01
Feb
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Image taken on 2008-10-05 10:40:30 by kentkb.
The Levelland Area Chamber of Commerce Held a ribbon cutting for The Gypsy located at 204 Ave H in Levelland. The Antiques and Collectibles store is located in the northern stretch of the Levelland Main Street Area.
the collapsing antiques and collectibles market Jack D. Deal Business Analysis
The American automobile industry began in the early 20th century and has been a huge factor in creating the society we live in today. It was the driving factor in creating the system of superhighways linking the country together. It was the driving force in the creation of the suburbs, many of which you can only get to by car. And, on the negative side, it can be argued, that it was the primal force in helping to speed the breakup of the nuclear family. It made travel so easy that it became almost trivial for family members to move cross country and start a family unit in an entirely new state.
Antique car collecting and restoration is a hobby practiced by people all over the world. Even American celebrities fall in love with them. Jay Leno, in addition to hosting the Tonight Show, is known for his huge collection of antique cars and motorcycles going all the way back to the early 20th century. Past stars know for their love of cars are Larry Hagman and Steve McQueen.
But you don’t have to be a celebrity to love antique cars. People collect them for various reasons.
They Love the Attention
Do you have a spit polished Model T Ford sitting in your garage? Try driving that car down virtually any street in America and it is almost guaranteed people will stop and stare at it. The same will be true for almost any classic antique car. If you love being the center of attention, this is one surefire way to achieve it.
They Love Tinkering
Any mechanic in love with automobiles would love to work on some of the classic antique models of the past. What car fanatic wouldn’t love to turn up the hood of a Model T Ford and customize it to their specifications? Or create their own unique “hot rod” from the shell of a discarded antique auto. And who wouldn’t want to play with an engine that is real high performance?
They See it as an Investment
If you know the market, know a good mechanic or are a good mechanic yourself, and are good at finding deals – finding, repairing, and reselling antique automobiles can be an excellent investment – or speculation. Like any other form of investment, there are cycles. There are times when the market is flooded with sellers and few buyers. And conversely, there are times when you have many buyers vying for the same model of car. The key is knowing when to buy, when to sell, and what to look for.
Nostalgia
One of the reasons people love antique cars is that, for them, it brings back childhood or teenage memories. Maybe they had their first date in that car, or that is the car the family when on annual picnics, or maybe it was the car to have when they were young but they couldn’t afford it. The nostalgia market is worth billions of dollars and those longing for the antique autos of their youth account for only a small piece of it.
Pursuing a love of antique autos is just another way of looking fondly and nostalgically back at our culture and remembering our country’s history.
In an age of mass production, more and more people are into collecting, especially decorative bookends. From baseball cards and various types of memorabilia, things that were once old are new again. We have all heard the stories of someone finding a valuable piece of artwork at a garage sale. This lends credence to the old adage that one persons junk is another persons prize. This is no less true for the humble bookend.
There appears to be a robust market in collectible bookends. The decorative bookend was once a staple in many homes. In the days before electronic mass media, reading was by far a favorite form of relaxation and education. Personal collections of books were often a reflection a persons depth of knowledge and interest. Bookends served as a functional way to keep ones literary collection in order but also served a decorative purpose.
Several factors go into determining the value of an old bookend. Age is certainly important but like old coins, the true value may hinge on what the bookend is made of, who made it and what it represents. Limited edition replicas of all kinds can be of recent vintage, but the scarcity of the item may add to its value. As with any collectible item, value is often determined by how much someone is willing to pay for it.
The term collectible really has several meanings. There are folks who place a value on items that reflect a particular theme like sports or a favorite hobby. The term is also used to describe those items that have accumulated value because of age. Like many sculpted items, the notoriety of the artist who created the piece may influence its importance as a collectible. Another key factor in determining the value of an antique or collectible bookend is the material from which it was made.
It was not uncommon for bookends to be made from bronze, brass or solid marble. Bookends made of solid pewter and silver plate were common around the turn of the twentieth century. There has always been a decorative use for bookends, mostly as accents for a theme. As the years have passed, and fewer people kept personal collections of books, bookends lost some of their utility. It was not uncommon for out of work bookends to find new uses as doorstops and other mundane functions.
Like many staples of gone by eras, some bookends founds themselves stashed in an attic or otherwise disposed of. The solid bronze African elephant bookends that once sold for a few dollars in the nineteen twenties could be worth a few hundred dollars today.
Like collectible pottery and glass, the value of antique bookends may be tied to a particular manufacturer. In the early nineteen hundreds, the New Martinsville Glass Company in West Virginia produced a line sculpted glass bookends that are quite rare today. Figurines from MI Hummel have long been a favorite among collectors of fine china figures. Intricate in design and hand crafted, Hummel also produced a line of bookends that can sell for many hundred of dollars.
As with anything labeled collectible, the best advice is always buyer beware. An item may be collectible for the standpoint of popularity. Fans of stock car racing and other sports may collect items of interest. In that context, the term collectible merely indicates a generally high demand for something.
Someone may buy an item today in the hopes that it will, someday rise in value. Now there is nothing wrong with speculating on the future, but if you want to own a truly unique piece of history, consider antique collectible bookends.
24
Jan
Guide to Antique Books
Antique books are a fascinating glimpse into world history and the people who once made that history. Antique book collecting can be a guessing game sometimes since the actual age of the book may have nothing at all to do with the appraised value. We’ve all heard about that person who found an antique in a dusty corner of their attic, and it was appraised for a whopping sum of money. Books especially may be found just about anywhere because they are and were usually fairly portable and small.
The Skinny on Antique Books
Probably the most important factor when determining the value of an old book is its condition. It is very rare to find a really old book in great condition simply because of how long it has been around. Pages are often dog-eared, missing or may have writing on them. The binding may be loose or the covers may be damaged. All of these contribute to the book’s overall value.
The overall availability of an antique book may add to its value, especially if the book is in demand. However, even if a book is rare, it may not be in demand by book collectors. Sometimes it can almost feel like a guessing game trying to figure out if the book you have is old, rare or collectible.
A first edition is often considered the rarest of a book’s printing runs. The term first edition can often be used in odd ways and can often confuse a person who is interested in antique books. Most books only ever have a first edition, so you will usually want to have an expert take a look at your book to determine its value.
Often people will assume that because a book is signed by the author it is more valuable. In the 20th century, book signings have been a quite common occurrence, so signed books are not that rare overall. However, generally speaking, a signed book is somewhat more valuable than its unsigned counterpart. Then again, a lot of this will also depend on the demand that is current in the antique book-buying market.
Antique books can be a wonderful item to collect. The overall interest in antique books is fairly steady, so if you are interested in the world of antique books, information is easy to find. There are also book collecting societies that try and help their members become more adept at book collecting. So, look around, you just may find an antique book lurking in a dusty corner.