HARALD SARTORI - PEZ COLLECTORS

What is your name and where are you from?

Harald Sartori from Vienna, Austria.

How was this passion born? When and why did you start collecting PEZ? Do you remember your first dispenser?

In 1995 I bought my 3 years old son Markus his first Pez dispenser in a supermarket and remembered that I had Pez dispensers too when I was a child. Therefore I began to look how many different Pez dispensers were sold in the different supermarkets and after a while I was looking for vintage Pez dispensers on flea markets. In 1997 I was able to buy a huge Pez collection at a toy bazaar and that was the real start of the passion. I don`t remember my first dispenser.

How many PEZ dispensers do you have?

Nearly 4.000.

What is your favorite PEZ dispenser?

My brazilian fireman with black helmet (MIC).

How did your family and friends react to your hobby and collection?

My wife does not share my passion, but she accept it. My son was interested when he was a teenager and 5 years ago - he was 22 - he began to collect Pez too, so now we have the same passion. The rest of the family and my friends react different; some find it interesting, some funny, some think I am a bit crazy.

Do you have any rules to collect? Do you pick up only PEZ dispensers or any PEZ product?

In the beginning I bought all with the name Pez on it. Now I have a space-problem. Therefore I only collect vintage and new limited dispensers, old paper (e.g. headers, advertisings, displays) and other rare vintage items.

Where do you shop? Do you also sell?

eBay, other auction platforms, internet shops, Facebook, toy bazaars, flea markets, supermarkets and Pez friends. I don`t trade and sell in general, but sometimes.

In general, do you have a maximum value of money to buy a PEZ dispenser? (Optional)

It depends on the worth of the item and how rare it is, but I would say not more than 2000 $.

What is the maximum amount offered for a PEZ object? (Optional)

About 1.500 $.

How can you manage the various dispensers that come out only in some countries?

I am no longer interested in all new dispensers in general. If they are limited, it`s no problem - perhaps except the higher price - to get them via eBay, internet shops or Facebook.

Of the PEZ dispensers that already exist and that you don't have, which ones would you like to have? 

There are a lot, but at most Political donkey and elephant, Disney softheads and Make-A-Face.

What characters would you like them to make as a PEZ dispenser? 

Lucky Luke serie. Pez has planed to make them (I have the resins), but then the production was canceled.

Do you think the PEZ company could be more innovative in some PEZ products? Why?

Not really.

How do you keep them? Is dust a problem for you?

Because of the low space only a few items are displayed; most of them are stored in boxes. Dust is always a problem for displayed items, which are not in a glass vitrine.

Do you have any project related to the PEZ hobby?

Not really. Perhaps a (little) Vucko army.

There is a massive wave of new characters played by Funko, with Pop!PEZ. How do you see this change in the PEZ collection?

I like the new characters, but I am not sure if I like this new kind of Pez dispensers. At the moment I collect them, except the extremely limited ones. But you only can get them via the US and I think with shipping costs and sometimes customs fees the price is too high. For the price of some limited Pop!PEZ you can get a really wonderful rare vintage dispenser. Therefore I don`t know how this journey will end for me.

PEZ Gatherings / Conventions, have you ever been to any? What do you think of them and what could be different about these meetings?

Only in Vienna 5 years ago and this year (2019). It is a nice possibility to meet people with the same passion, trade, sell or buy items. But you also have to spend time and money for them and perhaps you need both for other occassions. So it`s always a hard decision.

What advice would you give to a new collector of PEZ? 

Collect whatever you want, because it`s your collection and you have to have fun. Buy a price guide. Begin with super and flea markets. If you have the possibility to buy a vintage dispenser and it is not so expensive, buy it, because I learned that often you get no second chance.

Besides PEZ, do you collect anything else? What?

Many things before I start collecting Pez (e.g. stamps and coins). Now only Pez and Haas, which is related to Pez.

Can you spend a day without thinking of PEZ?

Not often, only sometimes when I am in holidays.

Thank you!