I’d like to create on this site a resource for pickers. If you have a particular want, like: “I collect early pocket calculators” or: “early medical quack devices wanted” or any number of weird stuff, I’d like to know. Send me your information, and I will add it to a link for picker’s resources. We could list by type, locality, etc.
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Thank you for creating this blog. I heard about it on Antiques Collectibles and Fine Art. My wife and I are passionate but recent to antiques. Since you asked, I am always interested to hear what types of collectibles are trending in the low to mid-price range. Thank you.
Thank you for your post! I wish you good luck in finding things. I think the best place to start is where your background and experience and interests lie. For example, I sold electronic parts at an electronic parts supply distributor for 30 years. I noticed a nostalgia for items in the early world of electronics, ie “radio” so I started collecting old tube radios. I had also been an avid mineral collector, and so I look for mining artifacts. Once you find your niche, then you can search ebay for that subject, and see what interests you. You can do a completed search to see what items are worth, to give you some guidance when out “picking” You can see if there are local clubs, and subscribe to magazines, and go to shows. You will learn an awful lot just by looking for the items you are drawn to. You don’t even need to buy anything yet. Just make notes and go home and research online. It’s better than going to school! It’s a great education. Once you decide on a topic or more, you can also look at hot items in your category on ebay by goung to http://pulse.ebay.com/ and look for your category. Another great source of information is Ina Steiner’s http://www.auctionbytes.com/ and here collectibles resource at http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/resources/. You can subscribe for free and get updates. She has been a wonderful help to me. Good luck! Have fun! When you do have a story to tell, and photos, come back and we’ll post it!
I enjoy picking at estate sales after watching American Pickers. If only I knew about it earlier. I tend to get odds and ends that are cool and decorative but I really would like a collection of memorabilia for an event I attended as a kid; 1982 World’s Fair.
I appreciate your post. Estate sales are fun. One way to do it, is to look for items you know you can sell for a profit, and then buy the 1982 World’s Fair collectibles from eBay. Mineral collectors use the term “Mining with a Silver Pick” when they buy specimens with cash. I suppose we could adapt the term to “Silver Picking” when we buy our collectibles online.