The US market size for online antiques and collectibles sales is growing faster in the US than the online retail sector overall in 2020.
Perhaps with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, lots of people were looking for a fun, interesting, and potentially profitable hobby!
A lot of people build and maintain collections purely because it is meaningful to them. Others are doing so with the hopes that they will turn out to be lucrative investments.
Let’s take a look at seven of the best collectibles you could start collecting right away.
1. Coins
Coins are one of the most popular collectibles. Coin collecting experienced its peak in popularity during the mid-70s, but the hobby is still going strong. While there is some debate over when and where the first coins were minted, it was likely somewhere in China, India, Greece, or modern day Turkey.
Coin collectors are often interested in coins that have mint errors, only circulated for a brief period of time, or are particularly historically significant or beautiful.
The main determinant of a coins value is its grade. There are commercial organizations that perform grading services and will authenticate, grade, attribute, and encapsulate coins.
There are different motivations that might lead people to start collecting coins. Some people do it purely for pleasure and without any expectation that they will profit. Others, though, purchase coins as a means of investment.
To invest in coins intelligently, though, you’ll want to do quite a bit of research. Many coins will not increase in value over time, so you should know what it is you’re looking for. The best coins to collect to profit later might not necessarily be the most obvious choices.
Interested in learning more about coins? Check out the mint in Canada to start your education journey.
2. Stamps
Another incredibly popular collectible hobby is stamp collecting. Practiced by people since the late nineteenth century, stamp collecting grew as a hobby with the growth of the postal service.
People collect postage stamps for the subjects depicted on them, the geographical aspects, and for their historical value. Some countries actually rely on selling stamps as a part of their income. They issue more stamps than they need for postage and sell them to collectors who find the designs appealing.
Starting a stamp collection can be quite easy and affordable. This is because you can simply ask your friends and family to save stamps from their mail. If you get serious about it, you can then start buying them online or from a dealer.
You can also join a stamp collector club, of which there are many online. They often have a platform for trading, buying, and selling stamps.
3. Comic Books
Comic books are also popular collectibles. Whether it be for nostalgia, financial profit, appreciation, or to complete a collection, people collect comic books for a lot of different reasons.
As you might imagine, collecting comic books is not as nearly as old of a hobby as coin or stamp collecting. The existance of it as an organized hobby has its roots in the 1960s.
4. Baseball Cards
Baseball cards have been around for longer than you might expect. Trade cards started appearing in the late 1860s that featured baseball players. These cards were frequently made by companies in order to promote their businesses.
By the early 1900s, most baseball cards were made by tobacco companies and confectionery companies. Since then the history of baseball cards is a long and interesting saga having to do with companies warring over the marketplace.
Not all baseball cards are going to make you rich, but rare cards can fetch you a pretty penny. The best baseball cards to collect for profit are the hardest to find.
5. Boardgames
Boardgames are another thing that can have some value when they are early editions or rare. That being said, don’t expect your Monopoly set to pay for your college education.
The thing about collectibles in general is that if something is easily available or newly manufactured, it isn’t likely to carry much value to much of anyone. Collecting boardgames can be fun if you have a passion for it, but do your research if you’re hoping to make a profit off of it.
6. Dolls
Collecting dolls became popular during the 20th century, though the oldest dolls known to exist date back to the ancient civilizations of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
People will either buy dolls that were produced to be collectible items or gather a collection of rare or early dolls. Collecting dolls can be interesting and fascinating, but it isn’t necessarily the best investment. The only dolls that command a reasonable price are either one-of-a-kind or extremely rare.
7. Fine Art
Collecting fine art can be a lucrative investment if done right. However, it’s important to realize that this is an inefficient, illiquid market without much in the way of regulation.
Art collecting can be a tricky game, so it’s a venue in which you’ll want to do your homework. While other collectibles are fairly easy to store, ship, and keep safe, fine art is a larger asset that you will have to manage.
The Best Collectibles Are the Ones That Are Valuable to You
At the end of the day, you can’t ever know with certainty which popular collectibles will end up being good investments. While some purchases might have better chances than others, you’ll ultimately have to find out what your collectible is worth in the market in years or decades.
That being said, why not collect something that you find meaningful and interesting? If it means that you can retire early, then all the better!
Did you find this article about the best collectibles that could become valuable interesting? If so, be sure to check out the rest of our blog!
