"Oh, I burned those a long time ago. I did not think they were any good". How many times has the collector of just about anything you can think of heard those words? People usually burn up that which will burn, and it is usually things of value that are burnt. However, when I look at the paper collectibles category on eBay, I am surprised at the amount of material that has been saved from the flames. When I show some of my old paper items such as booklets, brochures and catalogs to friends and other collectors, I get this comment. "I did not know anybody saved those things". I often tell people that just about anything and everything that is made is collected by someone somewhere. Many times people think that only items which has extreme age is of any value. This may be true in some case, but in many cases its not. More old booklets, brochures and catalogs of the early 1900s to about 1950 seem to have been thrown away because they were free. Items which were free at one time - do have value. Old booklets, brochures and particularly catalogs are scarce in spite of what you see on eBay. The next time you clean out an old trunks that grandma owned or her attic take a second look at the old paper items. You just might make some collector happy and put money in your pocket all at the same time. |
