Does rehairing my troll lower its value?

A lot of collectors come across trolls that wear their age and mistreatment on their sleeve, so to speak. And the question inevitably arises: Will it lower the value of the troll as a collectible if parts of it are replaced?

The answer is yes and no. Yes, a troll with its original hair, eyes, and outfit is more valuable than a troll who does not have their original pieces. On the flip side, if they are a hot mess (like my first tailed troll, that I have pictured above) that decreases their value. You can only improve a troll's value by fixing it back up again.

Also, how much a troll is worth is very dependent on the collector and their preferences. Some collectors prefer their trolls to be original, and others may go for trolls that have been redone. I personally love original trolls that are pristine, but I love remaking 3 inchers into my Little Ladies :-)

My first tailed troll was an absolute mess when he first arrived to me. I was so sad! I finally had my first tailed troll, and he was, well, ugly. (Now most non-troll collectors would think its ugly anyway, but I think tailed trolls have the most wonderful character, and are some of the most handsome). I sent him off to Timm (this was before I was doing my own fixer uppers) for some TLC (rehairing and a slight clean up). When he arrived back home again, I was AMAZED at his transformation! It was like he was a completely different troll! Timm had even gone out of his way to replace one of his eyes that had rusted with another vintage one that he happened to have laying around (that was just so nice of him!). He went from disgusting to gorgeous. If I were to resell him (which I never would - he's still my favorite tailed troll, even though he's the least original of the bunch), I would get much more for him than if I were to have left him the way he was.

It all boils down to one essential thing...the very root of any sort of collecting: its what ever makes YOU happy. That's what collecting is all about :-)