Baby and kids

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 craftsmanship
or some other unique feature that represents the past. Some rare collectibles
are so old that they are considered to be antiquities – artifacts of an ancient
civilization such as ancient Greek or ancient Chinese society.�
Alternatively, rare collectibles can be of very recent origin, sometimes being
only a few years old.

The common denominator of all rare collectibles, no matter what their type or
age, 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 type
of object, and accordingly, the definition of “rare collectibles” is
somewhat imprecise – there is no strict line of demarcation between what is
“rare” and what is “not rare.”� In some instances an item
is considered to be a rare collectible because only one or two examples of that
object are known to exist in the entire world.� In other cases, hundreds
or even thousands of a particular object may have survived to the present, but
because their existence has not yet been discovered (such as very old porcelain
dolls that were kept in a trunk that is now buried in an attic) or they are
fragile and easily damaged (such as pottery, an early postage stamp or a 200
year-old piece of paper ephemera), high quality examples are considered to be
scarce.

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 other
militaria, antique tools, original artwork, antique furniture, and paper
ephemera can all be rare collectibles.� “Paper ephemera”
consists of written or printed material that has survived to the present
despite the fact that the pieces were originally produced as disposable items, intended
to be quickly discarded or destroyed.� Examples of ephemera that can be
rare collectibles include certain postcards, posters, trade cards, leaflets,
exposition programs and advertising flyers, all common enough at the time, but
mostly thrown away almost immediately.� Some autographs, travel souvenirs
and 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 pottery
or temple objects, as well as large items such as articles of traditional clothing
or armor from the Japanese feudal period.� European rare collectibles are equally
varied, and range from ancient Greek statuary to the beautifully illuminated
(illustrated) maps that were drawn by early cartographers during the Age of
Exploration in the 16th Century.� Collectible, rare objects from the Americas
include certain pieces of Native American (Indian) pottery, blankets or beadwork,
original historical documents from Colonial or Revolutionary times, and ancient
Inca, 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 motivation
for many other collectors is the “thrill of the hunt” – that certain
sense of satisfaction that is felt when a very hard to find piece is tracked down
and finally located somewhere in the world.