“I didn’t mean to collect over four bookcases of Sailor Moon, but here we are…”
Sarah Forde’s love for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon began in high school. “I managed to scrap together enough money to buy the comic books, and I used to record the TV episodes on VHS tapes,” she shares.
After college, Sarah began working full-time while selling her artwork online. The majority of her collection was built between 2006 and 2021. It started with DVD box sets and dolls, and has grown to include over 600 licensed items.
The series is experiencing a revival with its 25th anniversary, a new animated series, and stage musicals in Japan. Some of the items in this collection were purchased in Japan in 2014, a trip that Sarah describes as her, “greatest Sailor Moon experience!” She had the opportunity to meet other collectors and fans – all while doing a lot of shopping! “Most of these friends are people I’ve known online for years, so it was really incredible to hang out with them and share our love of Sailor Moon.”
In recent years, Sailor Moon collectibles have been in strong supply. “There’s been an avalanche of new merchandise coming out in the USA and Japan,” Sarah explains. “It’s been challenging to keep up with the new stuff while also keeping an eye on collecting the vintage merchandise. The prices for the older items have also skyrocketed! This means a lot of my wish list items are unaffordable for me right now, but I’m in it for the long run, so I’m hopeful.”
After giving birth to her daughter in 2014, Sarah has been less focused on merchandise news. “Though I don’t have as much time and money to dedicate to my hobby, I love waking up every day to my sparkling, shiny collection!”
Collectibles Insurance Services was founded in 1966 by Horace Harrison, a celebrated stamp collector and active member of the American Philatelic Society. Harrison saw that conventional insurance companies couldn’t fully serve the needs of stamp collectors like him. So he created an agency that could: Harrison & Associates. In 1983, he sold the agency to his fellow collector and friend, Dan Walker, who expanded the agency’s coverage. Eventually, the agency name was changed to Collectibles Insurance Services.
Dan has been working since the third grade when he and his classmate started a stamp company called the JimDandy Stamp Company. After his classmate’s father helped them legally register the company, the boys started advertising in The New York Times while selling stamps to their schoolmates.
Years later, Dan, a former Wall Street securities analyst, exhibited at his first stamp show. It was at this show in 1979 that Dan met Patricia Stilwell, a veteran postal history exhibitor who would soon become Dan’s wife. You could say the couple were stamp fanatics. The stamp lovers’ wedding cake was decorated with Grenadian and Irish postmarks from both of their collections. And to send them off on their honeymoon, their wedding guests tossed used stamp hinges instead of rice!
Dan’s collections have covered British Borneo, Romania, and the Civil War era U.S. Revenue stamps. He is best known for his research and published work on the West Indian island of Grenada. A winner of the American Philatelic Society’s Champion of Champions Award, Dan soon became actively engaged in the collection and study of the Feudatory States of India, including multi-frame exhibits of Barwani and Soruth. In 2014, Dan was elected to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, an honor conferred on just 369 philatelists in the world since the Roll was established more than 90 years ago.
For the past 34 years, Dan has played a huge part in making Collectibles Insurance Services what it is today. A few weeks ago, Dan announced he would be retiring. Dan has whittled down his stamp collecting to two major collecting areas and has been accumulating and storing his material. Dan is looking forward to getting his material sorted and studied. He even purchased a relational database program that will help him organize his thousands of stamps.
While we are sad to see Dan retire, we know the future of Collectibles Insurance Services will stay true to the values and traditions set forth by Dan more than 30 years ago. Dan, we thank you and wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
The Collectibles Insurance Services Team
Welcome to the official blog page for Collectibles Insurance Services! Be sure to check out this site weekly for posts on all things collectibles. Whether you’re interested in learning more about what we offer or you just want to stay up to date with current news stories and trends, we’ve got you covered!
Are you active on social media? We’re on Facebook and LinkedIn! Be sure to like and follow our pages to never miss a thing!
I became a fan of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon when I was in high school. I managed to scrap together enough money to buy the comic books, and I used to record the TV episodes on VHS tapes.
After college, I started working full-time while selling my artwork online. From 2006-2012, I built the majority of my collection. It started with DVD box sets and dolls. I don’t think I meant to end up with four and a half bookcases, but here we are and now I have over 600 licensed items!
The series is in revival with the 25th anniversary, a new animated series, and stage musicals in Japan. A few things in the collection I bought while I was in Japan in 2013, which was my greatest Sailor Moon experience! I got to meet up with other collectors and fans while doing a LOT of shopping! Most of these friends are people I’ve known online for years so it was really incredible to hang out with them and share our love of Sailor Moon.
In the last few years, there’s been an avalanche of new merchandise coming out in the USA and Japan. It’s been challenging to try to keep up with the new stuff while also keeping an eye on collecting the vintage merch. The prices for the older items have also skyrocketed! This means a lot of my wish list items are unaffordable for me right now, but I’m in it for the long run so I’m hopeful.
In 2014, I had a daughter, so I’m not as focused on merchandise news as I was in the past. Though I don’t have as much time and money to dedicate to my hobby, I love waking up every day to my sparkling, shiny collection!
It was back in 1979, and I was in Newark, NJ, for a show. Actually, it was my first time exhibiting—in this case, with my collection of Grenada postal history. I was probably a bit nervous about being a novice exhibitor, especially when I met Patricia Stilwell. She was a veteran postal history exhibitor, but we managed to hit it off well enough to start seeing each other.
The rest, as you might say, is history. Because that chance meeting led to a marriage that has lasted more than 30 years.
It was definitely a philatelic wedding. The wedding cake was decorated with Grenadian postmarks from my collection and Irish postmarks from Pat’s. And to send us off on the honeymoon, our wedding guests tossed used stamp hinges instead of rice!
Editor’s Note: Dan Walker is the former owner of Collectibles Insurance Services. His collections have covered British Borneo, Romania and the Civil War era US Revenue stamps. He is best known for his research and published work on the West Indian island of Grenada. A winner of the American Philatelic Society’s Champion of Champions Award, he is now actively engaged in the collection and study of the Feudatory States of India, including multi-frame exhibits of Barwani and Soruth. In 2014, Dan was elected to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, an honor conferred on just 369 philatelists in the world since the Roll was established more than 90 years ago.
