The term "collectible"

[princessmaggie]

I'd like to know what you all think of the term "collectible." Does it mean it's a classic? Or does it mean that it's rare?

Maybe it's strictly a matter of personal preference and has nothing to do with age or numbers built?

[Lugnut]

I would think collectible could be interpreted as something which has value to a given following of individuals and/or represents an item from which one might expect appreciation in value with the passage of time.

The term implies neither "Classic" or "Rare."

[Barry Wolk]

I would concur with Lugnut's assessment but I'd like to add to it.

I am the consumate collector. In the art category, we only collect original works of art. That would make them rare but not necessarily collectible because they may only have an appeal to us.

In the automotive world it's hard to find anything rare since most vehicles were mass produced by some standards. The Continental Mark II was limited production, but not rare. My Mark II convertible is not unique as there was another one made. However, I might consider it rare.

Stamps and coins and Hummells are collectible. Some stamps and coins fall into the rare category, but very few.

I've never collected anything with the thought of future resale. I think that that thought process leads to poor decisions and regrets when time comes to part with worldly posessions.

I say collect whatever you want for the sheer enjoyment of being surrounded by things that please your senses.

[Lugnut]

I say collect whatever you want for the sheer enjoyment of being surrounded by things that please your senses.

I now have justification for all the crap that has "collected" in my garage....

Thanks Barry!

[menemshaman]

To acquire a collection of anything for the possible fortune it may become is not the way to go in my book. Like Barry, I collect what I like and enjoy them for what they are.......things. If they acquire value over time, that's fine, but I doubt I would part with any item because of that.

Collectibles are, by their nature, anything someone finds pleasurable to have around. I have a friend who collects bottle caps. They don't do anything for me but he loves them, and that's all that counts. I am a "nostagic" collector and enjoy acquiring items that were a part of my past. My Ted Williams collection, Kennedy memorabilia, toys, a few paintings, 1st edition books and yes my 63 Lincoln. All these things remind me where I have been, what I have seen and who I have met over the years. They represent a sort of diary.

The past three summers my brother and I have set up a display at the local fair. At this venue we are able to share the enjoyment of our collections with thousands of people. It is fun to talk with the fair goers as nearly all of them exclaim "I had one of those as a kid!'

Our first display was dedicated to Ted Williams who had passed away the month before. We chose items out of our collections that would represnt not only his major league career, but also his service as a Marine pilot, his passion for fishing and his association with the Jimmy Fund, a cancer research organization in Boston. Our display was a huge success. We never entered it officially for any kind of prize, but the judges gave it a special award anyway. We didn't realize the degree of enthusiasm people would show.

The next year our display was titled "Babby Boomer's Toybox". That was also a big hit with the crowd. This past summer we decided to use some of our 60's memorabilia for our display. Here we were able to share memorabilia from the Kennedy presidency, 60's rock concert memorabilia, Vietnam era stuff, and of course the early 60's Lincolns were given a place of honor. We even had a female mannaquin dressed as a hippi complete with a daisy in a rifle and an original Woodstock poster with actual tickets. It was a hoot.

Can I say that all the items displayed at the fair over the past three years are valuable or rare? Yes, maybe and no. I can say that they gave my brother, me and around 25,000 others a good time. What more could a collector ask for.

Now if I could just stop collecting bills.....................

[phantomcobra]

I tried to see if wives/girlfriends were collectible but found out they get jealous and quite angry.

My definition of collectible is pretty close to the rest of you. It is collectible if someone wants it for their enjoyment. The fact that we all have Lincolns, to us, might qualify them as collectibles in a more widely accepted definition. But to my parents who just see them as dinosaurs that should be melted down to make 14 Toyotas, they aren't. I have 3 Lincolns mostly by accident but I got the first one because I like the style, room and ride. Mostly, because I like the distinctiveness of the car over anything else today (note I also have a 66 Charger when the 68 and later models were more popular). I can drive all day around a large metro area and not see another pre-1980 Lincoln. My daughter can't drive 5 miles without seeing another 2004 Cavalier.

[JimFreeh]

A "collectable" is an item of little or no intrinisic value that I would like to convince you to buy from me.

Jim

[larrys-62-53A]

It's always collectible if a vendor is at a show and selling it. If you are at the show and want to sell it to a vendor, it will have no value. "Limited market" they will say. If they are selling an identical item, it's a "Limited edition." I was told third hand about a man who had a baseball autographed by many famous players including the Babe, Lou Gehrig and the Mick. I mentioned this to a baseball show vendor. His eyes lit up (really!) and he said it would be worth about fifty bucks. Yeah, right! Try asking a vendor what anything you may have is worth, even though you don't want to sell it and see the response you won't get. Collect what you like and don't worry about it's future value. I collect N scale German model trains. Got more than I need, but not as many as I want!