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Collecting: Trash or Treasure?By KRISTEN STERNBERG What do people collect? Just about anything you can name. Stamps, coins, rocks, stuffed animals, art, furniture, butterflies, historic documents, toys and books are just a few of the more well known items popular with collectors. The list may be endless.
What about you – are you a budding collector? Chances are you either already have, or will someday begin, a collection of your own. If so, what will be your reasons? Collectors have different motives. Perhaps they hope to make a profit, taking a chance that the items they own or buy will increase in value with time. Some collect for social reasons – they join clubs to learn more about their hobby and to share their interests with others. Some enjoy researching, cataloging and arranging their collections. Many collect for sentimental reasons, in order to preserve items for future generations. Photographs and documents such as birth certificates, letters and school report cards, for example, will probably be of great interest to future generations of your family. In most cases, these collections will have more emotional value than monetary value. How do you know what will become collectible? Will that toy you´ve recently outgrown be worth money someday? Maybe, and maybe not. Certain types of collectibles, for example stamps and coins, have remained popular for a long, long time. There is a fairly steady market for items such as these, and many books have been written to help you identify them and estimate their value. Items of historical significance, like Civil War swords or World War II memorabilia, also tend to increase in value. Sometimes, even mistakes become collectors´ items. There was a printing error that affected the value of some stamps, for instance. Sometimes fads or crazes inspire people to become collectors. When fads occur, it´s hard to predict whether or not fad items (Beanie Babies, for example, or memorabilia of the 1960s rock group called The Beatles) will increase in value. What something is worth depends entirely on who wants it and what he or she is willing to pay to get it! People who hope to collect for a profit, therefore, make sure they are informed about their subject. They research by reading and talking to others, and try to predict the future value of their collection. Most appraisers (people who estimate the value of items) will agree that whatever you collect, the better condition it is in, the more value it will probably have someday. In general, although there are exceptions, a doll complete with its original outfit and the box it came in will someday be worth more than it might if it were missing these or other items. Condition also applies to whether or not the item has been broken, or is very dirty or faded. For this reason, collectors of some items such as Barbie dolls have never taken the dolls out of their boxes! Collecting seems to be gaining in popularity, especially antique collecting. If you're a collector, your collection probably has great value to you. You may even wonder if your items are worth money. Events such as Symposiums are opportunities not only to have items appraised but to learn the history behind your treasures. Local museums and historical societies typically have collections of antiques-old machines, tools, clothing and toys, for instance. Is there a special name for your hobby? Do you call yourself a numismatist (coin collector), a rockhound (collector of gems and minerals) or a philatelist (stamp collector)? These are some of the more well-known ones. How can you learn more about these names, and about collecting in general? First, try the newspaper activities and web links below. Check out resources in addition to your newspaper and the world wide web, such as museums and libraries in your area. You can also check your newspaper's TV listings for shows especially on PBS about collecting. Talk to others about your interests-maybe you can even start your own club! If after deciding you don't want to have a collection, be sure to recycle at a yard sale or give to a friend because one person's trash may be another's treasure! Try these fun activities using The News-Journal!
A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org. Check out these links to learn more: Coins are commonly collected by many, including young people. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco offers a fascinating online exhibit of U.S. currency. You can view money from different periods of U.S. history, find out about the artists who design currency and more. For more fun with coins, including cartoons, games and news items, visit the Smithsonian Museum's coin collecting pages, where you'll find lots to explore. Be sure not to miss the special, interactive storybook about Birth of a Coin. At another site for numismatists, you can see online exhibits of beautiful paper currency. Collecting rocks-minerals and gems-is also popular with hobbyists. Check out these pages maintained by The Image Gallery, where you can browse the beautiful photographs and learn techniques for identification. The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check out some of them to see if they have recently published any articles on this topic. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state or click on the "Internationals" button to choose a country. Published April 23, 2001 |
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