOTS of pictures on these pages; if you're using a 56K modem you may melt it down!) If you find yourself on the spawn board, be sure to let these guys know what a great job they've done!

Classic - Classic has his collection displayed in a . . . well, classic approach for MOMC collectors. As you can see in the photos he has set up a grooved board over the walls, upon which he mounts pegs to hang the clamshells like they were displayed in the store. This allows his collection to be displayed while keeping the packages in pristine condition.

Darth Raider - Every time spawn.com boardies discuss their collections and how they're displayed, Darth Raider's set-up is always mentioned. The collection as it's pictured isn't as large as others, but the presentation is outstanding. As one boardie told Darth, "Every time I see pictures of your room I remember why I love collecting sports memorabilia."

GOAL - There's a difference between having a room where your sports collection is and having a sports themed room with Sports Picks adding to the theme. GOAL has captured both of these approaches with his collection.

Right Between The Eyes - I think Right Between The Eyes (RTBE) works in a frame shop or trophy shop. Either that or he's got some connections . . . he has come up with some of the best looking collectibles presentations that I've ever seen. RTBE has provided photos of showcases, shadow boxes and photo frames around figure bases that are breathtaking.

Sack Exchange - Sack Exchange has created a really nice display, primarily of Sports Picks figures. The majority of his collection is opened and displayed on wall-to-wall shelves. While most of his items are Sports Picks, you can see he's got other collectibles mixed in. This is a comparitively inexpensive way to display figures, but as you can see, it looks very neat, well organized and impressive.

Super Deluxe - Super Deluxe's collection features an assortment of primarily opened, primarily NFL Sports Picks. He has implemented a couple creative ideas to make his display memorable. The final result is very clean and organized, and showcases the figures very well.

THERAGE - THERAGE has a tremendous collection of sports figures, Star Wars collectibles, pinball machines and other gaming equipment . . . the man knows how to build a Man Room! (Actually, several of them.) He has integrated opened and unopened sports figures with other types of sports and nonsports collectibles.

Topcorner - Topcorner has created a selection of shadow boxes to display his hockey Sports Picks. As you can see from the photos, he mixes cards, team logos, cuts from the McFarlane package liners and the sports figures all together in the shadow box.

Do you have a cool collection to show off here? If you have an interesting set up for your collection - not just a big collection but a collection well displayed - then send me an email!