Antique Collecting is Fun and Profitable

You know you're getting old when you see things in antique stores that you remember from childhood.  I've seen "antique lunch boxes" that look just like what I used in 5th grade and "antique clocks" designed like a cat with a swinging tail that hung in my mother's kitchen.  While "antiquing" -- as my friends and I like to call it -- might make you realize how old you're getting, it's great fun.  I've also found that antique collecting can be profitable.

Whether it's buttons or ash trays that drive your fancy, you'll unearth treasures in your antique collecting hobby.  I have some close friends who also love antiquing.  For the girls' day out, we'll drive to estate sales, nearby towns to scope out their antique malls and shops, and hit some garage sales for some bargains.  A lot of people have no idea what they are selling - they think it's junk and you can get a valuable antique for less than a dollar or two at some estate and garage sales. 

The First Thing to Do If You're Going to Start Collecting Antiques

If you're collecting antiques, it's important to decide what to collect before you even begin. There are many different types of antiques for sale that are tempting because they're pretty or have nostalgic value.  However, you will clutter up your house with antiques in short period of time if you don't have a plan of action.  My antique collecting friends and I have each written down a "collection statement" that we have shared with one another.  One of my friends collects antique furniture, another collects antique plates.  We have it down to a system -- if one of us is out on a trip with the family and stumble upon a great bargain on antique plates, we'll usually pick it up for a song for our "specialist."   

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What To Do with Your Antique Collection

Displaying our antique collections is always fun.  My husband has an affinity for antique beer steins, so I set up a lit display case in his office with some colorful and artistic antique steins.  He and his coworkers just love it.  My thing is antique fetishes such as turtles, eagles and other Native American designs.  Our neighborhood periodically has an open house tour where we all get to meet one another, and my antique display gets a lot of attention!  It turned out that one of my neighbors was a professional collector and he was willing to pay some serious money for my antique collection.  However, this is something I would never part with.

I do, however, scout out other types of objects that I am willing to sell in my antique collecting hobby.  I have found that antique bottles, turntables and children's toys that I have purchased for $5 or less at a garage sale are quite valuable and slowly increase in value over time.  I have sold some of these "junk" items on the Internet for five, ten and even twenty times as much as I paid for it. At first, my husband thought that my antique collecting hobby would mean that I'd be filling the house with a bunch of junk.  When I treated him to a nice weekend getaway from my antique sale earnings, he was pleasantly surprised.  As a matter of fact, he is getting the antique collecting itch himself and has been asking if he can hang out with us girls when we go antiquing.

From radios and turntables to chocolate pots and unusual vases, antiques are a fantistic thing to consider when planning a collection for your home.  Not only do your antiques stimulate conversation when you have house, but they have a financial potential -- and hunting them down is great fun!

"Antique Collecting is Fun and Profitable," contributed by Shari Van Eck