Combed from an article by Rose Reilly.
If you find joy with these items, then they are not worthless. However, the fact that they give you satisfaction does NOT translate into their being able to command high prices on the resale market.
- Ty Beanie Babies
- The Majority Of Vinyl Records
- Norman Rockwell Collector Plates
- Pez Dispensers
- Pandora Charms
- Newer Star Wars Toys
- Royal Family Memorabilia
- New Comic Books
- Stamps
- Pogs
- Antique Silverware
- Porcelain Dolls
- Model Train Sets
- Barbie Dolls
- Vintage Playboy Magazines
- Precious Moments
- Cabbage Patch Kids
- Baseball Cards
- Funko Figurines
- Hummel Figurines
- Franklin Mint Collectibles
- Vintage Band T-Shirts
- Film Cameras
- VHS And DVD Collections
- Morgan Dollars
- Indian Head Pennies
- Happy Meal Toys
- "Brown" Furniture
- Children's Books
- Vintage College Pennants
- Hot Wheels
- Autographed Sports Memorabilia
- Cookie Jars
- Souvenir Bells
- Salt And Pepper Shakers
- Old Playbills
- Thomas Kinkade Collectibles
- Hess Trucks
- License Plates
- Vintage Pins
- Vintage College Clothing
- Wheat Pennies
- Costume Jewelry
- Farm Tools
- Unremarkable Vintage Clothing
- Disney VHS Tapes
- Pokémon Cards
- Old Newspapers
- iPods And Other MP3 Players
- Patchwork Quilts
Some commonalities:
The medium is not archival-durable. Beanie Babies? Get real. VHS tapes, nearly everything made of fabric. Anything made of wood-pulp paper.
The items were mass produced by the millions or billions. Hummel figurines were stamped out like pop-bottle caps. McDonalds Happy Meal Toys even more-so. Coins. Hot Wheels. They don't have the artistic detail or rarity to appreciate in value.
Many of them were sold (new) by hucksters at inflated prices. The hucksters sold them as speculative, profit generating vehicles. "It doesn't matter that I am charging you five-times what they are worth because they will be worth even more tomorrow."
Many of them had little intrinsic, underlying function. They were ornamental/dust-collectors. Cameras, farm tools, quilts, vintage clothing, "brown" furniture and MP3 players are exceptions to that.
Many of them "created rarity" by proliferating variants. Beanie Babies and (vanity) license plates being prime examples.
Of the items like coins and stamps, the market-makers create a market with extreme concave-up quality/price characteristics. They can sell you a coin as super-duper extra minty prime good in 2015 and then grade it as super-duper extra minty good in 2026 when you sell the exact same coin back to them and you will lose money even though prices relentlessly rose in the intervening 11 years.
Another factor that comes into play with stamps and coins is that many collectors will sell a "lot" of their collection when they need some money. The market-maker only needs to mark down the quality of one high-value items to low-ball the entire bid. Of course, the market-maker marks up the quality of that item when he resells it.
To quote Ken (Stan) Howell, the wine expert at Michigan State University in the 70s and 80s "A good wine is any wine you enjoy." If an item gives you joy, it is good. But don't spend your hard-earned money on something that gives you fleeting joy just because a "market-maker" tells you it is guaranteed to make you a fortune.
I am in favor of buying out-of-fashion items that provide solid utility to the user when the price is right. But buy them for their utility and personal, sentimental value. Don't expect to make a fortune on your collection of Harmony House, Sage Green china. Buy it because that is the pattern that Grandma had and it brings back very fond memories.
And it may come to pass that your solid oak and sugar maple, vintage furniture will still be soldiering on while four generations of disposable, minimalists, IKEA, tropical-hardwood, press-board vundar-furniture has been sent to the landfill.
Hat-tip to Lucas Machias the tireless.
Winchester Model 12s. Had collector value in the ‘70s. Not so much now. But I love mine anyway. American made. Steel and walnut. No plastic or pot metal... And still a pheasant killer.
ReplyDeleteYou are dead on Snowgoose. For over 60 years I wanted blued steel and walnut. Now young people don't want them.---ken
DeleteEven with the PAPER price of silver down today @ $65.74 USD (premiums on actual physical misc 1 ounce rounds is around 75+)
ReplyDeleteSNIP Morgan Dollar (1878-1921)
Melt Value: $50.79
Last Updated: 2/5/2026 7:05 PM EST
Aside from the time value of money (old school given the rate of inflation today) if you bought your Morgan Dollar at used-cull prices (I always buy cull worn as melt is my value) just two years ago you've done well.
Current price a roll of 20 Morgans various marks averages out to 95.88 each.
Fancy coins are collectables, yet "Collectable" coins bought even 5 years ago are doing fairly well.
Good tools, cast iron and such bought from yard-estate sales repaired-restored are quite worth your time.
Michael the anonymous
Oh she’s dead wrong about vintage concert tshirts. 4 years ago I sold my vintage 1980s rock, punk, and heavy metal tshirts for $200 to $300 each.
ReplyDeleteNot all of these, but more than a few have another thing in common. The demographic that collected them is aging out. I saw a version of this locally a few years ago. We used to rent the cold storage section of our shop out to an older fella. He had a couple 1930s era Fords in there as project cars, and as his health took a turn it was time for the stuff to go.
ReplyDeleteHe sold it all for just barely more than scrap price, and in talking to the auctioneer and some of the bidders they all said a similar version of the same story. People that wanted that vintage of stuff are almost all about that same age, many are in similar health. Additionally the number of people left in that age bracket shrinks every year, so there are fewer buyers for all that stuff. The ones that still want to buy it can buy the premium stuff for cheap, not a project that needs a ton of work in their 70s or 80s.
It is my perception that there is a time period when old guys want to recapture their youth. If they had a really cool 1971 AMC Javelin when they were in high school, and maybe that got lucky with Mary-Sue in it...then that is what they want when they are 67 and have the money.
DeleteThat "theory" would put the sweet-spot between fifty-and-sixty year-old cars.
I have a 1975 Corvette that I would like to sell. But when those young guys see that it's a 4 speed manual they admit that they can't drive it. I tried to sell it to the local Chevy dealer and he said that's normal now.---ken
DeleteStamp collecting is something that fell off the cliff, price wise. It's unlikely anyone would even pay face value.
ReplyDeleteAn estate auction guy I know said it's a hard part of his job letting people know that their "stuff" is not worth much.
Depends on 'what' you have, and the true rarity of it. Always has, always will.
ReplyDeleteERJ, almost nothing labeled as a collectible is truly collectible. Like anything else, something is worth what someone else will pay for it, not what you believe it is worth.
ReplyDeleteThat said, to your point anything that brings you joy is worth collecting.
Interesting to see the rise and fall of the Japanese sword market. Seemed to peak around 1992 with the sale of the Compton collection.
DeleteMtly last house was nice. Not bragging, got lucky. It was old, had that charm, in good shape. I paid asking price.
ReplyDelete7 years later I sold it. If you had told me at any point in the intervening years, I would not have believed you, but I sold it at a $40k loss.
Market places are funny things. Ask Bitcoin holders right about now, LOL!
I think the great regret in the present time that people will regret not collecting is physical books. I believe books will be the "I could have had a V-8" lament. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteMy friend died and we are endlessly cleaning out his all his vast collection stuffed house. Have 6 banker boxes filled mostly with playboy still encased in plastic. Morgan Silver dollars, apparently they do have value. Latest coin mag has them at $179., and of course we have the ever present extensive stamp collection. But he did have a lot of nice rifles and guns.
DeleteMy boyhood collection contains some beautiful stamps: it would never have occurred to me that they are valuable though.
ReplyDeleteOur only silver is a tea set that was a wedding present to my parents. I dare say its market value is just in the weight of the metal but obvs it's worth more than that to us.
We do like "brown" furniture. But auction sales imply that few people share our taste. Worse, though, my wife wanted to sell a rather fine violin of her father's - Southern Germany, early 19th century. Oh but the price disappointed.
The most valuable collectable I know of is that a pal kept a cheque (check) that was bounced on him when young. The cheque's signer became famous and my pal sold that cheque for a pretty penny. There's a lesson there.
What is "brown" furniture?
DeleteMore or less, anything with a wood finish, like early american, golden oak era, old english antiques, etc.
Deleteexcepting Art Deco, mid-century modern and similar.
And with any antiques, the very top of the class will retain value.
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid my grandmother had wedgewood china. To me the wedgewood was the epitome good china. I never could afford any but about 25 years ago kroger started selling a series of blue and white china. It was not as fine but it completely satisfied my need. New wifedoesnt like it so its relegated to the basement
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteNice overview
ReplyDeleteStan Howell
ReplyDeleteI was a graduate student of his in the early 90s. The only man I knew who could tell a dirty joke in mixed company and get laughs from all. Truly a gentleman.
A true "Southern" gentleman.
DeleteOut of print 1911's hold their value.
ReplyDeleteI hope vintage quality pocket knives and multi-tools will be collectible. I've been a cutlery fan since my early youth and now 63, have a decent collection of it. The difficult part of convincing youth is they see Wal-Mart knives for $3 and figure all knives are the same - they all cut, right ?
ReplyDeleteWell I like them so not a waste of time for me.
I used to collect antique and vintage woodworking tools. I want to take them to the auction house but am scared I won't get my quite substantial investment back out of them.
ReplyDelete