It’s funny when the WDCC makes their upcoming announcements, you look at the assortment and begin planning which new releases you would like to add to your collection.
This decision is typically based on scenes and/or films you’re currently collecting or patiently waiting for that 1st release from a film favorite! How many have passed on a release to find yourself seeking it out at a later date?
Over the past year, I’ve gone back and picked up pieces I initially passed on adding that element of the thrill of the hunt which collecting should truly be about, right?
The film that has been my latest focus is Fantasia. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few pieces .. Ben Ali Gator & Hyacinth Hippo (reminded me of many great times at Fantasia Gardens at Walt Disney World with family and friends) from the Dance of the Hours segment, Chernabog (one of the BEST Villains and for some reason, reminds me of one of my childhood heroes, Batman) from Night on Bald Mountain segment and Sorcerer Mickey (a gift for my wife) from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment.
Over the past couple years, thanks to a couple friends who are die-hard Fantasia fans, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the film and characters and have started to go back and seek out these older releases. When seeking out these older releases, it pays to do some research .. Were there shipping problems and/or paint problems? How are they doing on the Secondary Market since their release? This is then followed by checking with Authorized Dealers and watching both current and completed auctions on eBay.
One search began with the release of Bacchus & Jacchus (“Braying Bacchanalia”) in May, 2008. An image was put together at the time of their release showcasing them with previous releases from the Pastoral Symphony segment (at left) .. the Centaurettes (released in September, 1993), Pink (“Romantic Reflections”) and Blue (“Beauty in Bloom”) and the Cupids on Pillar (“Love’s Little Helpers” released September 1994).
Was really impressed with this grouping so immediately decided to focus on the two Centaurettes to display with Bacchus and Jacchus.
Unfortunately they were no longer available through retailers, both had been retired since July 1995, so my next stop was eBay. This is where doing some research paid off as there were auctions aplenty and pricing was all across the board. With the release of Bacchus & Jacchus, it gave this trio a somewhat second life in the Secondary Market as they weren’t being dumped at much lower than issue price as they previously were. After a couple failed auctions (beat out in the last few minutes, how many others have experienced this?) and the help of a friend, found an auction that packaged both together and picked up considerably less than original issue. Two down, one to go!
Where the Centaurettes had no history of breakage, the same couldn’t be said for the Cupids on Pillar. This particular sculpture experienced a lot of breakage in shipping and had me rethinking if worth the hassle trying to find one that would arrive on my doorstep in one piece? Auction prices were slightly lower than issue and the fear of breakage continued to loom overhead. Found an auction a few weeks ago, very reasonable pricing, so placed my bid and won!
Now you’re probably wondering .. did it arrive intact or like so many others before it, some breakage? Unfortunately, it arrived with some breakage 
Fortunately, dealt with a great seller who immediately took care of reporting the item that arrived broken and sent out a replacement quickly. The story had a happy ending as the second one arrived 100% intact!
It’s not only collecting what you like but knowing what you’re collecting .. do your research and every now and then the thrill of the hunt makes you realize why you began collecting in the beginning!
Don is a DVC member who tries to visit the parks at least twice a year. You can read more about Disney collectibles on his blog, Duckman’s Blog.
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For me, they can keep making Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 pieces. There are so many colorful characters and great moments in each. There are enough WDCC Fantasia pieces that you can fill an entire case! (I’ve limited it to two shelves).
I’m using some of my 2D Fantasia art to spice up the WDCC pieces, and using the secondary market (eBay, Craig’s List and even art dealers) to round out the collection is part of the hunt. But like you said, you really need to know what you’re collecting. If you don’t do a little research, you could wind up with something you weren’t expecting.
looking for any casey jr./dumbo&casey jr. items. starting a collection.