Why Collect Rare Collectibles?

As their name suggests, all rarecollectibles are scarce, hard to find items. The common denominator of all rarecollectibles, no matter what their type or age, is rarity. Frequently,because of their scarcity and their appeal, rare collectibles are alsovaluable.

The Nature of Rare Collectibles.As their name suggests, all rare collectibles are scarce, hard to find items.They can be antiques that are desirable because of their age, type of craftsmanshipor some other unique feature that represents the past. Some rare collectiblesare so old that they are considered to be antiquities - artifacts of an ancientcivilization such as ancient Greek or ancient Chinese society.Alternatively, rare collectibles can be of very recent origin, sometimes beingonly a few years old.The common denominator of all rare collectibles, no matter what their type orage, is rarity. Frequently, because of their scarcity and their appeal,rare collectibles are also valuable. But whether they are valuable or inexpensive,rare collectibles are always important pieces in a collection.Rare is ...The definition of "rare" or "rarity" changes with the typeof object, and accordingly, the definition of "rare collectibles" issomewhat imprecise - there is no strict line of demarcation between what is"rare" and what is "not rare." In some instances an itemis considered to be a rare collectible because only one or two examples of thatobject are known to exist in the entire world. In other cases, hundredsor even thousands of a particular object may have survived to the present, butbecause their existence has not yet been discovered (such as very old porcelaindolls that were kept in a trunk that is now buried in an attic) or they arefragile and easily damaged (such as pottery, an early postage stamp or a 200year-old piece of paper ephemera), high quality examples are considered to bescarce.Almost Any Type of Object Can Become a Rare Collectible, if Scarce Enough.Thousands of different types of rare collectibles exist throughout the world.Certain coins and postage stamps, books and manuscripts, pottery, weapons and othermilitaria, antique tools, original artwork, antique furniture, and paperephemera can all be rare collectibles. "Paper ephemera"consists of written or printed material that has survived to the presentdespite the fact that the pieces were originally produced as disposable items, intendedto be quickly discarded or destroyed. Examples of ephemera that can berare collectibles include certain postcards, posters, trade cards, leaflets,exposition programs and advertising flyers, all common enough at the time, butmostly thrown away almost immediately. Some autographs, travel souvenirsand collectible memorabilia are also rare collectibles.Rare collectibles can be from anywhere in the world and from any culture.Rare Oriental collectibles include small items such as Chinese Dynastic potteryor temple objects, as well as large items such as articles of traditional clothingor armor from the Japanese feudal period. European rare collectibles are equallyvaried, and range from ancient Greek statuary to the beautifully illuminated(illustrated) maps that were drawn by early cartographers during the Age ofExploration in the 16th Century. Collectible, rare objects from the Americasinclude certain pieces of Native American (Indian) pottery, blankets or beadwork,original historical documents from Colonial or Revolutionary times, and ancientInca, Aztec or Maya amulets, pottery and carvings.Why Collect Rare Collectibles?Many people seek out rare collectibles because of their inherent value.For these people, rare collectibles are a form of investment. But the primary motivationfor many other collectors is the "thrill of the hunt" - that certainsense of satisfaction that is felt when a very hard to find piece is tracked downand finally located somewhere in the world.