What to collect and where to find things for your collection
There is no limit to the things people will collect, from priceless antiquities to just plain trash. If you collect coins, you can narrow your interest to colonial and early American coins, federal coins, commemoratives, proof of mint sets, private and territorial gold, token, state series quarters and the list goes on. People collect specific things for specific reasons or for no reason at all! Maybe they just fancy something and want to collect as much of it as they can.
What people collect
What people collect is purely up to the collector. If you want to start a collection of something, as a hobby, but aren’t sure where to start, let us help you out. The list is infinitive but here is a small sample of the possibilities for your collection: Buttons, marbles, fishing lures, Pez dispensers, Mid-century furniture, vintage toys, Lladro figurines, carnival glass, Depression glass, Bakelite, Beanie Babies, McDonald’s toys, Matchbox cars, watches, 1960s aluminum ware, costume jewelry from the 20th century, vintage sunglasses, gambling paraphernalia, silver jewelry from Taxco, art pottery, Vanity Fair illustrations, Hummel figurines, photography, Elvis Presley memorabilia, advertising, books, miniatures, milk bottles, matchbooks, erasers, sports equipment, Native American artifacts, dolls and dollhouses, branded merchandise, taxidermy, stamps, coins, shells, leaves, seeds, badges, refrigerator magnets, candy wrappers, trading cards, models, insects, rocks and fossils, vinyl records, architectural salvage, souvenir postcards, vintage cookbooks, seashells, and we will stop there. The possibilities are endless!
Where to find things to collect
The stuff you find stashed in family basements and garages may be worth more than you think. Browse the yard sales, flea markets, thrift shops, and antique stores. Local auctions and estate sales are resources for collectors too. There are hundreds of books on collectibles and at least one price guide for every type of collectible you can name. The most renowned price guide for antiques and collectibles is Schroeder’s Antiques Price Guide, with more than 50,000 items in 500 categories and numerous pictures. The popular television show Antiques Roadshow also keeps collectors up to date on values. When all else fails, an antiques appraiser or auctioneer may be able to help.
Online auctions, like eBay, are a popular source of items for collectors. And eBay provides collectors of nearly anything with real value, a price that someone actually paid for them. Some traders both buy and resell on eBay, to make a profit on their collectibles. Other people buy and sell on online classified sites like Craig’s List. Major auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s handle high-end antiques and collectibles. Once you get started, you can take part in swap meets, join a collectors club and shop collectibles shows.
The possibilities of what you can collect and where you can find them are endless. If you ever thought of taking up the hobby of collecting or even want to try it to make money, there are many items to start with and many places to look.
