The New Wave of Collectors

Collectors who have been around for awhile may recognize it. Those who sell collectibles to collectors surely see it. The hobby of collecting has expanded way beyond the range of the standard assortment of collectibles like stamps, books, vinyl records and vintage toys. These days, collectors are focusing on an ever-expanding range of items. Prospective collectors are looking more deeply into the hobby with an eye to collecting items that distinguish their collections as unique.

As our pop culture grows, so does the number of collectable items to choose from. In addition, it soon becomes apparent that some unique items, like barbed wire for example, have been very popular with collectors in certain regions for decades. The discovery of those unconventional collections is surprising to many, inspiring to others. As items like soup can labels, lottery tickets, baseballs and key rings find their way into the hearts of collectors, it becomes apparent that the hobby of collecting has created a niche unlike any other hobby.

That has inspired some entities and businesses to create items solely as collectibles. Postage stamps has certainly gone that route. What used to be drab, uninspiring little squares to pay for mailing an envelope have evolved into beautifully colored collectibles honoring movie stars, cartoon characters, plants, animals and sports heroes. In fact, many collectors have decided to focus their collections on sub-genres of stamps like fish, architecture, baseball players and other select categories.

Sports items have certainly inspired a distinct market. Limited Edition sports cards, of course, have always been a major interest to collectors. They started out quite humbly as freebies with chewing tobacco, cigarettes and breakfast cereals. Nowadays, collecting baseball trading cards is a hugely popular hobby. Eye-catching holograms and other refinements have enhanced their appeal and, once again, created sub-genres for the discriminating collector.

Other sports items have also become popular, expanding the hobby and providing opportunities for discriminating collectors to get a good foothold on unique items. The new wave of astute collectors strives to find foam logo signs, miniature helmets, team jerseys and other items for specific sports teams. Online sellers like Collectible Supplies superbly cater to individuals seeking and collecting a much wider range of collectibles than ever.

While the benefits of a serious collection certainly include satisfaction of achievement, more often than not a great collection also acquires a monetary value. If there is one collector of a particular item, there are surely more, some of whom will be willing to pay good old American cash for it.

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