What's Collectible?

Seems a simple enough question doesn't it.

Unfortunately the answer isn't so simple.

Why?

Because there is no easy way of knowing.

That's the fun and exciting part of the hobby, part of its "mystery", isn't it?

The one simple, biggest piece of advice I can give you is to remember:

"Today's toys are tomorrow's collectibles"

Let me clarify that statement a little more.

Look around you.

What are the kids into NOW?

What drives their imagination?

What games, cartoons, and comic books do they want?

What were the number one toys for Christmas?

These are what are likely to be the collectibles of the future, the things that will be selling in another 10-20 years.

Do you remember getting your first G.I. Joe or Kenner Star Wars Figure?

It's those memories and the desires to have what we couldn't afford to have as kids that drives the market, the demand and the popularity for an item and therefore creates its collectability.

What will be tomorrow's hot collectibles?

Looking at today's markets I would think that the anime/manga series Naruto and Bleach will become more popular and collectible over the coming years.

Also Ben 10 and Bakugan which are both VERY hot with the kids at the mo'.

Why?

Think about it for a minute...

What do kids do with their toys?

Do they wrap them up in cotton wool?

Do they hide them away in some dark cupboard?

Do they display neatly in some cabinet away from the sun?

NO!

Of course they don't.

They play with them.

Bash them about.

Fight battles with them.

And...

Generally destroy them.

Another thing to remember is that often what is "common" today is what will become tomorrows collectible.

Now here I'm talking about general everyday household items.

The things nobody thinks about saving.

A prime example of this would the old UK Robinson jam jar labels. These featured a golliwog on the front and were on EVERY jar produced.

Thousands upon thousands were sold every year.

But do YOU have one?

No.

Nor do I.

But they are now highly collectible and sought after because the golliwog was banned as being "politically incorrect" and sells for $400 or more!

OK, so what about limited editions, low production runs or chase and variant action figures, cards, stamps, toys or whatever.

Aren't these of value?

Will people still remember them in 10…15…or 20 years from now.

Look at Star Wars, Battlestar Galatica, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek etc.

These are all still part of today's culture, they are still talked about, watched and seen as being "popular", even after decades.

Look for niche markets.

A niche market is a specialist market.

If you can find a small "niche" that has a loyal following then again these are likely to become highly collectible, simply because of the old low supply vs high demand ratio.

My advice?

If you're into collecting to make a quick buck, forget it.

However, if you invest in the right things the return in 10-20 years can be huge.

Certainly better than the average return on your bank savings.

So in conclusion:

• Look for what's popular now
• Check the top comics, cartoons, TV programmes, films etc and look for common themes.
• What are popular household items?
• What games or toys do your kids and friends want and trash?
• What has a high demand and low supply now? (if this is the case now it can only become more so over time.)

These five simple guidelines should help you decide what you think will be collectible and valuable in the future.

But for now, collect for the fun, thrill and enjoyment.