Near Mint
Near Mint
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US $1.50
Here is a list of some of the collectibles that people should be trying to acquire, at least right now. As long as the price is right, the buying and selling of these particular items should prove profitable, at least as profitable as anything can be in the present economy.
The "What's Hot" list is immediately followed by "What's Not," which are those items that have fallen out of favor for the time being. Just remember that anything in the antiques and collectibles business is possible so these items could turn around and be popular again at any moment.
What's Hot
1. Anything to do with Star Wars, especially items relating to the original movie. For the best prices, these items need to be in their original packaging.
2. Early Disney items, original packaging preferred but not necessary.
3. Sports cards from the 1950s, 1960s or earlier. The more famous the player the better. Condition is important. They are worth more if they have been graded. In some cases, autographs will also help their value.
4. Older first edition books in good to excellent condition. Signed copies are more valuable. The rarity of the book (the original print run) is important and will help determine what it is worth. Having one of a 500 print run is better than having one of a 5000 print run.
5. Old photography in good condition. If you can identify the subject matter and know where they were taken and when, the value is increased.
6. Vintage postcards in good condition. The most valuable continues to be town scenes, real photo postcards and holiday postcards. The most popular of the holiday postcards are Halloween and Christmas, especially those depicting Santa.
7. Old coins - coins that were minted before the silver and gold content were decreased. The better the condition, the better the price. Slabbed or graded coins bring the most money. Do not clean coins. Should you have any coins worth grading, they won't be worth it after you clean them. Coins that have a mint mark are worth more.
8. Sterling silver. The higher the price of silver goes, the more sterling silver is worth. This includes jewelry as well as holloware. During the last two years, sterling silver jewelry has been bringing good money at auction. In many cases, much more than spot.
9. Signed costume jewelry. Nice old pieces of costume jewelry from designers such as Trifari, Eisenberg, Weiss, Coro, etc. Pieces with missing stones won't bring as much. There is quite a bit of counterfeiting going on so be sure whatever pieces you have are not fake.
10. Very old comic books of famous heroes in good condition; especially those comic books that introduced a famous character for the first time. An example of this would be Action Comics #1, which was first published in 1938. It marked the first appearance of Superman and in near mint condition it recently sold for $1.5M. That's right, a cool $1.5 million dollars. Not bad for what was probably an initial investment of ten cents. Batman also made the million dollar club this year. The very first Batman comic brought an impressive one million and seventy-five thousand dollars.
11. Any original antique in good condition. They have a way of bringing excellent money no matter what's going on in the market.
12. Modern Danish furniture. The really good stuff from Denmark, especially if it is signed. With the right buyer, these pieces can bring more money than some rare antiques.
13. Anything Chinese, as long as it is old and authentic. There is a frenzy for all things Chinese such as porcelain, artwork and furniture. Stay away from the less expensive knockoffs. We are only talking the real deal here but if you have a piece - Maui is a beautiful place for an early retirement.
14. Old postage stamps. Stamps are a very complicated business. There are replicas of some valuable old ones, such as Hitler, so you need to be careful. Before selling any old stamps, have them looked at by an expert. You could be sitting on some money.
What's Not
1. Pottery such as Roseville, Van Briggle, McCoy and the other well-known pottery companies. About 5 years ago, good pottery was bringing a lot of money but not today. If you have a collection, you might want to hang on to it to see if it bounces back.
2. Porcelain has suffered much the same fate as pottery, especially sets of china. At one time, sets of china were bringing excellent money on eBay but the people selling it didn't want to do all the labor intensive packing anymore - properly boxing a service for 12 can be quite daunting. Also, as the postal rates increased, buyers began to object to the very expensive shipping costs.
3. Furniture in general with a few exceptions. Nice vintage furniture such as mahogany and cherry pieces, Victorian and East Lake are bringing very low prices. For example, mahogany china cabinets and drop front desks that people were paying $900 to $1000 for ten years ago are selling for around $100 today. You can't buy the hardware for $100.
4. Record albums. There are of course exceptions to this but, for the most part, they are not bringing any money - at least not at auction. If you have any, before disposing of them, you should check them out just in case you have a rare one. The best place to look them up is probably on eBay. Sometimes the dust jacket or album cover is worth more than the record inside.
5. Newer porcelain dolls. Antique dolls still hold their own but the newer porcelain dolls, such as those sold on the shopping networks, drastically decrease in value as soon as they are purchased. They are great for the serious collector who plans to hold on to them. However, should there be a need to liquidate them, the owner is only looking at recouping maybe ten cents on the dollar. These are not a good investment.
Anne Benedetto is a former auction house owner and former dealer in the antiques and collectibles business. She presently provides people with important details, behind the scenes information, helpful tips and first hand knowledge of the brick and mortar auction business. Visit Anne at http://AuctionHouseTalk.com which is an interactive site where interested people can talk about the ins and outs of auctions, antiques and collectibles.
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1992 Atlanta Braves Yearbook NEAR MINT $7.23 1992 Atlanta Braves Yearbook NEAR MINT 1992 Atlanta Braves Yearbook NEAR MINTEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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1970 Topps Lou Brock #330 NEAR MINT! $14.45 1970 Topps Lou Brock #330 NEAR MINT! 1970 Topps Lou Brock #330 NEAR MINT!Every signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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1984 San Francisco Giants Yearbook NEAR MINT $14.45 1984 San Francisco Giants Yearbook NEAR MINT 1984 San Francisco Giants Yearbook NEAR MINTEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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1987 Boston Red Sox Yearbook NEAR MINT $14.45 1987 Boston Red Sox Yearbook NEAR MINT 1987 Boston Red Sox Yearbook NEAR MINTEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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1979 Topps George Brett #330 NEAR MINT $7.23 1979 Topps George Brett #330 NEAR MINT 1979 Topps George Brett #330 NEAR MINTEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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Ken Johnson 1967 67 Topps #101 ~psa 8~near Mint-mint~ $27.72 Ken Johnson 1967 67 Topps #101 ~psa 8~near Mint-mint~ KEN JOHNSON 1967 67 TOPPS #101 ~PSA 8~NEAR MINT-MINT~Every signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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Andy Kosco 1967 67 Topps #366 ~psa 8~near Mint-mint~ $27.72 Andy Kosco 1967 67 Topps #366 ~psa 8~near Mint-mint~ ANDY KOSCO 1967 67 TOPPS #366 ~PSA 8~NEAR MINT-MINT~Every signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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1958 Topps Larry Doby #424 Indians NEAR MINT! $34.68 1958 Topps Larry Doby #424 Indians NEAR MINT! 1958 Topps Larry Doby #424 Indians NEAR MINT!Every signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee. |
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Mint $49.99 Walter Crane Mint - Giclee Print |
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Flutter By Mint $10 Flutter By Mint |
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Mint Cross $10 Mint Cross |
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Team Mint $9.65 Team Mint |
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MINT ON THE PILLOW $14.89 MINT ON THE PILLOW |
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Brigadoon (Mint) $14.48 Brigadoon (Mint) |
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Mint Jams $33.63 Mint Jams |
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Mint Condition $11.91 Mint Condition |
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Issey Miyake Vakio Unisex Watch - Mint (DS) $400 STYLE Battery japanese quartz movement 5atm water resistant Single timezones FIT Case is 9mm thick in the center; 9mm near edge Case is 34mm wide with crown (32mm without) LOOK Satin stainless steel black square case Mint analog dial with black markers Mint hands Black polyurethane band; 23mm wide near case; 21mm near buckle with strap buckle clasp This is a Special Order item shipped directly from the manufacturer and may take up to 7 business days for delivery. This product is available online only. FREE SHIPPING on orders for this item only. |
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I.T.A. Luce Ladies Watch - Mint (DS) $445 STYLE Battery japanese quartz movement 5atm water resistant Single timezones FIT Case is 11mm thick in the center; 11mm near edge Case is 33mm wide with crown (31mm without) LOOK Flat polyurethane grey oval case Mint analog dial with rose gold numerals Rose Gold hands Mint leather band; 16mm wide near case; 16mm near buckle with strap buckle clasp This is a Special Order item shipped directly from the manufacturer and may take up to 7 business days for delivery. This product is available online only. FREE SHIPPING on orders for this item only. |
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Mint Float $59.99 Mint Float - Wall Decal |
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Mint Sink $59.99 Mint Sink - Wall Decal |