What is the absolute bare minimum for you?

Howdy once again folks!

This'll be the exact same list for me as from my other post, but
I was wondering what, if you had to let every "fringe" or "iffy"
piece go, would you keep in your SS/LOTR collection as the
"absolute gotta have can't live without wanna keep forever"
pieces that you'd consider the "bare minimum pieces" for you?

Here is my list:

Cave Troll Statue
Fell Beast Statue
Morgul Lord Statue
Witch King Statue
Moria Orc Swordsman
Galadhrim Archer Statue
Ringwraith on Steed Statue
Easterling Statue
Witch King Bust
Fountain Guard Helm
Easterling Helm
Moria Orc Swordsman Helm
Moria Orc Archer (Swordsman!) Bust

What say you?

Well, all of them honestly but to go along I'll make a list. This list is based on what I have or have coming for sure.

All 9 Fellowship members
Cave Troll
KOTD
ML
Elessar
RWOS
Saruman
Elrond
Theoden
Sauron

Based on what I have:

Sam & Bill statue
King Elessar statue
Bilbo statue
Orthanc statue
Saruman statue
Witchking of Angmar statue
Gollum as Gollum statue
Gandalf the White bust
Mouth of Sauron bust

Sorry, can't -- try as I might. It would be like choosing among my own children.

Sorry, can't -- try as I might. It would be like choosing among my own children.

Click to expand...

Thats how I feel Rumi. I really in all honesty couldn't start picking and choosing.

C'mon now! There must be some "iffy" or "fringe" pieces that
you have just for the completist in you. I know of one boardmember
who doesn't even like Orthanc, but had me get them one just
because of their completist nature - that is what I'm talking about.

What would you keep NOT because of the completist complex,
but because you love the looks of the item so much that you
just couldn't bring yourself to part with it?

I'm pretty much at the bare minimum all the time, I don't hold on to much of anything that I find 'iffy'.

Right now my collection consists of:

Balrog
RWOS
GTWSF
Fellbeast
KotD
Morgul Lord
Theoden
Eowyn
Pippin
Elrond
Boromir
Legolas
Gimli
Elessar
Saruman
Grima
Easterling
Ugluk
and odds and ends like Smeagol, SDCC smeagol bust, Minas Tirith, Argonath, Bag End book ends etc.

1/6 statues are really the main bulk of it. If I had to keep an absolute few, it'd be the Balrog, RWOS, Legolas and probably Fellbeast(just because it looks so good with the Balrog)

I'd sell Morgul Lord, but it's more trouble than it's worth. If it's going to be less than retail then I just keep it around. Elessar I'd sell too if/when the price is right. Stuff I've gotten rid of: Frodo, all busts, some helms, Minas Morgul, Berserker.

Bare minimum?

Balrog.


But if I could allow myself a collection, rather than a 'collectia' (collection of one) I'd include:

Sauron
RWoS
WiKi true form
GoSF
Frodo
GTG
Sam & Bill
Bilbo
Saruman
Treebeard
King Elessar
Arwen

Edit: Smeagol bust, and prob a few other busts to go with Treebeard, such as Gimli, Leggie, Merry, Pippin & Boromir. So all Fellowship members are accounted for.

To be honest cooler older pieces if I don't own them its cause I just haven't had the urge to get them like the Pitmaster, Overseer, etc.

JS -- I AM a completist by nature, but also very pragmatic. Because of the costs of these pieces, I never bought a piece I haven't wanted/liked and wanted to keep so none are "fringe" for me. My collection will never be "complete" in the sense that I will ever have all of them. I will never have those pieces people are calling the Grail pieces (Orthanc, CT, Balrog, etc.) because I just won't pay the price. They're nice, but not nice enough for that kind of kibbles. Besides, they are the "fringe" for me anyway -- I didn't want them when they were readily available at retail, so why buy them now? What I DO have, I keep and truthfully can't weed any of them out as being less desirable than others.

:vik :ar :toast

Getting rid fringe pieces is hard, but it can be done.
The Balrog I consider a fringe piece in TLOTR but I bought it first because of its connection to The Silmarillion, so I'll never get rid of it until the very end.

Aragorn son of Arathorn
Gandalf the Grey
Frodo Baggins

Dark Lord Sauron
Ringwraith on Steed
Saruman the White

Original Balrog

The 3 main* evil and 3 main* good characters.
The end.

*most important

I'm pretty much at the bare minimum all the time, I don't hold on to much of anything that I find 'iffy'.

Click to expand...

Ditto.

My "bare minimum" is different than many others. I think a small to medium sized collection of the best "grail" pieces displays much better than a complete collection that includes many pieces I consider subpar.

I would consider my personal minimum:

1. All the Rider & Steeds (RWOS, GOSF, GoW, L&GOA, AATBG)

2. Sauron

3. Mini-Beasts (Battle Troll, Shelob, Baby 'Rog, Mumak, and the Fell Beast if I ever get one)

4. My 2 contrasting lithos (Barad-Dur and Rivendell)

5. A handful of environments

You can add the Daddy Rog, Stone Trolls, and Treebeard bust to this list if I ever had them. I would sell the Baby 'Rog if I had the Daddy, since both are essentially mini-beasts anyway.

I think I've come up with the PERFECT idea of how to display my pieces, but I'll wait until the line ends to show pics of my completed idea.

I haven't been afforded the luxury of picking up "iffy" pieces due to the fact that I arrived late in the game and have a limited budget for these collectibles. But if I HAD to choose, I would keep just my environments, as that was my initial collection.

Any less and I'd feel nekkid...

*Paging FrodoEyes*

I could Narrow It Down to 2..

Treebeard and Morgal Lord..

I might end up one day narrowing down my collection to:

Cave troll statue
RWOS
GOSF
UHSS
Wiki statue
Saruman
Sauron
KOTD
GTG
My signed legolas
Frodo
A@BG
Mini creatues-Fell beast, battle troll, and baby rog
Treebeard
Barad-dur litho
Arms of the fellowship Col. 1

I can already barely minimize my collection seeing as my collection is smaller than most of the lists posted here. And right now I'm actually going to minimize even more just so I can afford pieces I like alot better.

Right now my list would be:
Baby Balrog
Fell Beast
No Admittance Bookends
Gondorian Helms set
Treebeard Medallion
Eowyn
Smeagol statue
Orthanc

The rest can all go if need be.

Here Bodie! Sorry I'm late.

I would keep the MOS on steed.....hang on....grrr!! Can I trade in all my stuff for a MOS on steed?