Collecting Can Be Fun—AND IS!

Greetings couch dwellers and recliner recluses. I’m not saying it’s not nice to park yourself in these cozy places during the weekend, but there’s a limit to it. After all, how many times can you watch people throw odd shaped balls to other people or can you watch reruns of Gilligan’s Island. Ginger is definitely eye candy for you men but unless you shell out for the movie version, the Gilligan crew won’t be leaving the island anytime soon in those reruns..

I know, I know—it’s a free country and all that, but heck, there are other things to do.

Men and women are by nature inquisitive and hunter-gatherers. Why not turn that basic penchant for snoopiness and snatching things up into a pleasant and rewarding hobby. Well by now, if you read the title of this publication, you know what I’m going to suggest. Surprise—TRY COLLECTING. Big surprise right. Well I had to give it a title.

All right, enough with the attempted humor--let’s get down to business here. Collecting can be a fun experience and there’s no end to what you can collect, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Sure, if you’re collecting Rembrandts you’d better have a checking account the size of Bill Gates’ but the collecting market is full of items for us low budget folks.

Someone once advised me that if you're going to go shopping for antiques, ‘stick to shops that are true to the business.' That meant, of course, turn your nose up at flea markets and those quaint little places off the beaten path that feature a few more items, other than the 100-year-old Tiffany lamp with the requisite patina on the base--places with things like old baseball caps, bottle caps, bobble heads and maybe some scented candles on the side.

Well shucks neighbor, definitely don't pay attention to any of that talk, or else you'll miss out on all the fun. High end antiquing is for the serious professional, but don't consider it fun, and for me, fun is what it's all about. I tossed out my stuffy collar long ago and now I just take my cowboy hat and boots, with me in them, to whatever nifty little place, wherever it is, that has some good old stuff to sell.

Of course if you are a serious collector, you'd better bone up on whatever it is that you're collecting, or else take the Kovels (no they’re not the ice cream people) with you, anytime you go out on that antiquing excursion.

I'll admit that I do have a penchant for items of the 50's, especially fine fountain pens and those colorful transistor and tube radios of that era. Bulova transistor radios are my favorite. That's right—the watch company—they made radios in the 50's.

My condo is running out of room to display my radio collection. Last count there were about 50 or so in various nooks and crannies (sometimes I have trouble finding my cat who likes to share the nooks and crannies with them). And yes, most of them work—the radios, not the cat..

But whenever I come across one of these gems, I've got a pretty good idea of what it's worth. I've done my research and so should you if you want to become serious about collecting items from a particular niche, even if it’s bottle caps.

There are plenty of excellent books around. The local library is a great place to start. There are plenty of good reference books for the novice who wants a broad view of collectibles. Specific books on any particular segment of the market such as dolls, collectible glass, matchbox cars, and just about anything else are also available. And don’t forget about our old friend the internet. What a fantastic place for research for professional or novice.

For the beginner though, getting a broad view of collecting is best at first—and fun. You'll be surprised at what sorts of things people collect. You'll be surprised at what sorts of things people collect.

But niche collecting is not the point of this article. I'm not always looking for radios nor do I wish to. Just taking a leisurely weekend drive through the American countryside on the hunt for one of these quaint shops is part of the fun, especially if you have no agenda as to what you're looking for.

My motto is, "If you like it, buy it." I've bought random items such as old key chains, John Deere memorabilia, cuff links, an old 45 RPM record player, vintage pencils, Carnival glass, and Coke memorabilia, just to mention a few, just because I liked them. And none of the items were budget busters—all were relatively inexpensive.

Now it doesn't matter what part of this fine great country you live in, those antique "emporiums" are out there, replete with those wonderful people who own them. Mall antique shops are fine but I'm interested in something with a bit more character, thank you. I've met some fine and interesting characters out there in those one-owner shops.

I'm on the East coast and I travel throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania on my quest for that next shop I haven't been to yet. Sometimes if you ask some of the locals at a gas station, convenience store or restaurant, you'll get valuable leads as to where a great little shop is located in the area.

One thing you should always keep in mind—don't let the looks of it from the outside deter you from stopping and going in. And if it looks like a barn, or an old railroad station, it probably is, so definitely don't miss the opportunity to take a few shots with the digital before you go inside for some easy browsing.

The people who own these shops are usually knowledgeable and friendly, and you'll find that the folks who visit them are just as friendly. Heck, that's what it's all about—that human experience, as they say.

Now just because we're feeling all friendly and have gotten that warm and fuzzy feeling inside after we've browsed around—that doesn't mean we can't get down to business. That price tag on that old lamp or that collection of PEZ candy dispensers is just your invitation for some friendly bargaining--I said friendly, not nasty.

Pleasantly asking if the price on the tag is firm is a good way to start. You'll usually discover that the answer is ‘no,' and if your willing to pay with cash, that's even better when you begin your bargaining process.

Don't make the mistake though of degrading the item as a way to get the price down—not a good idea. That's a sure way to cool things down fast. Offer 20% less than what is on the tag. You probably won't get it but more often than not, you can get at least 10% off your newly found gem.

I've even offered one price for a group of items that I'm interested in. After you've done it a few times, you'll find that bargaining can be fun. That's the whole idea.

Okay, now where's my cowboy hat—hope the cat didn't get it. Time for another weekend excursion.

Well, while I’m looking for my hat, flip the page where I’ve assembled some articles on various collectibles to wet your appetite. These are just examples of what can be collected but the range is limitless. Happy collecting!

 Collecting Beer Trays

Someone once asked why anyone would collect old beer trays. Well the answer was obvious–because they are colorful, part of history and some can be quite valuable.

Collecting beer trays is not a peculiar hobby. If so, there are a lot of peculiar collectors around. Beer trays are an art form that has attracted many collectors.

They’ve been around since the 1890’s when the lithographic process on metal was perfected by two advertising companies of the day–Tuscarora Advertising and Standard Advertising. They used the process to produce metal trays with advertising lithographs on the bottom.

Lithographic printing on metal trays became an effective method of advertising beer. Back in the 1890’s there was no radio, television or internet to inundate us with advertising messages. Advertising was a bit more personnel. You couldn’t get more personnel than having your beer delivered to you on a colorful tray with a spiffy piece of advertising on it for you to peruse before you took a sip of the suds.

Early on these trays were printed with landscapes or pictures of breweries, which were usually sturdy ornately, decorated buildings and a source of pride. Animals, comic characters and pretty women also became popular subjects for these pieces.

These trays came in all sorts of shapes including, round, square, rectangular and oblong but twelve and thirteen inch round trays were most popular overall. However, prior to prohibition most of them were oval in shape. Most were made out of metal although some were made out of porcelain enamel.

Although there are still some modern trays, the heyday of beer trays with the beautiful lithographic images ended in the 1950’s, precipitated by a sharp decline in the 1940’s. During the war effort production decreased due to the shortage of metal and many that were made were donated to the metal drives. Any surviving trays from that period are in demand.

The value of the older tray is determined by the period it was made in, the manufacturer, the scarcity of the piece and its condition. Serious collectors use a grading system that runs from fair to good to very good to excellent to near mint and finally mint condition.

Beer tray reference guides will give you an approximate idea of the value of a tray but the actual condition of the piece will determine its final value. Keep in mind also that printed values are subject to change due to market conditions.

One thing that is a no-no when displaying trays is that one never ever bangs a nail through the tray to hang it on the wall. The value of any tray will immediately dive should it suffer such a fate. Magnetic hooks or self-adhering hooks which can be removed should be used instead.

Beer trays can be found on Ebay, flea markets, garage sales and antique shops but the trick is finding one that’s a bit rare. Two good reference guides are Collectible Beer Trays by Gary Straub and The World of Beer Memorabilia by Herb and Helen Haydock.

Beer trays are an excellent art form to collect brought on by the development of the metal lithographic process. If you’re not interested in rarity, a colorful collection of inexpensive trays can be assembled and displayed easily. If you have a bar in your basement, a series of old beer trays hanging on the wall behind it will definitely add some ambiance.

It’s been my experience that beer trays you find in antique shops are a bit overpriced so be sure to haggle for the best deal. If you tend to be a bit more serious about collecting trays however, make sure you do your research with some good reference material.