We buy collections of most things. Please keep in mind in general the larger the collection the less it is worth (exceptions being gold, silver, coins, high end artwork). A simple example is a collection of 1:24 scale die cast cars. When bought they may have cost $50.00 each. As time goes on the collector will continually add cars they did not have. The fun is searching and finding rare or obscure cars. The collector spends $5,000 over the years buying what they enjoy! There comes a time when the collection needs to be sold. No other collector will buy it for $5,000 since there is no fun in collecting if you can buy it all at once. While the cost and retail value of the collection may be $5,000 the value when liquidating is greatly reduced. When buying for re-sell there is the cost of moving, storing, repairing and the time involved waiting for that one person who walks in and buys the one car he is missing. Some collections take years to sell.

The Generation Gap – One of the major impacts on the value of a collection is the Generation Gap. The older the collectible the fewer people who remember it. Another example is a Hopalong Cassidy Comic Book. 15 years ago, one may have sold for $15.00. The same comic sells today for $1.00. A more recent trend is in Elvis memorabilia. The value is going down as the market becomes flooded with collection as the older generations pass on or downsize. The newer generation has no real connection to Elvis and his music.

The Overproduction Gap – When and if a product becomes highly collectible and sought after the greed of the manufacturer kicks in. They produce more and more to make a quick profit. An example of this has been the Beanie Baby Craze or Hot Wheels. Even some well known producers of numbered and limited edition items have been caught saying it is one of only 700 produced, when in fact they produced 7,000.