Vintage Collecting

Personally, I love dealing with collectible merchandise.  I like to go out exploring estate sales and auctions, I enjoy researching the particular vintage and antique items and looking for what sells well, and I like re-selling some of it for a profit when possible on eBay.  There are also a few particular items that I enjoy hanging on to and just can't bring myself to part with regardless of how much I could get for them.

The New York Times ran an article recently that reported that the collectibles market is actually a good place to invest your money.  What I liked about the article was that they basically have the same beliefs as I do about collecting.  If you love the stuff, you are much more likely to take care of it, hold on to it and not panic by watching its value if the market seems to be going up or down.

The market for collectibles is not nearly as volatile as other areas of investment.  Things move much more slowly.  Most people who collect things don't necessarily do it for immediate financial gain.  In fact, if you talk to many collectors, they say that they plan on passing their collections on to loved ones.  What those heirs will do with it is anybody's guess but most likely, they would not be in a hurry to turn a quick profit on it either.

That leads to one of the problems with seeing collectible items as an investment.  They can be so hard for people to part with when the need or desire for money comes along.

If you are a collector of some particular item, but you are still interested in making money from the collection, there may be some options.  You could act as an expert consultant for other collectors if you really know your stuff.  You could also sort of rope off an area of your collection that is untouchable to you.  Keep it as your core collection and use some other items from your collection for trading, selling and generally building up your collection.  You can always add to your "exclusive" collection at any time.  That can be what gets passed down to others when the time comes.