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G.I. Joe: The Original Action Figure

GI Joe Action Figure

GI Joe Action Figure

Through the years Barbie has been the inspiration for a lot of young girls. But, believe it or not she was also the inspiration for G.I. Joe! Toy creator Stan Weston saw the big success that Barbie was enjoying and decided that a similar toy for young boys might have just as much success.

Hasbro agreed and the first prototypes were made in 1963. They were named Ace, a pilot, Rocky, a marine and Skip the sailor. The now famous name, G.I. Joe came when Hasbro director, Don Levine got the idea for the name from the 1945 movie, The Story of G.I. Joe.

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McCoy Pottery - Most Popular American Pottery

McCoy Pottery

McCoy Pottery

McCoy pottery has been a long time favorite with collectors everywhere. It’s a sought after collectible that can be found for a few dollars at flea markets or could cost hundreds of dollars at an antique store. The pieces are both beautiful and usable items that are highly prized by collectors!

The pottery factory began as the Nelson McCoy Sanitary Stoneware Company in 1910. There earliest pieces weren’t marked and the now famous markings didn’t start appearing until 1929. And, through the years the markings have changed several times.

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Vintage Jewelry: Wearable Pieces of History

Vintage Jewelry

Vintage Jewelry

If you’ve always loved the look of older pieces of jewelry, then you’ve probably already got the beginnings of a vintage jewelry collection! Costume jewelry actually got it’s popular start in theaters and on stages throughout Europe! It made it’s way to America in the duffel bags of soldiers as presents for their wives, girlfriends, sisters and mothers!

In the late 20’s American manufacturers began to dominate the costume jewelry industry. And, they have continued to produce some of the most beautiful, most valuable pieces available today. Many pieces are both signed and marked identifying the designer or the company, but many unsigned pieces are just as collectable.

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Collecting Stamps Is Like Collecting Tiny Pieces of Art!

US Postage Stamp Inverted Airplane

US Postage Stamp Inverted Airplane

It’s estimated that in the U.S. alone there are over 20 million postage stamp collectors. But, stamp collecting is one of the most popular hobbies in the entire world. Stamps are great collectibles for anyone, you don’t need a lot of space to store them and it’s one collection that you can take with you where ever you go!

The first stamp collectors were actually children, at the time, adults considered it a childish hobby. During the 1920’s publicity began to circulate about the value of some stamps and it spurred a huge increase in the amount of stamp collectors. And, today there are literally thousands of stamp shows around the world!

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The Passion for Collecting Barbie Dolls

Barbie Doll

Barbie Doll

The Barbie Doll is probably the most famous of all dolls. Barbie has been America’s favorite glamour girl since 1959 and her fame and popularity has spread world wide.

Some people value their prized Barbie doll collection just as others value their collection of gold coins! And, in fact, some Barbie’s are worth as much or even more than some gold coins. One Barbie sold for $17,000 and one original 1959 doll sold for almost $26,000!

If you love Barbie, whether or not you are a collector, you will enjoy this!

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Antique Toys Are One of the Top Five Collectible Items

Antique Toy Truck

Antique Toy Truck

Collecting antique toys can be both a hobby and an investment, it can be both fun and a way to relive childhood memories.

Toy collections really began getting popular in the United States in the mid 1960’s and toys have quickly became one of the top five collectible items in the U.S. today.

In 1988, thirty-six toy collectors spent over $5 million dollars at the Perlman Toy Museum sale in less than 24 hours! Although, toy prices have leveled off somewhat since the 80’s, their value has continued to keep going up and toys remain a steady investment.

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Collecting Dolls

Antique Doll

Antique Doll

Collecting dolls goes back in time quite a ways. There are people who collect nothing except old and antique dolls. Other people will collect any doll that may become of value in the future.

Some of the very first dolls ever made were actually made of cloth. The first cloth doll I remember as a child is the Raggedy Ann doll. As time passed, technology took great strides towards advancement. Another great collectible would become the cabbage patch dolls. Those dolls were very popular for a long time and are today a very valuable collectable.

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Coin Collecting A Great Hobby For All Ages

Barber Half Dollar

Barber Half Dollar

Coin collecting is the collection and trading of legitimate currency. It normally consists of collecting coins or bank notes that have become rare or unused. There are also many highly sought-after pieces such as coins with a manufacturing defect or limited edition coins that have been released.

While trying to gather as much money as possible and keep it has been a hobby for as long as money has existed, collecting coins for their artistic value is believed to have started around the fifteenth century. Back then it was a hobby for the wealthy upper class that collected coins and artifacts from ancient civilizations.

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Collecting Action Figures

GI Joe

GI Joe Vintage Action Figure

Collecting action figures has been around ever since action figures became really popular in the early 1970’s.These days, online action figure stores and auction sites make collecting action figures much easier and collectors can often find cheap action figures that can be worth far more than what they are sold for.

The cost of action figures depends a lot on the age of the action figure, as well as the condition of it. Figures are more valuable if in mint condition, without dents, scratches or any blemishes. Action figures are also worth much more if you have all the accessories such as clothing, hats, shoes/boots, weapons, etc.

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