 |
 |
|
|
|
| |||
|
| Home | Collectibles |
CollectiblesThe Wide Wide World of CollectiblesCollectibles is a very broad field covering everything form antiques, to baseball cards, to comic books, to dolls and so on down to watches and yo-yos. Some articles are collected for the sheer fun of it. Others are collected to add beauty and value to ones life. Still others are collected to cash in on the collecting craze popular in the US, There have been many instances of people making a fortune on a rare Barbie doll, a misprinted stamp or an original Rembrandt found at a garage sale. Fans of programs like the "Antiques Roadshow" see plastic toys from the early to mid-20th century being valued more highly than 17th century antiques. The Mom FactorOne of the reasons that some things like baseball cards and original Lionel trains are so valuable is the "Mom Factor". Lots of moms dislike clutter and look at the depature of their offspring to summer camp or college as an opportunity to rid (usually the son's room) of things offensive to their sense of design. In my personal experience some of the first things to go were my train sets and baseball card collections. So those who had less fastidous moms (or better yet, moms who hid the Christmas presents away after they were opened) and a few others (like kids who admired but didn't play with their toys) wound up with what was left. Since there was a relative shortage of such items, they (along with comic books, baseball memorobila, model cars and the like) went up in value - sometimes substantially. And a whole new industry was born - collectible trading.
A Collector's Glossary
There are some reasons that this might not last. First, grown adults are buying up what they think will be popular toys in the future and putting them in safety deposit boxes with the shrink wrap still on. Everyone knows a toy in its original box and what all its parts is worth more. So the likelihood of rarity is decreasing. Another reason is that many companies are "re-issuing" popular items to ride a fad. this may make it difficult to determine what is original, as well as dilute the value of what's out there now. Many of these items are simply not that hard to fake. Following on the re-issuing phenomenon, adults are buying packs of unopened, newly reissued baseball cards and hiding them away for a future payoff. Collecting for FunNew collectibles come on the market frequently. Older ones are readily available. It all depends on your interests and income. Anyone who wants to collect items of value like antique furniture, vintage jewelry, rare stamps or Babe Ruth autographed baseballs will have to do their research. Outright fakes and modern reproductions abound. There are also unscrupulous or less competent dealers around who pass fakes and reproductions off as originals. You risk little money when you collect things like bottle caps, beer bottles, oil cans or model toys. In the end, your collection might be worth something. But for many the challenge of getting one bottle of every beer brewed in the world, for example, is where the fun comes in. If you want to deal in high end, expensive collectibles, you need to educate yourself first and then find a trustworthy dealer with a good eye for ferreting out the real deals. More About CollectiblesAction Figures and ToysCleaning and Storing Plastic Collectibles Model Trains, Planes, Cars and More Tin Soldiers - Toy Soldiers - Action Figures AntiquesAutographsBaseball CardsBooksBuying CollectiblesSources of Inexpensive Collectibles China and CeramicsComic BooksDollsInsuranceInsuring Artwork, Coins, Jewelry and Collectibles Movie CollectiblesRecordsCleaning, Handling and Storing Vinyl Records StampsStuffed AnimalsTrainsValuesWall Art for Collectors |
|||
| |||
|
|Contact Us | About Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer |
Copyright© Rare Treasures 2007 - 2012 | |||
