Scott got his start dealing in antiques about 45 years ago. His interest began in the 1970s when his parents were cleaning out their basement and had a lot of items to get rid of. There were Indian baskets and other items that his great-aunt had picked up from her years teaching on an Indian reservation in Wisconsin.

After this experience, Scott started going to flea markets and shopping around to see what other people were selling. “Collecting can be an expensive hobby if you are into high-end stuff,” shares Scott. “Although I’ve been dealing for 45 years, I started collecting about 20 years ago, but it has taken me a while to acquire what I wanted.”

Scott’s interests mainly include French cameo glass by makers such as Galle & Daum Nancy, art glass, Tiffany glass, and antique French dolls. “Even non-collectors are attracted to Tiffany art glass,” shares Scott. There is a specific kind, favrile glass, that really stands out. It comes in different colors, with the most common being gold and the more desirable colors being blue or even red. “It has a rich, iridescent finish; even those not into antiques can appreciate its beauty.”

When it comes to antique dolls, Scott mentions that there is a special doll maker, Leon Casimir Bru. A specific doll, known as a Bru Jne doll, is a pricey doll for which prices have recently skyrocketed. “Some of these dolls can command north of $30,000,” he explains. “The dolls are a piece of art!” Also popular are dolls made by the prolific French doll maker, Jumeau, who began making dolls in the mid-19th century. “Some of their bisque bebes can command a high price.”

Scott’s personal collection of about 60 dolls and 60 pieces of glass is on display in curio cabinets in his home, but not organized in any particular way. “It’s a curated collection of items that are special to me, because I like them.” Of collecting, Scott’s mantra is to always, “buy what you like.” The value of collectible items, especially antiques, is always fluctuating. If you curate a collection of items that you love, then if the value changes, at least you are left with something you enjoy.

A recent collaboration between two unexpected parties may just prove that comics may deserve elite recognition alongside of classic novels and the like. Penguin Classics, according to their website, is the “leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world.” The company prints classic literature from the likes of John Steinbeck, Shirley Jackson, William Golding, Ken Kesey, and more.

Recently, Penguin classics partnered with Marvel Comics to start printing – of all things – comic books. Dubbed the “Penguin Classics Marvel Collection,” this series will feature stories from the early life of three classic superheroes: Spider-Man, Captain America, and Black Panther. These are being presented as colorful paperbacks and beautifully bound hardcover books with gilded pages.

What do you think? Do comics deserve their place in the world of classic literature?

Sources

Have Comic Books Officially Entered the Canon? – The Atlantic

Penguin Classics – Penguin Books

Penguin Classics Marvel Collection (prh.com)

Jim Sargeant started collecting cameras in the early 70s. He was cleaning the basement at 12 years old when he came across an antique camera. “I started using it, and I used it all through high school,” Jim shares. He started collecting mainly box cameras, and his parents gave him a book on collecting cameras.
Over the years, Jim discovered eBay and was able to grow his collection that way. He would start by purchasing a camera that he could afford, and when he found a nicer one, he would purchase the new and sell the old. Today, Jim has around 325 cameras and five display cases, all organized by type. His collection has grown to include more than just cameras. “My wife says I’m a reincarnated Kodak worker,” he shares. “I have a lot of Kodak advertising memorabilia.”

Something in his collection that stands out are his Kodak petite cameras. “I have one cupboard filled with Kodak petite cameras that were made in all different pastel colors,” shares Jim. “They made them like this to get women into photography. I’ve got every color under the rainbow! Kodak made a lot of pretty things for women – they even made a clamshell case with a mirror, lipstick, makeup, and a camera. Those are pretty expensive now, because it’s hard to find one with everything.”

Kodak also made Boy Scout Cameras.  “I’ve got all the Boy Scout and Girl Scout cameras they made!” There’s also a Kodak-made camera called a Beau Brownie camera, designed in an art deco style and enameled on the front. “I have all ten of them, and they are very valuable.”

The cameras with the most value are those with the original silk bellows (a bellow is the accordion shaped portion of an old folding camera). “I’ve got cameras that go back to 1896,” Jim says. “I also have a booth in an antique mall where I sell cameras. It’s amazing how many people are into collecting them now! I got into them when there was no such thing as collecting cameras, and now it’s a worldwide business.”

While many of the cameras in the collection were originally purchased for $5 or $10, they have appreciated in value over the years. “I’ve got around $35,000 worth of cameras in my collection,” Jim says. “One camera alone is worth $3,000.”

Jim’s favorite camera overall is a green Kodak Petite camera with a lightning bolt pattern. “It’s the most valuable [piece I own], and it’s a beautiful camera. But I like them all – I wouldn’t have them if I didn’t like them all!”

Collectibles Insurance Services was founded by collectors, for collectors! Homeowners insurance often falls short when it comes to providing coverage for collections, so that’s where we step in. We help insure collections of all kinds — from LEGOs to sports memorabilia, and comic books to toys, and so much more.
Find out what types of collections we insure or get a quote today!

About 35 years ago, Robert Barker’s love of collecting began when someone gifted him a diecast car as a Christmas gift. The car was sponsored by Snickers and is still sealed in the plastic wrapper. Today, he has over 400 diecast cars, as well as lots of NASCAR-related memorabilia. “I raced for 25 years myself, and retired from that three years ago,” Robert shares. From this racing career, he obtained a lot of photos and autographs from other NASCAR drivers, as well as trophies.

After about ten years, he started realizing that he had quite the collection! People are in disbelief when they walk in and see the large museum he has acquired over the years – which is displayed on shelving in his 40-by-40 foot basement. “We have a 10-foot by 10-foot slot car track and a racecar!”

As a big Jeff Gordon fan, he has a couple hundred pieces of memorabilia, including mugs, cupholders, plates, and so much more – all taking up about eight shelves. “I have a tire off of Jeff Gordon’s car as an end table.” He also has an extremely rare Jeff Gordon Cabbage Patch doll, still sealed in the original box.

A favorite piece in the collection of nearly 2,000 pieces – and also the most valuable item – is an autographed visor from Jeff Gordon’s helmet. Besides the autograph, the visor has the race in which the helmet was used and the date. This is a rare and hard to find item, which is why it is so valuable.

Another hard-to-get item is the sheet metal from cars – such as a door of a racecar. Robert’s collection has plenty of sheet metal, all of which he displays by mounting it on the wall.
Overall, the collection has truly grown to include a vast variety of items! There are NASCAR banners and flags, a pedal car from the 1950s, over 100 hats from different racetracks and different drivers, NASCAR moonshine and soda, NASCAR-themed board games, race helmets, and so much more. Everything in the display area is checkered, including the floor, the bar, and the barstools. Topping it all off is a collection of about 30 NASCAR models that Robert has built over the years.

Overall, Robert estimates his collection to be worth well over $25,000, but he considers this collection to be priceless. “It would be hard to replace this stuff if anything ever happened to it!”

 
Collectibles Insurance Services was founded by collectors, for collectors! Homeowners insurance often falls short when it comes to providing coverage for collections, so that’s where we step in. We help insure collections of all kinds — from LEGOs to sports memorabilia, and comic books to toys, and so much more.
Find out what types of collections we insure or get a quote today!

This collection of records is so uniquely large that the structure of Fred D.’s house had to be taken into consideration! “The size is kind of ridiculous,” shares Fred. “It’s large – it takes up multiple rooms. We had to have a structural engineer to come up with a plan to lay it out and not cause the house to crack too much.”

When asked why he started collecting, Fred answers, “I think it’s just my personality! That combined with the fact that I’ve loved music from the beginning.” In fact, he considers himself a bit more of a music lover than a collector, as his love for the music he listens to transcends his desire to collect.

The specific records that Fred collects are all dictated by his personal taste, rather than their individual value. “My taste has grown over time, and it’s a vicious circle that has you collect more records.” By college, his record collection was already quite sizeable, but when he started working and had more disposable income, that’s when things really took off.

Like most collectors, Fred is unable to choose a favorite item from his collection. “It’s like having children and calling one out as your favorite!” he says. “I tend to love all of it.” Despite this, he is able to call out a few specific items that are memorable. An early purchase that stands out for Fred is the Beatles single “Can’t Buy Me Love.” His grandmother purchased this record for him originally. “Fast forward to decades later, and it turns out that single was only available in the northeast for a specific time. It turned into one of the most financially valuable singles, and somehow, I didn’t lose it or trash it. It’s not in mint condition, but it’s in really good condition.”

Another stand-out item is a record by artist Laura Nyro. For years, people thought that this record had only been released as a promotional item and that there were no produced records available to the public. Fred is lucky enough to have the only stock copy of this record. “I’ve never found a record of anyone [else] having it!”

This collection of over 22,000 records is comprised of 7,800 singles, with the rest of the collection being LPs. To contain this collection, Fred has built plywood boxes that are 2 ft long by the width of a record. “Given the weight and size of this, I’ve bought industrial heavy duty metal shelving. They are stored in all of the second-floor rooms in my home.” The boxes also have plywood tops that Fred leaves on to keep things dry and dark. The rooms are temperature and humidity controlled, and each record is stored in a mylar sleeve. They are then organized by genre, with everything alphabetized within its genre. “It’s set up kind of like a record store,” Fred explains. Being in the computer business has given Fred a leg up on cataloguing his collection, as all his albums are documented in a digital system that also tracks their condition.

When he looks back on everything that he has amassed over the years, Fred is overwhelmed at how much he has invested into these records. “When you really sit down to summarize the value in your head, it can be kind of shocking how much it’s worth!” As Fred draws closer to the end of his career, he has no plans to pass this collection on to his children, believing that this would present them with an unmanageable task. “I know so much about this collection because it’s all curated. If it went to my children, they would have no idea of the value or what’s interesting. My retirement may be composed of [selling off] this collection!”

 
Collectibles Insurance Services was founded by collectors, for collectors! Homeowners insurance often falls short when it comes to providing coverage for collections, so that’s where we step in. We help insure collections of all kinds — from LEGOs to sports memorabilia, and comic books to toys, and so much more.
Find out what types of collections we insure or get a quote today!

NFTs are quickly rising in popularity, especially in the sports collectibles market. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are digital assets (such as graphics, photos, and videos) that are often one-of-a-kind, and they utilize blockchain technology to protect their digital scarcity. The person who purchases the NFT is the sole owner of that digital asset.

As younger generations (Gen Z and millennials, specifically) are increasingly interested in digital assets, NFTs are a natural point of entry for them to get involved in the sports collectibles market.
The current sports collectibles market is ridden with problems, including high prices for collectible items. This makes collecting expensive and keeps all but the wealthiest from being able to collect and from being involved in their sports community. Counterfeits, forgeries, and fraud are also problems that plague the market.

Digital collectibles stand to bring about positive changes in the sports collectibles market, making it easier for more people, especially younger generations, to get involved in the hobby. And with blockchain technology, authenticating these digital assets will be easy.

Would you purchase a digital collectible?

Collectibles Insurance Services currently doesn’t offer insurance for digital collectibles.

Collectibles Insurance Services was founded by collectors, for collectors! Homeowners insurance often falls short when it comes to providing coverage for collections, so that’s where we step in. We help insure collections of all kinds — from LEGOs to sports memorabilia, and comic books to toys, and so much more.
Find out what types of collections we insure or get a quote today!

What’s next for Topps’ trading cards may mean big money for college athletes.
After the sports apparel brand, Fanatics, acquired Topps, it seems as though the collectibles powerhouse has developed an interest in some of the most talented and upcoming athletes: college students! They are launching a line of trading cards featuring student-athletes from more than 150 schools this fall. Notable names from this collaboration are members of the Power Five Conference, including Alabama and Texas A&M.

College logos have never been used before on trading cards, and this development can only be attributed to student-athletes’ desire to recreate the same direct interaction with fans that they experienced growing up with Topps baseball cards and their favorite MLB athletes.

The collaboration is not only intended to attract new collectors, but also to create appealing opportunities for student-athletes and their teams. Deals are estimated to bring in up to five figures for these athletes, however they also vary based on the player’s position and other factors such as where they are expected to be drafted.
Besides obvious monetary gains, these deals will also help strengthen Fanatics’ relationship with these upcoming players and help them to establish their brand networks and influence early-on in their professional careers.

Although we cannot say for certain how this collaboration will shift the nature of college sports, these deals will surely bring many new opportunities for student-athletes across the country.

Collectibles Insurance Services was founded by collectors, for collectors! Homeowners insurance often falls short when it comes to providing coverage for collections, so that’s where we step in. We help insure collections of all kinds — from LEGOs to sports memorabilia, and comic books to toys, and so much more.

Find out what types of collections we insure or get a quote today!

Sources:
Fanatics strikes deal with colleges, student athletes to launch Topps cards (cnbc.com)
Fanatics And Topps Announce Historic College Trading Card Deal With Over 100 University Partnerships (yahoo.com)
Topps could shape the future of college sports | The College Fix