Are you looking for a hobby? One fun hobby is collecting memorabilia, whether it’s movie memorabilia, sports memorabilia, or whatever you find particularly interesting in life!
What are some things to keep in mind when you start becoming a memorabilia collector?
Find Your Niche
For starters, decide what you’d like to collect. Maybe it’s red-colored Hot Wheels cars. Or autographed baseballs from various baseball players and teams. Maybe you want to collect Kansas University (KU) memorabilia, which could include all sorts of KU merchandise and mementos, from game ticket stubs to artworks. Decide on something you’d like to collect.
Budget It Like You Would Other Expenses
Next, consider your budget. How much money per year will you spend on this new hobby? Will it be a $500 limit, or $1,000 or more? It can easily get “out of hand” if you have no budget, and you don’t want to find yourself in debt because of buying “just one more thing.” Along with establishing a budget, start to do some research to find out what memorabilia is available and what are the typical prices associated with that which you want to collect. For instance, Hot Wheels cars are $1 to $7, so you could buy a lot of them in a year. Other things, like artwork, might be $100 to $1,000 or more.
Professional Evaluations
If and when you do collect things that are on the more exclusive and expensive side, don’t be afraid to get items appraised by a professional. That way you know if the item is legitimate and if it’s a good deal or not. Keep in mind that some items may be ubiquitous (“I can get that anywhere”) versus other items that are extremely hard-to-find. Patience is key with having a collection!
Finally, if you collect something, chances are good that other people collect the same thing(s), so perhaps there’s a Facebook group or an in-person group (locally) that you can join, to meet people with similar interests– and collections. You can get good advice from fellow collectors.
If you’re collecting KU memorabilia, Framewoods Gallery in Lawrence, KS, has plenty of KU items to check out– call 1-800-399-5199 to ask what’s new and interesting!
