When it comes to collecting, most people collect based upon what they like regardless of what the cost is versus what the value is, and that’s OK.
But, if you’re interested in collecting with the hopes of making your investment gather more than dust, then watching the current trends and sticking to the market that has the most promise of giving a bigger monetary return is the direction to go.
Here are five collectibles I feel are winners in the next five years to come.
Top 5 collectibles to collect
- Vintage vinyl records. Millennials love collecting these old records from the 1960s and 1970s, and they could be a great investment. Most people don’t realize it, and that’s why these vinyl 45s and 78s can be such a bargain, especially for the person who likes to shop at garage sales that, more times than not, offer a stack of vinyl for a buck. And, if you find albums with the original posters still inside, you may hit a jackpot as some of these albums can fetch hundreds of dollars.
- Vintage turntables. The vinyl collectors have to have them because the iPods won’t work with them! If you find a good vintage turntable, it may possibly turn into big cash as some turntables can be worth hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
- Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs! But not the signs song from 1970 by the Five Man Electrical Band, but actual old porcelain signs from yesteryear. These can be a big hit, especially any old gas station signs or just vintage, unique, one-of-a-kind signs featuring a company’s name and logo or products that no longer are available. Old neon also can be big money even if it’s in non-working condition.
- Antique and vintage steel toys can be found frequently at garage sales as well and can be picked on the cheap more times than not, which can equate to a terrific return on investment and also be a nice addition to any game room. Look especially for old, pressed steel cars from the 1920s through the 1940s as these seem to be the hottest ones to get and aren’t showing any signs of declining value.
- Last, but not least, and it is very possibly the top collectible that goes unnoticed to most people, is antique and vintage fishing lures. These can be found everywhere as most people just look at them as the junk in Dad’s tackle box that he never caught a thing on, and this may turn into the biggest catch of all — money! In the past few years, we have auctioned off fishing lures from the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s for hundreds of dollars. Look out especially for old, glass eye lures, which often are pre-1950, as these can be in high demand and valuable.
Now that the secret is out, it’s time to dust off those old boxes or hit those garage sales. See if you can reel in some old vinyl records and turn the table on your collecting addiction, and in doing so, toy around with the extra cash you can make!
Erik Hoyer co-owns EJ’s Auction & Consignment in Glendale and J. Levine Auction & Appraisal in Scottsdale. Contact: erik@ejsauction.com, www.ejsauction.com or@EJs_Auction on Twitter.
