Thursday Thirteen

 Collectibles!

  According to Hobby Database online, there are 75 million collectors worldwide, and that 42% of American households have at least one collector in the family.  But what do they collect?  Here are a few things...

1. Coins - wheat pennies, Bi-Centennial quarters, Buffalo nickels, American Silver Eagle... coins are a popular collectible.

2. Stamps - This is a pretty old hobby, and their are many online stamp-collecting groups.  People collect stamps with animals, flowers, people, and so on.

Speaking of stamps... I'm going off topic for a minute.  Do you remember those green S&H stamps people used to collect?

  I'm probably showing my age, but I remember my mom and grandmother collecting them in the 60's and 70's.  People would get them when they checked out at certain grocery stores, department stores, and gas stations.  The green stamps could be traded in for products from a rewards catalog.  It was basically a loyalty program... but I digress.

3.  Barbies!  Quite a few Barbies are worth a lot of money, but only in good condition.  Alas, my Barbies are in terrible shape up in the attic except for a few Holiday Barbies that I have still in their boxes. 

Image Credit

Malibu Barbie could sell for anywhere from $45 to $200 depending on edition and condition.

4. Bells.  I used to collect bells everywhere I went.  I guess I wasn't as "into it" as I became older, but there are collectible bells being sold on eBay.

5.  Cards.  There are baseball cards, Yu-gi-oh cards, Pokemon cards, to name a few.  My son had all of them when he was a little boy.  I think he even had some football cards.  I hope he keeps them in case they are worth some money later.

6. Coca-Cola products.  I have a few items of Coca-Cola memorabilia.  Someday, I would love to do a whole room in various Coke products and decorations.

Source:  This sign sold for over $800 at an auction in 2008.

7. Figurines.  There are so many different brands!  Funko Pop, Dreamsicles, Willow Tree, Hummell, Precious Moments, and many more!  I used to have Dreamsicles.  I still do, actually.  You guessed it!  Many are in the attic.

8. Sports Memorabilia.  These can be extremely expensive.  Rings, jerseys, hats, pins, bobble-heads, posters, balls, trophies, and more.  Both Michael Jordan's and Kobe Bryant's bobble-heads sell for $25 each on eBay.

9.  Spoons.  This is another collectible that has been around forever.  When I was growing up, we had a neighbor who purchased a spoon on every trip she took.  Most of them had either the name of the state, city, or attraction she was visiting.

10.  Thimbles.  Another practically ancient collectible.  I imagine many kids today don't know what a thimble is.

Speaking of thimbles, did your family always argue over who got to be the thimble when playing Monopoly?  Yeah.  Mine neither. I digress again.

11. I Love Lucy.  I used to have a small collection of I Love Lucy items.  I loved her!  She was so funny, and there is no one else like her.  There are dolls, posters, salt and pepper shakers, signs, clothing, plates, ornaments, and so much more.

Image Credit

12. Comic Books.  I wish I had saved my Peanuts, Archie, Linda Lulu, and Ritchie Rich comics from childhood, but I didn't.  Superhero comic books are very popular now.  

13. Vinyl Records. I think most people age 50 and up likely have a collection of vinyl records.  I do, my husband does, my sister and her husband do.  I have no idea if anything we have is worth money, though.

I would like to thank Clipart Library for the free images.

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