Does anyone else save the numbered bags?

GeordiePaul

When I came out of my dark ages I obviously saved all my boxes and instructions for each set I've bought since returning to my love of Lego, but I also saved all the numbered bags that the bricks were stored in. I also saved the sticker sheets after the stickers were removed and anything else that came with the set.

I know we AFOLs can be a bit OCD to say the least, but I was wondering if anyone else does the same thing? Or am I super OCD? I'll be shocked if I'm the only one!

chuckp

I don't consider myself "super OCD", but I do save everything. Boxes, bags, sticker sheets, the works. Storage space isn't an issue, so I keep it all just in case I decide I might want to part ways with a set down the road. 

graphite

Nope but I have a couple garbage bags full of the number bags from sets I've built and parted out that need to go to recycling so if anyone needs a certain number bag I probably have it =)

dragologer

GeordiePaul said:

When I came out of my dark ages I obviously saved all my boxes and instructions for each set I've bought since returning to my love of Lego, but I also saved all the numbered bags that the bricks were stored in. I also saved the sticker sheets after the stickers were removed and anything else that came with the set.

I know we AFOLs can be a bit OCD to say the least, but I was wondering if anyone else does the same thing? Or am I super OCD? I'll be shocked if I'm the only one!

i do! everything that came in the box stays in the box.

MAGNINOMINISUMBRA

Guilty - and I DON'T have OCD (they had me tested)...

LEGO_Dad77

I consider myself (.... and others do too, haha!) a bit on the heavy side of OCD, and while I saved the bags for a while, I no longer do. Instruction booklets, mini-catalogs & club registration inserts from older sets, and sticker sheets, yes, those all stay either in the box, or if I flattened the box for storage, everything goes in a ziploc. I figured that saving the baggies wasn't useful in my case, as I will never get rid of any of my sets, and if I ever decided to disassemble any of them to rebuild later, I'd just use a nice new clean zippy.

ARo2891

For me, every set at or over $100 is worth saving everything.  I think it help satisfy the part of my head trying to rationalize the prices of the sets I usually buy.

bobabricks

I would only keep bags for special sets like SDCC stuff or employee sets.

ricecake

I don't keep the bags, but I do keep the used sticker sheets in a Zip lock bag with the spares from that set, and the instructions if they fit in the bag, otherwise I label the bag with a Sharpie and keep the instructions separate.

Renegade007cjh

I used to keep the bags but eventually decided that was too OCD, even for me. I do still have some of the old Star Wars ones that have the set details on (Jango Fett and Bounty Hunter Chase) and would probably hold onto any UCS or Modulars' bags. This coming from someone who keeps every box, manual, sticker sheet, leaflet, poster etc.

Shib

I don't even keep boxes :-)

Quite tempted to mess with some of those who worry about these things and make some unboxing videos that involved shredding the box to open it. 

AllBrick

Boxes, sticker sheets and instructions I keep, bags get tossed.

They are far too noisy as well, trying to keep purchases a secret isn't easy at night, they're like a beacon.

SeanTheCollector

I never keep the bags. I have sold a few sets where I separated all parts into the correct numbered bags but in those cases I used ziploc bags which I numbered myself!

I do keep the box if I haven't bought a set for spare parts and I haven't already got that box stored away somewhere. That allows me to display a theme or range that I have collected whether or not some sets have already been opened.

I always keep at least one copy of any manual. I rarely use stickers anymore but aways keep unused sticker sheets.

drdavewatford

Guilty as charged - everything stays in the box. Apart from the spares - I decided a while ago to add those to my stock of loose elements as I figured that if I did ever sell a used set I wouldn't include the spares so why not just use them?

SirKevbags

^ Don't forget the rather delicate opening of said numbered bags ;-)

masterX244

Bags end in the bin after set is built (keeping em until everything is done incase a part decides to hide in a bag corner (mostly the small clear parts)), everything else is kept. Boxes are useful for storing other stuff, too so most of the boxes i kept got at least some use.

JudgeChuck

I did keep everything but, like others, I ended up with a huge number of boxes stuffed full of them. I wanted to minimise the storage space required, so flattened all my boxes and got rid of two bin bags' worth and I feel fine about it! ;-)

MattsWhat

I kept them for a while, but they aren't actually useful at all.  You can't put the pieces back in them as they don't seal up very well.  So they get ditched in favour of good quality ziplock bags and a sharpie.
The older sticker sheets have the code on if you ever want to get more, they get kept!

PeteM

I used to, but realised I had no idea why! I'm slowly getting rid of them, along with the boxes for most sub £50 sets (baby steps, but I'll work up to larger boxes soon!).

drdavewatford

SirKevbags said:

^ Don't forget the rather delicate opening of said numbered bags ;-)

Of course!

LegoTT

I did at first. When I moved to a new house, though, I trashed all the bags. I realized that even if I wanted to sell the set- I would never be able to properly re-bag the pieces. And even if I did, it wouldn't add much to the value. 

datsunrobbie

Is it standard for there to be only one bag with each number in a set, or could there be multiple bags with the same number in a single set? I've mainly been buying used parts, and I have several sealed bags of mostly grey parts that I have not figured out yet. I'm reluctant top open them before identifying the sets, just in case they are something rare. 

thomaspp13

No, never thought about doing so. But these responses are making think about it!

Renny

I throw the bags away.  I don't see the value in holding onto them personally.  If I break the set down in the future I like to use ziploc bags.

ricecake

datsunrobbie said:

Is it standard for there to be only one bag with each number in a set, or could there be multiple bags with the same number in a single set? I've mainly been buying used parts, and I have several sealed bags of mostly grey parts that I have not figured out yet. I'm reluctant top open them before identifying the sets, just in case they are something rare. 

Several different bags with the same number are common in larger sets. For examples, see
http://bricksetforum.com/discussion/14452/master-list-how-many-bags

Yodalicious

One of my son's jobs during set building is to throw away the bags. He's 4...it's the simplest of chores for him at this point.

But seriously, I throw them away along with the boxes. And I dump the extra pieces in my MOC pieces piles. I decided not to keep the boxes and bags a long time ago...to almost combat my OCD. I have to draw the line with myself somewhere.

tallblocktoo

Nope definitely not the bags.  I have kept all the boxes so far but definitely need to get rid of some boxes especially the smaller ones.  I figured once I pass the sets on it might be fun to have boxes for at least the largest of the sets.  Also will keep the Ideas sets boxes.  

Recce

To all those that kept the empty bags... seriously??

Then my next question is, how do you guys open the bags? Very extra carefully with a penknife/scissors and cut a perfect opening that is not too big and not too small?

For me I just rip open the bags with my bare hands in any way I can, after which they will not be in any state that is worth keeping.

messy

I did save all the bags, used sticker sheets etc. for quite a number of years but these days they just get thrown away.  I do still keep the boxes from open sets, but these are in a loft and flat packed, but they are taking up quite a lot of space! Instructions are stored separately.  For sets just used for parts I do now get rid of the instructions and the box.  And I have had a clear out of open CMF packets, which was quite liberating! 

MrShinyAndNew

Reading this thread makes me feel like a normal, well-adjusted person again. ;)

GeordiePaul

Good to see that I'm not the only one who does this. As some have said, there's no real practical reason for keeping them but it's all part of our 'completist compulsion' I think.

GeordiePaul

@Recce Yes, seriously. Different people collect Lego in different ways. Seeing that others save the same parts that I do shows there are different sub-groups of Lego collectors, which is interesting to see.

And to answer your other question, no, I don't open them with tweezers or anything. I just open them at the top the way you'd open a packet of crisps. I try not to tear the bag down the side but it happens sometimes. It doesn't bother me at all.

mr_benn

For me - bags in the bin.  And any box that is smaller than the large size boxes the modulars go in goes in the recycling too - the only thing I keep is the bricks and the instructions :)

TyresOFlaherty

I've only kept the bags for my SDCC sets (since the ones on the two I have are re-sealable anyway). 

catwrangler

No, but I very nearly did the last time I happened to open an old set, that had the old-style bags with the tiny little holes in them. It was one of those Proustian moments - the feel and the sound when you hold them! 

Also, I don't always use the stickers, or I'll use some but not all, and even though I very much doubt I'll ever put the unused ones on, I have to save the sheet with the instructions. Just in case. It goes against the grain to throw it away. 

tallblocktoo

This I do as well catwrangler.  Have numerous sticker sheets in storage with instructions.  Need to organize them much better though as it would be a task to find anything in that box currently!

catwrangler

I suppose the easiest thing would be to write the set number on some non-sticker part of the sheet, so that if we need to we can identify where they came from!

xwingpilot

Nope. Bags and empty sticker sheets go straight in the bin. Boxes and instructions get stored.

Legogram

I cut the numbers off, and throw the rest of the bag away.  It is easier for me to see the original bag numbers inside the ziploc bag, than to see the writing of a sharpie on the outside of the bag.

Lego_Star

Sidebar:
Whilst we are talking about the numbered bags, has anybody noticed the changes to them? The new white strip with the number on? Any idea why the change?

First sets I noticed this on I think were the Scooby Doo theme last year, though admittedly I don't always build a new set straight away. 

And it's odd, not necessarily all the bags are the same in a set, some have the new white strip some not.

msanders

I used to do this, but then I moved house and had to condense. All the bags went to recycling along with all the boxes - except for large sets and a few boxes I just liked the artwork on them! All the instructions I keep and only some sticker sheets, mainly if they are shiny (so I can use the shiny bit for MOCs). 

Oldfan

Right now, I save everything that comes with a set.  Numbered bags, cardboard containers for capes/string, sprues for knives/flowers, used sticker sheets, whatever.  It all stays in the opened box along with all the extra parts/brick separators (all the small stuff in ziplock bags).  When I break down the set, the parts go into ziplock-style bags which get stored in the box along with all the material.

Surely, having all this original material will increase the eventual sale value in the future, right?  Right?

Since I'm keeping all the boxes intact right now, it doesn't hurt anything to keep these with the sets.  Once I decide to flatten or nest-store all my boxes for more efficient storage (I'm still working on getting the Lego basement set up in my not-quite-so-new home), I imagine all this stuff may get "relocated" somewhere else...

Many of the parts orders I received from BL/BO arrived packaged in resealed numbered Lego bags.  So if you're in that business, that's a nice way to reduce/reuse/recycle the original Lego packaging.

mr_benn

I don't keep anything, except for the boxes from the biggest sets (i.e. Modular/Death Star).  

I am intrigued - for those keeping the bags, why do you keep them?  Will you decant the bricks back into them if you dismantle the model (sounds like a bit of a nightmare tbh, taking apart a model in the reverse order to make sure the right stuff is in the right bag), or is it a way of making sure the set is more 'complete', for your own sake or someone else's if you decide to sell it?

GeordiePaul

@mr_benn For me, it's just a completion thing, not wanting to throw any of it away. I'm not like this with anything else in my life, just Lego for some strange reason. I even hate to flatten the boxes to save space, but as my collection (and number of children) grows, this might have to happen eventually. I'm guessing all my bricks bags will be disposed of once the boxes get flattened out, but that day hasn't come yet!

Paperballpark

I keep the boxes, instruction books, and any sticker sheets where I haven't applied all the stickers.

Used sticker sheets go in the bin, numbered bags go in the recycling.

I honestly can't imagine any scenario where I would need the numbered bags again.

MeganL

I'm with many of the others.  About the only thing I toss from the sets are the bags - and I keep them until I've finished building to make sure I haven't left any parts in them.  I keep the used sticker sheets, though I'm not sure I could tell you why.  Everything else gets stored in back in the box.

BillyBricks84

I do not keep the bags; however, like others on here, I have seen Bricklink orders that came in the mail with the parts separated into those bags, which have been resealed. 

MattDawson

I sometimes keep one for the spares from a set, otherwise they're recycled.

chuckp

Oldfan said:

Surely, having all this original material will increase the eventual sale value in the future, right?  Right?

Yes, it absolutely, most definitely adds to the value. At least that's what I tell myself when I save it all. :)

BTW, I also do the the ziplock bag into the original box when I breakdown a set too. 

TheMaker37

Don't save the bags or used sticker sheets. But I do break large sets down in separate ziplocks. Modulars get one bag for each floor and sets like the opera house get one bag per book.

Legopassion8

Lol. You're supposed to collect the Lego not the trash :-P

Guess I'm not hard core....