
John Dougan of AllMusic gave Collection I a rating of four out of five stars, writing: "Purists may disagree, but for the benighted, is the best place to start - a 20-track anthology that gives you the most Misfits for your money. Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores As a result, Only received a full third of royalties for Collection I another third was split between guitarists Franché Coma, Doyle, and Bobby Steele, and the remaining third was split between drummers Mr. In 1995, an agreement regarding the royalties for Misfits releases by Caroline Records was reached, wherein all future royalties would be pro-rated by instrument and track depending on the performer. This led to a series of legal battles between Danzig and his former bandmates Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein. Upon release, Danzig was the only member of the Misfits receiving royalties for Collection I, along with the 1985 compilation album Legacy of Brutality and the 1987 live album Evilive. It was released as a 12" vinyl LP and cassette in October 1988.

Collection I was released on CD on Jby Plan 9 Records (which was Glenn Danzig's own label) and Caroline Records.
