Collectors Items You Can Expect To Appreciate In Value
You have probably all seen the same news story at some point. Someone manages to sell something that you had as a child for a significant sum of money.
You would do the same, but you threw your things away a long time ago. One of the most prominent items like this is the original Pokémon cards from the 1990s. There is an entire adult generation who is feeling the sting of getting rid of these now-expensive items. But how were you supposed to know that they would be worth so much money in the future?
Most collector’s items worth a substantial amount of money are those that become rare as they are no longer commonly supplied. In the case of the original Pokémon cards, it is a case of a fanbase that is constantly adopting new fans that can no longer buy these original cards at a toy shop. As such, they will head online and pay big money for the cards they want to add to their collection. Using this logic, you can start to figure out which collector’s items are likely to appreciate in value.
Comic Books
Comic books are one of the original collectors items that people think of when discussing things that may appreciate in value. However, a forever-changing industry has made collecting this item a lot more complicated than it needs to be.
At their core, comic books are a story-telling medium. His became very clear during the superhero boom in the late 1930s. Kids would rush to the stands to get the next issue of Superman to find out how the story would end. That is why there is a huge market of collectors out there willing to pay big money for early editions of comics that are no longer in print. Unfortunately, the major publishers became aware of the popularity that big stories would have among potential collectors.
What followed was a series of moves designed to force people to buy comics that collectors may expect to appreciate in value in the future. Such moves included providing special variant covers and big storylines that change the status quo.
It all came to a head when DC released the Death of Superman in 1992 expecting people to swarm out to buy a comic containing such a momentous occasion. However, with so many upfront sales, there are no supply issues for future generations. As such, it is rare for any modern comics to have the criteria necessary for them to appreciate in value anymore.
Action Figures
On a similar note, action figures are also a unique set of items that people will pay money for after a time. Collectors want to display a full set of the same range of action figures on their shelves. Sadly, a wave of action figures released to coincide with a film release or TV show will only stay on toy store shelves for so long. That makes it increasingly more difficult for people to complete their set.
That is why some ranges of action figures will sell for so much online.
Some of the most sought-after action figure collections include:
- Kenner’s 3.75-inch Star Wars figures
- Gen 1 Transformers figures
- First edition My Little Pony toys
- Beanie Babies
- Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Coins
Pivoting away from popular media, the currency is also something that comes and goes in society. Every coin that enters circulation comes with a date of print. Therefore, it becomes worthwhile for collectors to find coins from the same era. However, new coins are always printed to replace the ones that get lost or fall out of popularity.
Alternatively, some companies also provide coins that coincide with historical events or ones that carry a unique purpose. Just look at the Gold Sovereign coins collection for example. You can head to Physical Gold and see some of the options available to you and your collection. Some Sovereigns are more than 150 years old, featuring the portrait of Queen Victoria in her early years.
Jewelry
Jewelry can gain value for several reasons. It can be made from a set of materials that are difficult to find or hold some kind of historical value.
For example, materials like gold, diamonds, silver, and platinum are difficult to mine and will only become more difficult to mine as time goes on. As such, jewelry makers can charge a lot of money for jewelry that contains these precious and rare materials.
On the other hand, this jewelry can also reach antique status no matter what it is made from. Any jewelry that lasts one hundred years is called an antique. Therefore, it gains some historical value. Of course, it is more likely to last for one hundred years if it is made from a decent material.
Postage Stamps
Just like coins, postage stamps are also replaced over time. As such, these sets of stamps that are only in circulation for a short time are difficult for people to get hold of. However, there are also historical sets that are released for a limited time.
Therefore, stamps are another collector’s item that receives value from their rarity. This means that you will find plenty of stamp collectors online willing to put forward large sums of money for stamps they will not obtain elsewhere. Also, each stamp comes with a token of authenticity in the form of a barcode that can signify the era it is from. Although, modern stamps are more likely to be imbued with a QR code instead.
Event Programs
Event programs are small booklets sold on large occasions with more information about the event detailed inside. However, the details inside are not what collectors are after.
These programs are only ever printed with the intention of selling them to the people who attend the event. This makes them extremely rare documents that are only ever obtained by fewer than several thousand people- depending on the size of the event. These programs also come with historical significance if it belongs to the right kind of occasion.
For example, a world cup final or royal coronation only comes around once every so often. As such, some collectors can pay big money for these items to learn more about the era they came from.
Vinyl Records
Vinyl records are similar to comic books in a way as they have made a comeback in recent years. Therefore, there is a surplus of modern vinyl records out there that are not worth much to collectors.
However, vinyl is an audio medium that quickly went out of style when tapes and subsequently CDs hit the market. Therefore, there are some original prints of specific records that are worth a lot to some nostalgic collectors. The printing quality of modern vinyl records is vastly different from that of those released in the 70s. That is why some audiophiles will pay big money to listen to their favorite albums as they remember them.
Conclusion
Determining whether some of these items will appreciate in value is not an exact science. You may currently have some toys lying around that will one day be worth thousands, for example. However, the collectibles listed above are most commonly sold at large prices to future collectors.
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