Mafia Wars Strategy Guide: Collections

This is a part of my Mafia Wars strategy guide, which I have broken up into several mini guides for easier browsing. Be sure to check out my other guides for Mafia Wars. I play this game on Facebook but most of the strategies work the same on other platforms, such as MySpace.

COLLECTIONS

Collections are a relatively new feature added in early 2009. Basically, you need to collect specific items within each job tier. They are given randomly during jobs, so you will never know when you get them before you do the job. You will need to do repeated jobs in each job tier until you get all of the collection items for the job tier -- you might have to do them even after you have mastered the third level of the tier. It is like a random scavenger hunt that can eat up considerable amounts of energy. You will not see the benefits of the collection (unless you like scavenger hunts for no purpose) until you complete the collection by getting all seven items in each collection. Once you complete the collection, you need to put them into a vault by clicking the vault button and then you will receive a specific bonus that increases your profile statistics in different ways. Note that some collections will not show up on your collection screen until you have acquired one item from that tier. A list of the collections, job tiers, collection items and the vault bonuses are listed below:

New York

Diamond Flush Collection (Street Thug Job Tier)
Eight of Diamonds, Nine of Diamonds, Ten of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds, Queen of Diamonds, King of Diamonds, Ace of Diamonds
Vault Bonus: +1 energy

Heart Flush Collection (Associate Job Tier)
Eight of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Ten of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, Ace of Hearts
Vault Bonus: +5 health

Sculptures Collection (Soldier Job Tier)
Rat Sculpture, Sheep Sculpture, Rooster Sculpture, Monkey Sculpture, Tiger Sculpture, Snake Sculpture, Dragon Sculpture
Vault Bonus: +3 defense

Poker Chips Collection (Soldier Job Tier)
White Poker Chip, Brown Poker Chip, Red Poker Chip, Blue Poker Chip, Green Poker Chip, Purple Poker Chip, Gold Poker Chip
Vault Bonus: +2 attack

Club Flush Collection (Soldier Job Tier)
Eight of Clubs, Nine of Clubs, Ten of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, King of Clubs, Ace of Clubs
Vault Bonus: +3 attack

Boxing Collection (Soldier Job Tier)
Hand Tape, Gloves, Headgear, Boxing Trunks, Speed Bag, Heavy Bag, Boxing Ring
Vault Bonus: +3 attack

Cigars Collection (Enforcer Job Tier)
Ebony Cigar, Sky Cigar, Rose Cigar, Ivory Cigar, Turquoise Cigar, Gold Cigar, Royal Cigar
Vault Bonus: +2 energy

Spade Flush Collection (Enforcer Job Tier)
Eight of Spades, Nine of Spades, Ten of Spades, Jack of Spades, Queen of Spades, King of Spades, Ace of Spades
Vault Bonus: +2 stamina

Billiard Balls Collection (Enforcer Job Tier)
One Ball, Two Ball, Three Ball, Four Ball, Five Ball, Cue Ball, Eight Ball,
Vault Bonus: +1 stamina

Rings Collection (Hitman Job Tier)
Topaz Ring, Opal Ring, Amethyst Ring, Emerald Ring, Sapphire Ring, Ruby Ring, Diamond Ring
Vault Bonus: +5 defense

Ties Collection (Hitman Job Tier)
Solid Tie, Striped Tie, Checked Tie, Geometric Tie, Dot Tie, Paisley Tie, Knitted Tie
Vault Bonus: +6 defense

Paintings Collection (Capo Job Tier)
Warhol Painting, Cezanne Painting, Matisse Painting, Van Gogh Painting, Dali Painting, Monet Painting, Rembrandt Painting
Vault Bonus: +6 energy

Cufflinks Collection (Capo Job Tier)
Silver Cufflinks, Gold Cufflinks, Amber Cufflinks, Jasper Cufflinks, Agate Cufflinks, Onyx Cufflinks, Pearl Cufflinks
Vault Bonus: +10 health

Barber Shop Collection (Capo Job Tier)
Barber Pole, Razor, Brush, Seat, Towel, Scissors, Cream
Vault Bonus: +4 energy

Great Race Horses Collection (Consigliere Job Tier)
Mill Reef, Sea Bird, Arkle, Golden Miller, St Simon, Ormonde, Eclipse
Vault Bonus: +7 energy

Cuba

Rum Drinks Collection (El Soldado Job Tier)
Pina Colada, Hurricane, Bahama Mama, Mojito, Rum Runner, Long Island Ice Tea, Cuba Libre
Vault Bonus: +8 energy

Tropical Fruits Collection (El Capitan Job Tier)
Items: Banana, Lime, Pineapple, Papaya, Coconut, Passion Fruit, Dragon Fruit
Vault Bonus: +3 Stamina

Entertainers Collection (El Jefe Job Tier)
Items: Magician, Fan Dancer, Comedian, Band Leader, Cabaret Singer, Crooner, Burlesque Dancer
Vault Bonus: +10 Health

Tropical Fish Collection (El Patron Job Tier)
Items: Pufferfish, Sergeant Major, Yellowtail Snapper, Great Barracuda, Queen Angelfish, Reef Shark, Blue Martin
Vault Bonus: +5 Attack

Beards Collection (El Padriano Job Tier)
Items: Garibaldi, Hulihee, Vandyke, Mutton Chops, Soul Patch, French Fork, Fidel
Vault Bonus: +7 Defense (also an achievement)

Lottery Tickets

Lotto Collection (Lottery Tickets)
Bingo Card, Deck of Cards, Dice, Roulette Wheel, Slot Machine, Craps Table, Baccarat Shoe

The Lotto collection is a new collection that you can only earn as prizes through the Mafia Wars new lottery feature. They are very hard to get, so plan on trading for a lot of the collection with your Mafia members.