Comments on: Rinker on Collectibles: The Dangerous Decline of Collecting Checklists http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/rinker-collectibles-dangerous-decline-collecting-checklists Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles Sat, 18 May 2013 04:06:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Bradd Smith http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/rinker-collectibles-dangerous-decline-collecting-checklists/comment-page-1#comment-145117 Bradd Smith Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:37:21 +0000 http://www.worthpoint.com/?p=2507370#comment-145117 I have never made lists, I collect what I like and am in several category's of interest. I am not planning on my collections ever being worth anything to anyone but me. In time I will sell it all and move on to something else. My interests change and so do my collections. I started out one day to buy a sake set and found out about the WW ll personal soldier cups etc. Now at over 3000 pieces it has slowed as they are getting hard to find and now it is on to another collection, mainly silver from the Victorian era. I suppose that there are as many reasons for collecting as there are things to collect and trying to put labels on groups is dangerous. Harry knows from years of experience, but I like both, buy low sell high and finding the "ONE". I do not buy that a collection is forever, if someone had not decided to sell the items I have, well I would not have them and there is more and less expensive stuff as the economy continues it's downward spiral. It is a great time to have money and the bug. Just remember if you screw up, all of your junk will not bail you out, it never has. Let's face it, the old adage of one mans junk is another mans junk is just as true as the treasure variant. I have never made lists, I collect what I like and am in several category’s of interest. I am not planning on my collections ever being worth anything to anyone but me. In time I will sell it all and move on to something else. My interests change and so do my collections. I started out one day to buy a sake set and found out about the WW ll personal soldier cups etc. Now at over 3000 pieces it has slowed as they are getting hard to find and now it is on to another collection, mainly silver from the Victorian era. I suppose that there are as many reasons for collecting as there are things to collect and trying to put labels on groups is dangerous. Harry knows from years of experience, but I like both, buy low sell high and finding the “ONE”. I do not buy that a collection is forever, if someone had not decided to sell the items I have, well I would not have them and there is more and less expensive stuff as the economy continues it’s downward spiral. It is a great time to have money and the bug. Just remember if you screw up, all of your junk will not bail you out, it never has. Let’s face it, the old adage of one mans junk is another mans junk is just as true as the treasure variant.

]]> By: Joanne Wiertella http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/rinker-collectibles-dangerous-decline-collecting-checklists/comment-page-1#comment-134744 Joanne Wiertella Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:35:06 +0000 http://www.worthpoint.com/?p=2507370#comment-134744 Interesting commentary. I myself researched many of the books of the '70's and found only a sentence, or at most, a paragraph on my area of interest: American Art Metal Jewel Boxes. Since nearly all relevant manufacturers were long out of business, I had to look for examples. Eventually, I discovered early 1900s Sears and Wards catalogs in microfiche. In those I was able to at least date many jewel boxes. From there I finally succumbed to purchasing wholesale jewelry catalogs. After years of research, I published a collector book of my own--THE JEWEL BOX BOOK. Surprisingly, there are many jewel box collectors,though not yet recognized as a group. Interesting commentary. I myself researched many of the books of the ’70′s and found only a sentence, or at most, a paragraph on my area of interest: American Art Metal Jewel Boxes. Since nearly all relevant manufacturers were long out of business, I had to look for examples. Eventually, I discovered early 1900s Sears and Wards catalogs in microfiche. In those I was able to at least date many jewel boxes. From there I finally succumbed to purchasing wholesale jewelry catalogs. After years of research, I published a collector book of my own–THE JEWEL BOX BOOK. Surprisingly, there are many jewel box collectors,though not yet recognized as a group.

]]> By: Tom Carrier http://www.worthpoint.com/blog-entry/rinker-collectibles-dangerous-decline-collecting-checklists/comment-page-1#comment-134711 Tom Carrier Thu, 11 Oct 2012 02:22:34 +0000 http://www.worthpoint.com/?p=2507370#comment-134711 Harry: I sympathize and understand how companies important to a collectible can no longer help identify variants of what they produced. In my collectible world of presidential memorabilia, an issue of the top level series of official presidential cufflinks continues to baffle us. Originally the cufflink was produced without an ornamental wreath around the outer edge, probably as early as the Nixon Administration (70's) and up through the Reagan Administration (80's). Then an ornamental wreath was added. But when? The conventional wisdom has it added around the second Reagan Administration or so, about 1984. But, there is only anecdotal evidence of that. So, I contacted the company that produced the cufflinks, Balfour, and when they moved to Texas in the 70s all of the early records were thrown away along with all the prototypes and drawings. Didn't need them. The question now may never be answered unless we dig through research material in several presidential libraries for the buying records of official cufflinks. Companies should realize the importance of their early records and save what they can. It is their history, to be sure, but it may be history to someone else as well. Tom Carrier Worthologist Harry:

I sympathize and understand how companies important to a collectible can no longer help identify variants of what they produced.

In my collectible world of presidential memorabilia, an issue of the top level series of official presidential cufflinks continues to baffle us. Originally the cufflink was produced without an ornamental wreath around the outer edge, probably as early as the Nixon Administration (70′s) and up through the Reagan Administration (80′s).

Then an ornamental wreath was added. But when? The conventional wisdom has it added around the second Reagan Administration or so, about 1984. But, there is only anecdotal evidence of that.

So, I contacted the company that produced the cufflinks, Balfour, and when they moved to Texas in the 70s all of the early records were thrown away along with all the prototypes and drawings. Didn’t need them.

The question now may never be answered unless we dig through research material in several presidential libraries for the buying records of official cufflinks.

Companies should realize the importance of their early records and save what they can. It is their history, to be sure, but it may be history to someone else as well.

Tom Carrier
Worthologist

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