Collecting Tips

If you are new to collecting, some questions you should ask yourself are:  what to collect, why collect, and how broadly, or narrowly, should the collection be focused.  Basically your decisions should be based on why you are collecting.  Are you collecting for investment only, or for personal enjoyment?

Collecting for investment implies that you are possibly not going to hang on to your collection as long as someone who wants to collect for enjoyment.  If you are collecting for investment you should purchase only the best examples of items fitting into your collection and your collection should be clearly defined.  Price should not be your top consideration.  If you hold the best example of any type of item, your selling price can often be dictated since there are few similar or comparable items to be found.

Collecting for personal enjoyment allows you to have a different view of what to purchase and why.  Buying what you love should be the first consideration.  If you love the pieces you have acquired that will also make your collection more interesting to others.  However, there are a few considerations you should keep in mind as you collect.  You should always strive for quality rather than quantity.  Even if you are not a deep pockets collector like the investment collector, you should always opt for the best piece your money can buy.

Whether you are collecting for investment or personal enjoyment, the decision to buy pieces with proven collection history is a positive factor.  Items with history elevate any collection to a more important status.  Also, any collector should be encouraged to trade up - sell the lowest denominator in your collection to help fund higher quality pieces.

Whatever your reasons for collecting, you should do your homework, ask questions and check the reputation of the person you are dealing with.