O n of a
Kind
BY NICOLE TAFE
M
atthew Dugan and Robert “Bobby” Eisel have been
creating collections since they were kids. “We’ve
always loved action figures, video games, baseball
cards and comic books,” says Dugan. “We’ve always
had a collection of some sort throughout our lives.”
Cultivating their love of collecting, the two friends decided to
go into business together, creating D and E Collectibles located
in Sharpsburg. “It all started when a friend of ours collected
Masters of the Universe—an action figure line from the 1980s,”
explains Dugan. “When he decided to sell off his collection on
eBay, we took notice of how well the items sold and how much
interest there was in the collection.”
It was at this time that Dugan and Eisel started going to flea
markets and yard sales to hunt for vintage and collectible toys. At
first, they took to eBay to try to sell their findings, and continued
to reinvest their profits into more toys.
After nearly two years of hunting and selling on eBay, toys
had overtaken their homes—and their friends’ homes! “At this
point we knew it was time to step out on faith and open up a
collectibles store,” says Eisel. Celebrating five years this February,
the two are now living the dream.
Dugan, 34, grew up in Squirrel Hill and attended Allderdice
High School. He, his daughter and his fiancee now live in
Sharpsburg. In addition to collecting, Dugan is a certified
electrician in the Electricians Union Local 5.
Eisel, 37, attended Carrick High School. He and his wife
Stephanie live in the South Hills. Eisel was part of the Carpenters
Union and Boilermakers Union before working at D and E
Collectibles full time.
“What we really do at our store is connect adults with their
childhood,” explains Dugan. “We connect customers to the items
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Sharpsburg’s
D and E Collectibles
connects visitors to
their inner child.
they had as kids, all the way to the toys that were too expensive
at the time for their parents to afford. Now, as adults who have
jobs and can afford them, customers get a chance to relive a little
special piece of their childhood by collecting or playing with
these toys.”
D and E Collectibles not only offers vintage and collectible
toys, but a trip down memory lane. The items typically in stock
range from the 1960s to modern day. The most sought-after
toys are from the 1980s, including Star Wars, Masters of The
Universe, GI Joe, Thundercats, She Ra, Ghostbusters, Nintendo,
Sega, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and WWF
wrestling figures (before the organization became known as the
WWE). They are some of the well-known action figure lines
among many others available for collectors.
“One of the most awesome things to witness is watching
parents and children bond over collecting together,” says Eisel.
Bobby Eisel and Matthew Dugan