commonly asked questions:
what does your wife think about your pez collection?
Surprisingly, my wife is pretty understanding about my Pez addiction. She is always willing to listen to my stories about my trips to Pez Conventions or see my latest Pez find. I know she really doesn't care about the Pez, but she respects my passion for it and listens even though i know she would much rather be doing something else. We actually have 2 rooms devoted strictly to Pez in our house (not including my sons smaller collection in his bedroom.) One room is just for my personal collection, and the other is a room in our basement i refer to as, "The Pez Warehouse" I think the best way to put it is my wife and my Pez have a mutual agreement. She does not go into the Pez rooms and they don't come out. (The Pez break the agreement way more then the wife does.)
how many Pez conventions have you attended?
19
Michigan PezEvent October 2013 (MI)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2014 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2015 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2017 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2018 (CT)
Pezamania 24 - 2014 (OH)
Pezamania 25 - 2015 25th Anniversary (OH)
Pezamania 26 - 2016 (OH)
Pezamania 27 - 2017 (OH)
Pezamania 28 - 2018 (OH)
Pezamania 29 - 2019 (OH)
Michigan Pez Convention 2016 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2017 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2018 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2019 ~Host~ (MI)
The Pez Information Gathering (PIG) 2019 (OH)
Pez on the River 2016 (WI)
Pez on the River 2018 (MN)
Pez on the River 2019 (MN)
Michigan PezEvent October 2013 (MI)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2014 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2015 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2017 (CT)
Northeast Pez Gathering 2018 (CT)
Pezamania 24 - 2014 (OH)
Pezamania 25 - 2015 25th Anniversary (OH)
Pezamania 26 - 2016 (OH)
Pezamania 27 - 2017 (OH)
Pezamania 28 - 2018 (OH)
Pezamania 29 - 2019 (OH)
Michigan Pez Convention 2016 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2017 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2018 ~Host~ (MI)
Michigan Pez Convention 2019 ~Host~ (MI)
The Pez Information Gathering (PIG) 2019 (OH)
Pez on the River 2016 (WI)
Pez on the River 2018 (MN)
Pez on the River 2019 (MN)
has your wife gone to any pez conventions with you?
No, she has not expressed any interest in attending a Pez convention, and i understand. I would much rather her take time off of work or use her free time to do something she is passionate about, then use her valuable time supporting my habit. We briefly discussed the idea of heading to a Pez convention for part of our vacation and using the rest of the time seeing the sights around the Pez convention, but this is yet to happen.
Even though my wife has not joined me at a Pez convention yet, she has met a few of my friends that collect, and has enjoyed meeting them. I have however taken my son with me twice, my father with me once, and even my mother-in-law once too.
(Update: My wife was a big part of helping with the all 3 Michigan Pez Conventions, and she will co-host the event with me next year.)
Even though my wife has not joined me at a Pez convention yet, she has met a few of my friends that collect, and has enjoyed meeting them. I have however taken my son with me twice, my father with me once, and even my mother-in-law once too.
(Update: My wife was a big part of helping with the all 3 Michigan Pez Conventions, and she will co-host the event with me next year.)
How do you afford all your pez?
When we do our household budget my wife and I each get a weekly allowance that we call "fun money" we are able to use this money anyway we like, i choose to spend most of mine on Pez. I use my extra inventory to sell and fund the purchase of more Pez and to pay for the expenses to travel to Pez conventions through out the year. At the conventions I register to be a dealer and sell Pez to afford the more expensive ones missing from my collection.
do you put your personal collection on display
No, my personal collection is actually displayed in my "Pez Room." All of my community displays are made up of extras that i have in my "Pez Warehouse." When new dispensers or Pez Box sets come out I buy two sets, one for my personal collection and one to share in the community displays. On occasion i will "loan" my community display a particular Pez item if i need it to complete a display, but try not to mix the two.
what is the most you ever spent on pez?
It's hard to actually answer this question. Since i sell and trade a lot of my Pez i really only buy expensive Pez from the profits of selling Pez from buyouts. At conventions i have purchase some of my vintage Pez for around $100.00-$200.00 each. I once split the cost of a vintage collection with a friend. We purchased 22 vintage Pez for $800.00. We both got some amazing pieces to add to our collections.
(Update: at the 2016 Pezamania i purchased a 1970's vintage German Pez candy vending machine estimated value is $2400)
(Update: at the 2016 Pezamania i purchased a 1970's vintage German Pez candy vending machine estimated value is $2400)
how does a pez buyout work?
I have done numerous Pez buyouts, which a buyout occurs a few different ways. Either someone is selling their personal collection, estate sales, a store is closing and you purchase all the extra inventory, or someone has left Pez inventory in a house or storage unit and walked away from paying the rental, mortgage, or storage fees in return, losing the contents of the merchandise or items inside. Then the new owners sell off the contents.
A few of my best buyouts where: buying 1200 European Pez from a local flea market for $500.00, Buying a personal collection of about 600 pieces off Craigslist for $170.00, Buying a storage unit contents of about 2500 pieces for $850.00, and finding about 1200 pieces at an estate sale for $30.00.
A few of my best buyouts where: buying 1200 European Pez from a local flea market for $500.00, Buying a personal collection of about 600 pieces off Craigslist for $170.00, Buying a storage unit contents of about 2500 pieces for $850.00, and finding about 1200 pieces at an estate sale for $30.00.
What is your Favorite pez Dispenser?
It's hard to say which one is my favorite. Looks wise i guess my Dr. Skull that i do for my Pez Army, i just love the way that they all look lined up with their bald heads. To me the favorites are usually the ones that come with stories. I once found a Mr. Ugly (valued at $85.00) in a quarter box at a garage sale. On my birthday, i won my giant Easter Chick Pez for $.99 off Ebay with free shipping. As a kid I loved Scooby Doo, so when the box set was finally released i was very excited to have it. There are some many other stories and memories that make so many pieces hold a bit more rank then other ones.
how long does it take to dust them?
This answer is quite simple, I don't dust them! I like to say that the dust gives my collection more of a nostalgia and vintage look. The truth is I am always adding new pieces to my collection and rearranging it to fit all together in the display. When i rearrange i clean up any areas that have dust on them.
do you have them all?
No, this is virtually impossible to do! There are thousands of different Pez dispensers out there. They also have multiple different color variations, and a few pieces there are only one or two known to exist. To most non collectors my Pez collection is insanely huge, but believe me in the Pez world my collection doesn't even rank in the top 25. I would venture to guess that i'm in the Top 10 in Michigan, but again there is no true way to measuring this.
do you ever plan on stopping?
NEVER! I have been known to slow down and focus on other things, but i always seem to find my way back to Pez. To me it's not about collecting some "plastic kids toy" its about relationships and memories. Maybe one day it would be nice to display my whole collection outside of my home at a local museum or exhibit so more people can enjoy them, but at this time I'm just focused on small local displays and with friends, family, and fellow collectors who come to visit my home.
how do you know what a pez dispenser is worth?
Every year there is a handful of different price guides put out for Pez, that gives a rough estimate of a Pez value, but the best way to see what a particular Pez is worth is to see what people have recently paid for them. The true value of anything is based on two things. One how much it means to you, and two what is someone else willing to pay for it!
what is the value of your collection?
Priceless, it's very hard to put an actual dollar amount on my collection. I have thousands that are common and only worth $1.00-$2.00, i have hundreds worth $5.00-$10.00, a have quite a bit in that $10.00-$35.00 range, and about 200 or so valued above $35.00.
do people buy you pez anymore?
No, not really. i get a lot of phone calls, and messages asking if i have a certain Pez that someone has seen, but very rarely do i need it for my actual collection. There is really only one person who buys me Pez and can seem to find the new ones faster then me sometimes. That is my Nana, every year since i can remember she has paid very close attention to my Pez collection, and loves to spoil me by finding me the newest releases for my birthday and holidays. Truth is i could probably just go out and buy them before the stores release them, but they just seem to have a little more value when they come from her, so i let her know the new ones that i need, and she gets them for me.
what pez are you looking for now?
Since i use my extras to sell and trade I look at all Pez that i can get for a good deal. However, for my personal collection i always try to pick up the newest releases. Since i own most of the commons from the 1980's and 1990's my focus is more on rare and vintage pieces. The ones that will hold a higher value over time. Some collectors like to purchase the same vintage Pez dispenser with different color variations (the more unique or rare color combination the higher their value.) I on the other hand prefer to have a few vintage from each set, since i have a smaller vintage collection at this time.
have you inspired others to collect?
Actually, i have. Since seeing my collection and passion for Pez my son has started collecting, my cousins son has started collecting, my best friends nephew has started collecting, and my Nana has a small collection of just Tweety Birds that i give her every once in awhile. I plan to start working on a Pez Club locally to inspire new collectors.