Featured Collection
Magnus, Robot Fighter Gold Key #1-28
Magnus is a fictional hero who first appeared in Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. #1, published by Gold Key Comics in February, 1963. Click here to read more...
Glossary
- Accumulation A disorganized hoard or "stash" of artifacts, objects or items that may have collecting interest or value if sorted and organized.
- Album A booklike holder designed to store and display autographs, cards, coins, post cards, stamps, etc.
- Appraisal A report made by a qualified person setting forth an opinion or estimate of value for a collectible or an entire collection. An expert valuation of property. An unbiased, professional opinion of a collectible's value based on its appearance, quality, collecting interest and the value of comparable collectibles.
- Appraiser An appraiser is a professional trained to provide an unbiased estimate of value. The value of an artifact may or may not be directly related to a selling price. An appraiser is any person qualified by education, training, and experience to provide appraisals.
- Auction An auction is a process of buying and selling things by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder. An auction is the sale of an item in public to the highest bidder. It is a method of selling property in a public forum through open and competitive bidding. The four most common types of auctions include: an open-outcry auction or ascending-price auction (English auction); a descending-bid structure (Dutch auction); sealed-bid format; and second-highest bid (Vickery auction). For more information check agorics.com.
- Bid An offer of a specific amount of money in exchange for an item or set of items. A bid may be formal in an auction or informal as part of a price negotiation. A bid or high bid is often the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a given item.
- Collectible refers to any tangible object or artifact that a person values and preserves either for its historical interest or sentimental value.
- Collecting is an activity that involves gathering, identifying, organizing and preserving objects deemed by the collector as worth preserving. Collecting is "a great hobby because it can be different and unique for everyone. Each item in a collection has its own 'story.' In the process of collecting, you continue to learn. As you build any collection, you apply skills in identifying, selecting, discriminating, evaluating, classifying, and arranging items".
- Collection implies an organized group of objects that are linked by some common theme. A collection differs from an accumulation or hoard in that the collector evaluates and catalogs the objects and add knowledge to the accumulation to insure the meaningfulness of the set of objects gathered together as a collection.
- Collection Categories The categories are variously named. A partial list includes: Action figures, Art, Autographs, Automobile license plates, Books, Coins, Comic books, Computers and other Technology artifacts, Costume jewelry, Dolls, Fossils, Fountain pens, Marbles, Paper Money, Pins, Pez dispensers, Shells, Stamps (Philately), Toys, and Sports cards. The Wikipedia entry adds Antiques, Bottles, Boy Scout and Girl Guide memorabilia, Candles, Coasters, Coca-Cola items, Computers (especially Vintage computers), Crystals, Currency (Notaphily), Figurines, Furniture, Games, Insects, Seashells (Conchology), Keyrings, Lottery tickets (lotology), Lunchboxes, Model Horses, Numismatics and Token coins, Memorabilia, Militaria, Military art, Military models, Military uniforms, Model figures, Tin soldiers, Scale models, Model airplanes, Model cars, Model trains, Ship models, Paperweights, Patches and badges (Scutelliphily), Phone-cards, Plants, Postcards, Pottery, Records, Refrigerator magnets, Road Signs, Rocks, Stock Certificates (Scripophily), Silverware, Souvenirs, Stickers, Teapots, Teddy bears, Trading cards, Sports cards, Non-sports cards, Digital collectibles, Video games and Watches. Additional categories include: Maps/Printed materials, Household and personal objects, Textiles/Quilts, Robot toys, and toys in general (Star Wars, Star Trek).
- Collector is a person who has an interest is gathering objects and preserving them for personal, professional or other reasons. A collector searches for objects that meet collecting goals and evaluates them in terms of authenticity, value, condition and overall collectibility. A person is a collector when they brings items together into a group. People collect things for lots of reasons - - including that it is fun
- Dealer A person who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold is called a dealer or trader. Also, dealer can refer to a a firm engaged in buying, selling and trading. An individual or firm acting as a principal, rather than as an agent, in the purchase and/or sale of collectibles. Some dealers also act as agents on behalf of the owner of a collectible. One who makes a full or part-time business of buying and selling collectible items to other dealers and collectors.
- Exhibit Any public display of an artifact or collection can be termed an exhibit. A well designed exhibit of a collection should tell a story and inform interested observers. Web repositories like CollectingResources.com can help collectors exhibit their most interesting collectibles. Formal exhibits may be documented by a written commentary with photos.
- First Day of Issue is a special postmark on a stamp for the first day the stamp is issued. These are generally only available at one location.
- Grade is a term used in many collecting realms. Historically "grade" has refered to an evaluation of an artifact's condition using shared and published standards for evaluation. Today "grade" often refers to a score assigned by a grading service using published grading standards that is assigned by an expert grader.
- Memorabilia refers to human artifacts that evoke memories and remembraces of a person, events, place or time period. For example, U.S. Steel pennies from 1944 can be considered memorabilia from World War II. Similarly a first day cover with a commemorative stamp with a special cancel is memorabilia from an event. Memorabilia can be isolated artifacts or organized into a collection.
- Preserving Preserving is the process of protecting the condition of an artifact. Preserving may involve using protectice casing and special storage. In extreme cases protecting may require controling temperature, humidity, and special chemicals.
- Pricing As part of a sales transaction, both the buyer and seller need to appraise the value of a collectible. The buyer may assign a fixed price or the price may be negotiated. Pricing should be based upon sales of comparable artifacts and a sense of market demand. Some collectibles are price insensitive to wide differences in the condition of an artifact whereas other collectibles are highly price sensitive depending upon condition. An appraisal can assist in establishing a "fair" price for an artifact. Price is a function of both the objective and subjective value of an artifact to both the buyer and the seller.
- Rarity Scarcity and supply determine rarity. It generally indicates the infrequent or relative unavailability of a collectible. The fewer examples available of an item, the more rare the item, and, the harder it is to find that piece.
Many factors contribute to an item's rarity. These factors include: number produced, age, popularity, demand, and collectability.
- Reproduction A reproduction is a copy of an original collectible. A facsimile is a reproduction done to the same scale and appearance as the original. It may be mechanically or hand reproduced using the same or a different method of production. The item may be labeled as a reproduction or represented as an original item and hence a "fake". A reproduction is an item which externally and internally resembles the original article, using broadly similar but not necessarily identical materials and manufacturing techniques to those used to produce the original.
