Curating - am I doing it wrong? - part 3

Baby Northstar and Baby Nightsong.

Are they the same pony, just different versions?  Or are they different ponies?  It depends on which collector you ask.  They have the same symbols and pose, but they were released in different markets and look markedly different.  Do I keep them both or do I chose one over the other?

(Spoiler alert: right now they are both on my shelves.  In all honesty, that stunning pink hair is the reason I decided to keep Baby Northstar, who was never on my want list to begin with.  I may yet change my mind.)

What about Baby Gusty and Baby Explorer?

They're the same two sets, but in this case they look very similar - almost to the point of being identical.  Do I use the same criteria to decide whether I keep one or both?

I tend to think of think of these sets as different individual ponies, but similar enough that I originally chose the European releases over the North American releases.  But when I bought that bag of ponies in the summer I ended up with 3 of the 4 North American releases too.

The fact that they're in my house is not reason enough to keep them, but it's reason enough to reconsider (after all, it makes more sense than changing my mind in a year and buying them again).  I've also never been a set completer, so I may keep some but not others.  And I can always change my mind again.

This is part of the fun, and frustration, of collecting: actively deciding what you do and don't want to add to your collection.  There's no wrong way to do it, no set of rules, except what you set for yourself.  And it's good to reevaluate from time to time.

Happy collecting, and curating.

Elf