I'm not talking about the Will Smith sci-fi, I'm talking about the phrase "mint-in-box". To some degree, I get it. If you are dealing with a collectible that will increase its value, by all means, buy it, leave it on the shelf and never touch it. You have made an investment. I get baffled by this with yoyos. If you are a collector and are collecting a set of a particular yoyo you think is pretty, it makes some sense to never touch it. There is the occasional yoyo that you know will be a rare piece worth keeping on the shelf. Where I get confused is when I see people posting 'MIB' on something that is mass produced. They aren't going to retain value unless they are very, very rare, so why not play with them? Perhaps you won it. Perhaps you threw it once and didn't like it. That too I understand. It's the people that buy them, keep them in the box for a year or two, then sell them later. It seems silly to me to have had it and not used it. It's a toy. Play with it. I personally very rarely buy new yoyos. I'll get them used, or contact the manufacturer and try to get a b-grade. It's not about cost, it's that if its pretty and shiny and new, I don't want to damage it. I won't play with it, and in my mind that makes it a waste to have it. I do like to support companies and buy their products, but that first scratch or ding is brutal. Once it's there though, it goes on my belt, gets played, beat on banged into doorways, and put away well loved. I have probably over 100 yoyos in my collection and I use them all, right down to the Formerly 'MIB' Silver Bullet 2 my fiancée got me for my last birthday. It's a toy. Play with it. At the end of the day its like the guys driving the massive pickup trucks that have all wheel drive and an engine that could tow a semi-trailer. They then drive them to and from work and park them in front of the house looking all shiny. Never leaving the road. And goodness, no, of course you can't use it for moving, you might scratch the paint! Rant endeth.
2 Comments
Glenn Godsey
8/4/2013 04:29:11 am
Well, I mostly play my best yo-yos over carpet, except for performances. I don't object to wear. The Japanese term, "wabi" refers to the nice old qualities an object acquires through human use; patinas, for instance. My objection to dings, scratches, and dents is that they upset the balance and induce wobbles.
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Mryoyothrower
8/4/2013 07:55:37 am
I like that term, I may use it. I've found that the vibration you get from most dings doesn't really affect play that much (except the concrete grinding ones). My main contest throw is my MonkeyfingeR Geleada. It was a b-grade to start with, and I've had to sand down almost the entire rim. Definitely vibes, but has a unique feel to my other Geladas.
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