Collecting

Here are some of my adventures in collecting and learning about midcentury American pottery, as well as a discussion of my experiments with some minor repairs.

There is no right or wrong way to collect baseball cards, but a look at the resources available to help you build a collection can give you an idea of how to get started today! Learn the basics of buying, selling, and trading baseball cards to make your collection great!

In this guide, I cover seven valuable pennies that are still found in circulation today. These rarities pop up more often than you think! In addition to these seven coins, I reveal some of the rarest and most expensive pennies out there and discuss some of the nuances of numismatics.

How did Barbie come to be? Learn about how the lovely doll's controversial beginnings led to a worldwide phenomenon.

Beautiful porcelain pieces are ageless. But somehow, the older pieces speak to me. The patterns and styles are varied and endless. Enjoy a look at my collection.

A look at the Legends of Hollywood, a commemorative stamp series created to feature legendary actors, actresses, and directors who have made a positive and undeniable impact on American film.

Find out about weird rocks to add to your mineral collection. Family friendly rocks, fossils, gemstones and minerals for kids and adults to collect!

Here's a look at the 12 original Star Wars action figures from Kenner that launched a vintage collecting frenzy that continues today.

Enjoy a look at this beautiful series of vintage postcards with floral designs.

This article covers everything from preprinted albums and loose-leaf binders to archival quality stock books for valuable philatelic items.

Some people paint, some people read, but there are lots of people collecting things as a hobby. If you wish you had more nifty things to display, consider starting a collection. I have some suggestions for you.

Thousands of so-called "authentic" autographed photos of famous people/celebrities are sold on eBay and Amazon every week. Lots of scammers get rich selling forged autographs and fakes. If you're wondering whether yours is really signed or just a clever reproduction or forgery, keep reading.

I have come to regret ever agreeing to buy L.O.L Surprise! dolls for my daughter. From their extremely contagious cases of Glitter Pox to their environmentally unfriendly packaging, these dolls may be the worst choice I've ever made.

Tips on cleaning plush stuffed toys, both vintage and new, from an experienced collector, seller, and restorer.

Antique samplers are delicate and fragile. They must be cared for by someone who knows how to care for old textiles. Here is the story of an old sampler and how I came to learn about its history.

Be sure to check your pockets! You might have a valuable penny in your possession. Find out which pennies you should look out for when counting your change.

If you are looking for tips on how to collect Steiff animals, then look no further. You'll find places to purchase the toys and tips on keeping your collection in top shape.

Sooner or later, there will be a buyer for just about any item you care to name, but what makes an antique or collectible desirable? What do rarity, condition, and provenance actually mean?

Counterfeit coins have always been a problem for coin collectors. This article has some basic tips to help you avoid getting ripped off by purchasing fake coins.

Due to the quarter's long-running mintage, Washington quarter values have always remained promising. Discover which of these coins are the most valuable.

Think you know everything about how Barbie came to be? Here's the real story of how she came to be.

Learn history by collecting stamps. From 1936 to 1937, the United States Post Office issued a series of ten commemorative postage stamps featuring Army and Navy heroes from American wars in the 18th and 19th centuries. The four-cent Army stamp honors Civil War Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson of the Confederate Army, and also includes a view of Robert E. Lee's birthplace, Stratford Hall. These stamps make American military history come alive.

Why do people collect stuff? What are psychological motivations and joys of collecting? What are some tips and ideas for creating, organizing, and displaying a collection?

Vintage Lego minifigures from the classic sets of the 1970s and 1980s were the predecessors of modern minifigs like Batman, Star Wars and Harry Potter.

Generations of us love our Barbie dolls⁠—a love affair that’s lasted since 1959.

Radio-controlled model cars; how to change from original equipment brushed motor to new, low-maintenance brushless motor (with parts illustrations).

Before trying to learn the value of Depression glass, learn how to identify the pattern of your early-20th-century collectables.

In this special entry marking my 75th article, I would like to share with you the fruits of my favorite hobby.

There is a difference between antiques and collectibles and a difference between price guides and actual value, which is influenced by consumer demand, availability, and the condition of the item.

He-Man revolutionized the action figure industry and gave us a line of toys that to this day remains one of the world's favorites, but which are worth the money?

I explain in detail how I restored my GI Joe Adventure Team Headquarters from the early 1970s.

Nanking Cargo is the name given to a hoard of porcelain recovered from the South China Sea in 1985. This is the story of that porcelain and the ship that carried it to the ocean's floor.

In the late 1950s to 1970s, Lucky Products Inc. produced a 100-piece toy soldier set that came with a storage footlocker. These comic book mail-in toys were a remarkable mix of toy Army, Navy, and Air Force figurines.

Let's have a look at some of the oldest spinning tops from around the world and learn a little about their history, background, characteristics, and more.

This article covers Beswick/Royal Albert figurines in the Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit series, including the models I personally own. It also features information about Beatrix Potter, the Beswick factory, designers and the significance of backstamps.

He-Man once blazed a new path for action figures. With tons of great characters and a world of fantasy behind it, He-Man figures still are prized possessions for collectors. But which pieces are worth the investment?

Most often delicately colored or clear, Depression glass has its own unique look.

This is a description of how I repaired my GI Joe Mobile Support Vehicle (MSV).

If you like history, vintage paper items, and learning about people's lives, try collecting antique diaries. Here are guidelines for collecting, restoring, and selling them.

Regardless of why you decide to sell your vintage toys, you want to get top dollar for them. Here are a few ways to help you get what they are worth.

Almost everyone has a piece of vintage or antique pottery. If you don't, then you probably know someone who does. Exploring the origins of the pottery is so interesting!

Repair and rebuild shock absorbers on your radio-controlled (RC) cars. A step-by-step guide with photos.

The correct term for the study of coins is numismatic. Collecting coins from the U.S. and foreign countries over a few years can yield a small fortune with returns ranging from 20% to 30%.

Flow Blue is a highly collectible, antique blue-and-white china popular during the Victorian era, known for hazy blue floral, pastoral, or Asian patterns on bright white china.

This guide will take a look into the mesmerizing Kachina dolls crafted by the Hopi tribe, offering a glimpse into some of the history and meanings behind these amazing works of art.

Airmail stamps are not just stamps. They are pieces of aviation and postal history going back around one and a half centuries! Here's a look at the history and examples of these stamps.

Sterling silver and silver plate is attractive and collectible. Sterling is valuable for craftsmanship, rarity, and for melting as a commodity.

Estimating a coin's value can be tricky for a novice, but most of us have happened across an interesting old coin and wondered about its worth. Here's a guide that will take you step by step to understanding how much your coin is worth.

Collecting Bicentennial Vintage Patriots Series Decanters by McCormick is a fun way to learn about the year 1776 when the United States of America began its struggle of becoming its own republic.

Learn about Olympic pin trading and its history. See the pins we collected in 1992 during the Barcelona games. Pin trading, while it can be profitable, is most of all fun!

Learn about collecting egg cups!

Blue Ridge Pottery dishes made in the Appalachian mountains are very popular with collectors. History and information on Blue Ridge Pottery Show and Sale yearly in Erwin, Tennessee

I saw this once in a Dengeki Hobby issue. I will be trying this to one of my Gunplas.

Do you want to know more about that old picture? Is it a valuable watercolour or oil painting? What is it actually worth? How can you research it for free?

Is Barbie, that marvel of disproportionate anatomy, pregnant? (What pretty babies she could produce!) Actually, it's Midge who became pregnant; read on for details.

Before I moved to the United States with my husband, we used to travel to different places. As we share the same interest, we love collecting Starbucks coffee mugs as part of our travel memorabilia.

Vintage textiles are valuable, collectible, and need special treatment for laundering or storage. Cutting whole pieces for home craft projects destroys their value.

Whether you inherited it from your great-grandmother or picked it up at an estate sale, your old mirror may be worth more than you realize. It's time to put on your detective hat and look for clues!

The Barbie Dream House has come a long way since its inception in 1960. This article discusses the numerous changes in style, look, and colors of dream houses for this dream doll.

The Lego company didn't always manufacture little plastic bricks—the first interlocking bricks were made in 1947! In the 60s, they became wildly successful with a series of motorized trains, still prized by collectors. Learn how to identify vintage Legos and buy cheap sets online through eBay.

This vintage button guide contains valuable information about different types of vintage buttons, including how to test them to see what they are made from. Also, learn how to safely clean and care for vintage and antique buttons.

The hobby of collecting sea shells has been done for thousands of years. Whether you live by the seashore or are an occasional visitor of a beach site, a shell advertises nature's art.

Error Lincoln cents are interesting and fun to collect. Type of errors include: clipped planchet, blank planchet, defective die, off-center strike, and broadstrike.

Are you looking to get into the hobby of metal detecting? Check out my recommendations, as well as my tips on how to choose the best starter metal detector with the right features for your needs.

When your collection of postcards (or photos) reaches a certain size, you need to think about how to store, protect, and display them safely and creatively.

Are you a 90s kid with old toys kicking around in your attic? Some of them might be worth a lot of money today. Check out this list of toys from the 90s worth a fortune today, and see if you're sitting on a gold mine.

Hand-spun and blown glass is an art form requiring skill, patience, and the ability to “stand the heat.” Have a few pieces on your knick-knack shelf? Here are some basics of how they came to be.

If you collect vintage postcards, you may like to know roughly how old the card is. It isn't always easy to establish its age, but most cards have some clues you can follow.

This list includes the original 16 Hot Wheels cars first released in 1968, plus fun facts about the die-cast toys.

No action base? No problem! Here's a guide to posing your action figures without spending a lot of money on an expensive platform.

In 1936 and 1937, the U.S. Post Office issued a series of ten commemorative postage stamps honoring military heroes. The one-cent Army stamp honors Revolutionary War Generals George Washington and Nathanael Greene, and it also includes a vignette of Mount Vernon.

Build plastic or wood models is a rewarding pastime that requires the use of your brain and your hands. Building replica models of any object is both an art and a craft.

The Roosevelt Dime Collection is a unique piece of U.S. Coinage history. In this guide, discover the history, key date values and dime errors contained within the Roosevelt Mintage.

A guide for finding sharks' teeth, along with information about fossilized sharks' teeth and sharks' teeth for sale.

She began her “Barbie Doll Style” in 1959; by 1974, Barbie Doll celebrated her sweet 16th birthday. Mattel’s teenage fashion model had new looks, new clothes and... a special Sweet 16 Barbie promotional doll.

Almost anything can be collectible and collected. If you're looking to get into collecting for a hobby, then look no further than this article for some good collecting ideas.

Why stop with just the Statehood quarters when you could be collecting the America The Beautiful Quarters Program? Come learn more about National Park Quarter errors and values!

The 10 most beautiful designs for American coins.

Collecting autographs can be for fun or profit. Some autographs can be worth a lot of money, and there have been some famous autograph collectors over the years. Here are some autographs tips and trivia!

With 32 different buildings, the Lego Architecture Series has been growing in quantity and popularity since 2008. Continue reading to see ALL of the buildings in both the Landmark and Architect Series

Here's gemstone treasure that you can work yourself. The Oceanview Mine, Temecula, California gives chances to separate tailings of aquamarine, tourmaline, citrine, morganite, amethyst, and more.

A brief history of how postage stamps came to be, along with an introduction to stamp collecting. Once described as "The World's Greatest Hobby," stamp collecting flourished until the rise of technology in the 1980s. After three decades of decline, the hobby is now enjoying a rebirth.

Love rocks? It's easy to become addicted to rock collecting when you spend time surrounded by rocks in the great outdoors.

In this article, I will show you how to easily remove the old hair from your vintage troll doll and replace it with new Icelandic sheepskin hair.

Vintage teacups have an elegance all their own. There is an infinite amount of cup shapes and patterns. So very delicate and beautiful.

If you have an old stuffed animal that you are unsure about, you just might have a Steiff animal. Prized by collectors around the world, Steiffs are fairly easy to identify. Using the three identifiers described in this article will help you determine if you have a Steiff animal.

In 1974, the United States Postal Service issued a beautiful set of commemorative stamps in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union. Each of the eight stamps in the set features a famous work of art by an internationally renowned artist that reflects the theme of reading and writing letters. These stamps are a miniature art gallery, with masterpieces by Raphael, Hokusai, Peto, Liotard, ter Borch, Chardin, Gainsborough, and Goya.

Sure, they're collectible, vintage, and decorative, but who would have thought of buttons as being valuable? This article discusses the collecting, history, storage, reuse, and value of old buttons.

Jewelry reflects the taste and attitude of every period in history. There are clues that can be used in deciphering how old your jewelry is. The older and rarer, the more valuable it will be.

Seashell collecting is a popular hobby. There is nothing better than bringing home some of nature's best jewels as a memory of your Florida vacation. Learn the best places to shell in Florida.

You can make an American Girl doll look like new again for nearly nothing!

From gears to wheels, Lego Technic sets are challengingly fun for builders of all ages. Check out all of the 1,000+ piece Technic sets right here for inspiration as you admire their fine detail!

Collecting vintage Melmac and melamine dinnerware can be a fun hobby. This article will tell you a bit more about this fantastic plastic of our past!

Thimbles are such a neat item to collect since they are small and readily available worldwide in souvenir shops. I hope you enjoy reading about them, and maybe start your own collection!

An article exploring the history of wheat pennies, wherein I clear up some misconceptions about their value and explain simple appraisal for those interested in coin collecting (or, "numismatics").

State quarter errors are a great way to add value to your collection. Learn the history of the statehood quarters and examine a list of mistakes you can find.

Save yourself some aggravation with these suggestions for building Metal Earth models. Tips and tricks for the beginner.

So you have this old picture, and you're not sure who it's by. The right name could make all the difference at auction, but just how do you find out who painted your item—and were they famous?

Antique and vintage plates and their modern reproductions are popular and collectible. A general overview of china dishware, its history, and how to identify patterns and designs.

I first "discovered" Fiestaware several years ago, when I wanted brightly colored china for my kitchen. Fiestaware is retro but is becoming popular again. It is well made and has lovely shapes.