[lowbridge]

Hummel Figurines
Beanie Babies
Franklin Mint Collectibles
Hess Trucks
Thomas Kinkade Paintings
Precious Moments Figurines
Norman Rockwell Plates
Lladro Statues
Cabbage Patch Kids

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I think original Monet water lilies should be added to the list. My wife dragged me to a Monet exhibit at Boston's Museum of Fine Art (kinda what it sounds like). The most stunning (and not in a good way) exhibit was a large hall filled with around 80 Monet water lilies. They were all the exact same size and outline, only the coloring changed, sometimes that changed very little. They were all blurry, Monet was old and had bad eyesight by the time he drew them. The same can be said of his painting of St. Mark's Square. It's awful. Only a person of eck-skwid-eet taste can appreciate it. (As Hercule Poirot would say.)

His retirement fund was knocking out the same painting every couple months and charging some Paris collector thousands of francs for the privilege of owning it. At least Kinkade drawings look like something and have a grain of originality.

BTW, my wife and I visited the Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge a few weeks ago, for the first time. (Got to see the site of the original Alice's Restaurant, wheee!) The tourist trap town was a tourist trap before Rockwell got there, but the Museum is pleasant and worth visiting. Is studio was moved from downtown to a site in the Museum. The helmet's still there, but not on the easel. Rockwell never pretended to he anything other than an illustrator, he took pride in his craft and ignored the critics and their eck-skwid-eet tastes. His work can be cloying, sentimental, treacly, self conscious and idealized. But he was an honest craftsman and a deeply observant commentator on the country and society and country he loved. It is not surprising that he and Walt Disney were good friends.

[PowderMonkey]

Pet rocks. I saw their “inventor” interviewed on national TV when they came out. He couldn’t stop laughing during the interview as he related how astounded he was by the phenomenom. He and his wife were landscapers with a failed business holding tons of decorative landscaping river rocks. As his dejected wife tossed the stones from hand to hand, she sardonically remarked “they’d make great pets.” Flash. Of. Genius. The rest is history.

[Puddleglum]

I think film cameras should be on the list if they’re not. But I love them.

[johnandrhonda]

Glad I kept my Ferrari Testa Rosa....worth 17 million now.

[martin_fierro]

Hummel Figurines
Beanie Babies
Franklin Mint Collectibles
Hess Trucks
Thomas Kinkade Paintings
Precious Moments Figurines
Norman Rockwell Plates
Lladro Statues
Cabbage Patch Kids

NOTABLY ABSENT:

BOB ROSS PAINTINGS

w00t! I'm RICH!

[DJ MacWoW]

What Would You Do Without FR?

Click The Pic To Donate

Where Else Can You Discuss Conservative Issues And Laugh Too?

[duckman]

Record collecting could produce enjoyment and be profitable. I concentrated on 45 and 78 RPM records, sung by obscure black groups from 1946 thru 1962. They were called DOOWOPs. I started as a kid in the 50’s and 60’s not realizing the music would still be desirable in the 2000’s. Sold most of them on Ebay and were very profitable.

[SeaHawkFan]

Surprised no one has mentioned “National Geographic” magazines.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Here's a novel idea. When considering tangible investments why not consider the first and foremost collectible - one that hasn't been made since it's first creation and first production run: land. Once you've got a nice place, consider it's multiple utilities as hedges against any kind of financial downturn:

1. Grow food.
2. Build shelter - often with materials at hand.
3. Heat.
4. Animal protein - domestic and wild.
5. Capital production capabilities - sell your produce or...
6. Strategic protection - rural property has a built-in free fire zone.

On top of that, peripheral investments are low in price manipulation. These include:

1. Low-scale ag implements - tillers, shovels, etc.
2. Raw processing equipment - shellers, grinders, etc.
3. Food processing equipment - pressure canners, dehydrators, etc.
4. Utilities - PV panels, woodstoves, handpumps, generators, etc.
5. Material and supplies - spare parts, hardware, etc.
6. Infrastructure - greenhouse, barn, etc.

Well, Sir, there you go. A genuine inflation proof series of investments to be gotten today at low, low prices and certain in rise in value commensurate to the financial storms outside your hedge fund. As a bonus, as a purchaser, you'll be the fund manager and the usual percentage fee will go right back to you. This is no ordinary “win-win” fund or recommendation. This is a end-of-the-line ‘win-win-win-win-and-continue-to-win-no-matter-ho-bad-it-gets’ kind of fund.

Dump the beanie babies and get thee to a homestead - today!

[SMGFan]

a search suggests he bought the original artwork Spider-man versus Sandman cover , not a comic book.(1)
This story had another “life” concerning comics in 2009 (2)

(1) http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=5191151

(2)http://www.mainstreet.com/article/lifestyle/beat-stocks-buying-comic-books

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

Beautiful heavy metal pharmaceutical pens that reps used to give to doctors will NOT depreciate. The lovely government came along and made it illegal to give those pens and any other medicine promotional items to doctors. So whatever is on the market now is it. Was collecting them when the supply suddenly dried up.

Some light up. Some come in very nice wooden cases. Some have "floating" items in liquid. Some have paper roll out info sheets (Oxycontin). They're pretty cool...

[Joe 6-pack]

"Do we have to bring mistrust and suspicion into this?"

[coolbreeze]

The only thing I successfully collected was debt.

[bert]

Then there is me.

I’m sitting on my collection of hundreds of pristine AOL floppy disks and CD’s. They are all still in the cover, still in the cellophane, mint condition.

Some are in cardboard, some in plastic boxes and a few are in substantial metal boxes

Once again the market value of AOL has plummeted and the hoped for death appears possible.

When AOL dies...... I’ll be rich! Rich I tell you! rich!

[EternalVigilance]

I collect the little notes my kids write when they’re little that say “I love you, Daddy.”

Priceless.

[gunsmithkat]

Buy vintage firearms they almost never lose their value. My collection has doubled in value since 2001.

[SkyDancer]

On graduation from flight school my great grandad gave me several coins, last check they were worth over ten grand.

[Vendome]

They should mint a coin with Obama's image.

 

It would be a stimulus coin and quite possibly the best investment anyone could make

 

Becuase as every collector knows coins with a mistake on them are more valuable.

 

AC

[Mr. K]

the only collectible worth it right now is real estate

even with the bottom falling out you are still doing ok if you bought rentals and had them filled

[FoxPro]

ping