People love to collect things. It's human nature. Becoming a collector is a hobby that often happens by chance and can begin at any age. Depending on the financial limitations, people around the world collect anything from drift wood to million dollar vintage cars.

There are some that maintain rare books, furniture and paintings etc. are not considered collectibles as these are classified in the antiques category. However, for the majority of us collectors, we buy, sell and trade our treasures with great enthusiasm, often searching yard sales, flea markets and even online for new pieces to add to our collections.

It’s become big business. Collectors and dealers are buying and selling everyday items and truthfully there is no limit to what is considered collectible. For the most part, there are two types of objects that are collected by hobbyists. One type of object has some dollar value, while the other type of object is of emotional value.

Something for Everyone

Quite often, people collect specific items because they have a special connection to a time in their life. It could be particular toys or comic books that were popular during their childhood. There are also collections that started as gifts such as snow globes, and special coins. You will find that most collectors will have an emotional attachment that usually started when they were young.

Age is Not Everything

Age is not always a factor when it comes to collecting. There are collectibles that are manufactured especially for collections. These "limited edition" pieces are produced in small batches, are often numbered and have signatures from the artist. These collectibles can range in anything from stamps to porcelain plates and usually commemorate as significant occasion such as the Olympics, a Royal Wedding or the death of a legend.

Some of the more common collectibles include kitchen ware such as salt and pepper shakers, fiesta ware and spoons or mugs from around the world. There are also theme collectibles such as roosters and cows, where the hobbyist will outfit their entire home around a specific theme. On the reverse side is the avid collector who shelves and protects their collection in a "look but don't touch "reverence encased in plastic or behind glass.

And Then There are Others...

Then there are the off the wall collectors that we have all heard about. What perhaps started as lark eventually turned into something entirely different and now has family and friends adding to their collection with no end in sight. This could be rubber bands, rocks from around the world, hotel soaps and even bread twist ties.

A popular trend among collectors today is to specialize in pieces of a specific genre. For example if one collects wine labels, the hobbyist may only collect rare and vintage labels for a smaller and more dedicated collection. Or they may include labels from wines of any age from around the globe. This increases their collection but it still remains specialized in their genre of choice.

Collecting is a fun and often low cost pastime where people can enjoy sharing their passion with other collectors. It can form new friendships and create bonds between the boy who collects birdhouses to the grandfather who collects fishing lures. The possibilities are endless.