How to Collect and Display Your Collectibles
How to Collect
Step One
Decide what you like. Whether it's sports memorabilia (like my son-in-law), or cartoon characters, or anything else, decide what you like best and what you can show off.
How to Collect
Step Two
Find the places you can get them easiest. Stores, novelty shops, yard sales. Visit those places and see what they have. You might be pleasantly surprised at some of the bargains you come across. We bought a box of books for two dollars some years ago, sight unseen. It was the Harvard Classic Series, printed in 1909! Second hand stores can be a great advantage for the collector, too.
How to Collect
Step Three
Let your friends and relatives know what you're collecting. They might enjoy surprising you on birthdays and Christmas with something unique.
How to Collect
Step Four
Find catalogues containing your favorite things. They'll probably cost a little more, but the show quality can be stunning. I've bought the wife several dragons from catalogues.
How to Display Your Collectibles
Step One
Find the right place in your home. Choose carefully. For example, if you collect house plants, don't put them in the back bedroom. They need to be in plain sight, sunshine, and available for your guests (and your family) to enjoy. Lighted curio cabinets are great for small, delicate items (like blown glass dragons or unicorns). Book shelves (bought or home made are best for books and movies) can make a fine addition to your living room or den. Guns look great in a wooden cabinet. Fishing poles and golf clubs work well in racks (usually in the garage, but in the house is fine, too, if you have the right location for the display.) Sports banners and pictures can fill a whole wall.
How to Display Your Collectibles
Step Two
Don't draw attention to your "display" if you only have one or two items (unless of course they are huge or valuable!) Wait until you have several to show off. And create a display that will grab the attention of anyone nearby. I wouldn't recommend putting a costly collection of anything where it can be seen from outside. This might encourage thieves...
How to Display Your Collectibles
Step Three
Keep it clean! A good display should be dusted often. Even the greatest books or most fearsome dragons aren't appealing if covered in a layer of dust.
How to Display Your Collectibles
Step Four
Depending on what you collect and what the dollar value is, you should consider itemizing the things and including them in your homeowners or renters insurance. We lost several thousand dollars worth of the wife's dragons to thieves and had no recourse because it never occurred to us to insure them. If your collection matters to you, make sure it's fully covered!
Published by Don Lee
I'm a truck driver and cover most of the USA. My laptop is always near at hand so I can write whenever possible. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentYes, she did. I went on the road because she kept trying to dust me and I'm allergic to feather dusters! LOL
Great tips, Don. My wife collects beer glasses and I make model cars. You are absolutely right in keeping them clean. They are a pain to clean and in my case, sometimes too delicate to give a good cleaning. I keep them in individual display cases which keeps out the dust but can be handled so a viewer can see the whole car. Insurance is a must! We have some old money we are putting together in a collection and I can't imagine not having that insured. As an aside, you say your wife collects dragons. Did she start with you? LOL.