Yamot Articles Directory

One hobby that may be underrated is that of collecting postcards. Collecting postcards, especially vintage postcards or those from another country can be educational, fun, and financially rewarding as well. You will be amazed at some of the places that collectible postcards may be found. The most valuable of these are those that were made before 1930 which are called “pre-linen” Cards from that time to the mid 1940s are also in demand. One place to find postcards like these is art auctions.

Another time period that features some relatively valuable collectible postcards is the period from the 50s and 60s, many of which were very brightly colored and were the first to make use of what was known of as the “chrome technology” in printing. Surfing was really popular during the latter part of this period and one can find a diverse collection of postcards from Hawaii and California featuring surfing.

Another great category of postcards are those that were sent for holidays which were made back in the early 1900s. These old cards that depicted things like Santa Claus for Christmas and romantic depictions for the celebration of Valentine’s Day. These old postcards often have very detailed and colorful artwork which is why they are in demand as collectibles.

Personally, I like collecting postcards from all over the world. It is so interesting to see how different cultures depict certain things and also the differences in artistic interpretation. As an avid surfer it is fun to me to get postcards from some of the many surf spots we travel to in locations such as Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, and of course Hawaii. You can do the same with whatever hobby or interests you may have and collect postcards from countries you visit. Of course one doesn’t have to go to a country in order to get the postcards, you can always pick them up on eBay as well or as mentioned you can find them at art auctions. You may be lucky enough to find some at estate sales or even yard sales.

Unless one is very well versed and trained in the art of collecting postcards they may have no idea of how valuable the items may be and in the case of buying them at art auctions they are usually not even announced as part of the available items for sale. This is great for you if you are knowledgeable since you will be able to reap the benefits of knowing what the postcards are actually worth and potentially pick up a great collection for pennies on the dollar.

If you want to get into a fun and very educational hobby then collecting postcards may be for you and if you have children they may find it fun as well.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about collecting postcards as well as postcard collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com

One of the great things about the internet and with eBay in particular is that due to the company being in existence in almost every corner of the globe you can find some very unique and interesting items that cannot be found in any other place. The key to finding collectibles and being able to buy them at a decent price is to take advantage of some little known tactics that many people don’t know about.

One way to keep up with items that you are particularly interested in is to find the category on eBay and then add it to you favorites in your web browser so that you can easily keep up with it. Another thing that happens all the time is that sellers on eBay often make mistakes when selling an item or they may not know the real value of the item and will list it as just an average item when in fact it may actually be quite rare.

One caveat that I must offer is to not blindly believe that the description of something being sold on eBay is factual. I have seen many auctions advertise something as valuable, rare, or hard to find when they were really nothing special. Never bid on something that you do not have an idea of the value of. One thing that will save you a lot of time in your searches is to keep track of certain sellers whom you have found to always have the particular collectibles you are seeking, you can even contact them and ask them to email you if they get certain items.

Don’t get wrapped up in the auction hype and think that if you don’t win the item you will never have another chance. eBay is enormous and they have millions of items for sale everyday so the odds are that what you are looking for will become available again. You must never put yourself in a position of thinking that you must have an item, if you do you will end up paying too much. You must always be willing to let the item go if it brings a certain price so set a price that you think it is worth and if it goes above that you just let it go. I used to buy cars at auctions and I would have a figure that I was willing to pay for each car I bid on, if the price went above my figure I walked away and didn’t look back.

Always calculate the shipping costs when you are bidding on items and if you are buying multiple products from a single seller contact them and ask them what kind of deal they will give you on the shipping or postage if you win multiple items.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about collecting as well as buying collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com

Many people have become enamored with the hobby of collecting different items and one of the most rewarding is that of collecting art collectibles. There are so many different items that can be collected in this genre that it truly boggles the mind. In the art collectibles category one can collect anything from rice grains that have tiny paintings on them to giant paintings or posters or even wall tapestries. There are also rare items that are numbered and limited that can be collected such as the plates or certain sculptures that you may see advertised on TV or in magazine.

Many people follow particular artists and collect mainly that artist’s work. One of my favorites is an artist by the name of Wyland who specializes in paintings about marine life. His paintings are very colorful and the creatures he paints almost seem to be alive. This particular artist is also known for his enormous murals that are painted on buildings and called “whaling walls”. These murals depict many different species of whales. We have one near me in Destin Florida.

Collecting art need not be a hobby only for the wealthy and affluent. You don’t have to be a collector of Rembrandt to be able to enjoy this fun hobby. There are many other pieces if art one can collect that can be just as rewarding to the average person. I have a friend who collects movie posters and he has one of the largest I have seen. Some of these posters make really cool art when framed and hung on the wall.

As a professional internet marketer I am a big user of eBay for finding all sorts of items and art collectibles are no different. As a matter of fact you will be completely blown away by the enormous selection available just from this one source. You can even sell items of your own that you may want to get rid of when starting a new collection. You may also be very surprised at the valuable collectibles you can find at garage sales and flea markets. I know when I have taken the time to get out early on a Friday or Saturday morning and hit the garage sales I have often found some bargains that were worth many times what I paid for them.

It doesn’t matter where in the world you are there are artists available whose work you may want to collect. I have a friend on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas whose teenage son creates beautiful pieces of art depicting different types of fish which he fashions from driftwood and then paints them with bright colors. This is something that can be fun if you travel. Collect art from local artists wherever you go that will also give you fond memories of the places you have been.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about collecting art as well as art collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com

Did you know that eBay got its start buy offering collectibles fro sale online? This eBay category is one of the largest and most active on the online auction site. People who have been eBay users for a long period of time tend to be very knowledgeable in particular areas and many are rabid collectors of certain items. You will sometimes find that when you put an item up for auction that you found at a garage sale or something that you didn’t think anything about will create a bidding war over people who need that particular thing to complete a collection.

Unlike many other items such as shoes and clothing, collectibles are a category that brings a very emotional response that helps to get higher bids. In many cases when someone is bidding on an item they have been seeking for a long time they will throw caution to the wind and bid wildly just to win the item. This is one of the reasons why selling collectibles can be such a profitable business.

To find collectibles that you can sell on eBay you may want to visit yard sales in your area, but make sure you get an early start there are many others who are now doing the same thing because they know how lucrative it is to sell items on the online auction site. Another way to find items is just to ask people when you go to their homes if they have anything unique or collectible that they may be interested in selling.

Another little known and little used method of finding collectibles and other things to resell on eBay is to buy them at smaller auction sites that don’t get as much traffic and therefore not as many bidders. You may be able to pick up items at a fraction of their true worth and then turn around and sell them for a huge profit by listing on eBay.

Another sneaky little tactic is to put your item up for sale in a category that has nothing to do with the term, “collectible”. For example if you have an autographed football you may put it in the collectible category but also put it in the sports category. You find a fan of the particular sports star willing to pay far more than someone watching the collectibles category.

Don’t be an uneducated seller. Find out everything you can about the item you are selling so that you can get the top price. If you are able to tell a story and give lots of information on how rare an item is you will always get a better price for it. Don’t leave out any details, most collectors are very detail oriented so the more you tell them the better off you will be.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about collecting as well as collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com

Many people may immediately think of collectible cards when thinking of sports memorabilia but the fact of the matter is there are a lot of other options available in this fun hobby. There is also a wide range of sports that one can find collectibles for.

When I was growing up there was a show called the “Wide World Of Sports”, this is so true today. With the internet many sports from around the world have become even more popular and as a result there are even more people who are collecting items from sports and sports stars all over the world who they may have never heard of before the existence of the internet. You can collect items from such diverse sports as football, baseball, soccer, NASCAR, and even the UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championships.

As with other collectibles sports memorabilia must be preserved in pristine condition in order to be valuable. No one is going to give big money for baseball cards that are frayed or dog eared for example. This is why you will see many serious collectors who will have their items in air tight containers which are then stored in fireproof and moisture proof vaults. I have seen some people who have had the forethought to save items for their grandkids, not many people think of that but those who do often leave them with a valuable heirloom.

The hobby of collecting sports memorabilia covers an enormous array of diverse items that one can collect from the old baseball cards found in bubble gum packs to actual uniforms that a particular sports star wore such as a Wayne Gretzky hockey uniform or Emmit Smith’s football jersey. Baseballs from the time of Babe Ruth bring enormous sums of money when they have been signed and authenticated. Homerun record baseballs are valuable as well.

If one collects books or magazines these can be valuable as well especially with magazines when one has every issue ever released going back for decades. I used to have a huge collection of bodybuilding magazines going back for over 20 years and I had every issue, when I decided to part with them the collection was quite valuable because it was so complete.

Even items that are not thought of as sports related but endorsed by sports stars can be worth quite a lot. Old Wheaties boxes with sports stars on the have been prized as collectibles. Action figures that are made is a sports stars likeness also make for fun items to collect. Just always be sure to protect the items if you are looking for them to increase in value, as I said before collectibles only become valuable when kept pristine.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about sports memorabilia as well as collectibles at http://www.actionfiguresandcollectibles.com