Tin lithography is becoming highly collectable again. Huge prices were to be had in the 90's, then came the crash around the world. Still affordable, they evoke memories of childhood. 
This particular example was made in West Germany by Lehman? or? I purchased it at an auction last night, complete with 70 years of dust and dirt. Condition is everything when buying old tin toys, they have to work and  they have to have all their parts. The graphics must be clean with no dents or scrapes. If this came with the box, it would be worth at least double. 

Picked up this strange knife in a box at an auction. Can anyone identify it? Looks like some sort of peeler.

So, I'm off to my weekly auction tonight. I had a chance to go to the preview this morning and there hidden in a box is an old pic of the BABE. Inside the box is also an autgraphed Johnny Bower photo and some old 70's baseball cards along with who knows what else.  Question for you, if you've been to an auction before, you know that it's easy to get caught up in the bidding frenzy. I have a number in my tiny little brain that I am comfortable going to.  Is the Babe Ruth picture worth going over my limit? Even a little bit? What do you do when you really want something and you're not sure if you can get it?

Also, I have a chance to pick up one or two of these very cool tufted leather chairs. What do you think they're worth?

Anybody over the age of 40 may remember the classic Batman series from 66 starring the understated (not) Adam West. He turns about 100 today, and still living off his 15 minutes of fame. Actually it was about 2 or 3 years, and he was pretty funny and campy. 

During the golden days of card collecting, you could buy Batman, Lost in Space, Beverly Hillbillies, Munsters and Green Hornet cards along with many others. These are still inexpensive collectables, great for the generation "X" ers.  The original Batman set came in blue and orange series. The orange back cards were put out by Topps and distributed in Canada. A whole set can be had for as little as $50. There is currently a set on Ebay, all graded and in very nice condition for just over $900. If you have any of these old cards, email me, I would love to buy them from you. 

Do these look like the chairs in your doctor's office? Na, probably not. A truer statement has never been uttered. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" These Eero Saarien chairs from the early 60's can command up to $1000 each. This particular set is on ebay for $3000. Regardless if it's Eames, Herman Miller or another mid-century artist, 50's , 60's and even 70's furniture can be truly astounding in its value. Clean lines, comfort and modern, the appeal of these is across the board from a newbie in their first apartment to a true collector who appreciates western contemporary. 

Saarien may be one of the most respected and accomplished designer and engineer of the mid century......me, personally. I'd rather have a barcalounger!

Old board games evoke images of the 50's. Mom and dad sitting around the table with their 2.2 kids, drinking milk and eating home made peanut butter cookies. At least in my mind. 
One of the coolest and easiest collections to start is old board games. They are easy to find, inexpensive and the whole family can participate. Classic games like Monopoly are suitable for the slightly older crowd, while Operation is suitable for everyone except drunken Uncle Buck. (He'll kill the patient guaranteed). These collectables can be had for less than a buck at most garage sales. My lovely wife, Mrs collectordude has a wonderful collection of old Ouija boards, some dating back from the 30's. Here's a great link to a 1936 Monopoly game on Ebay. Yours for only $40.  http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Vintage-MONOPOLY-game-circa-1936-Parker-Trading-Game-Edition-/150897077882?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23222aae7a#ht_500wt_1156

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. I bought this ring as part of a lot in an auction several weeks ago. A bit gaudy for me, so on Friday of last week I dropped it off at Big Valley Auction to see if I could recoup my investment (I did). 
So, who buys it? Elvis!!!! Well, not really, but Randy Friskie, the Elvis impersonator saw the ring and thought it would look great on stage as part of the Kings ensemble.  So there you have it. Maybe I should start collecting Elvis stuff. Na, no one would ever want that stuff.

I spent a fantastic couple of hours on Saturday at the Langley Cruise-in. If you've never been, put it on your calendar for next year. It's a must! There are cars for sale from as low as $2500 (and up to $135,000) that I saw.  This cool led sled is one of my favourites along with the 55 Merc with the glass roof.  The 66 Mustang below was owned by me and Adele in 2003. It's a classic. 
One thing you  must know about collecting old cars. You can make money on them. Just follow these few important tips:
1. Buy a car already finished, unless you are a mechanic. You can often buy a car that someone else has spent tens of thousands of dollars on for 50 cents on the dollar. Or less!

2. Old 50's and 60's muscle cars are a given. They are already classics, they will not go down in price. If you want to take a chance, try picking your own new collectable. The 1990 Mazda Miata is one. You can pick them up for as little as $2000. It was the first year, the car was well made, car of the year. It will only increase in value.

3. Buy your car in the fall after the summer market is over, especially if you are considering a convertible. This is the time of the year that people will drop their prices considerably, they don't want the storage fees. 

4. If you are going to sell, April and May are the perfect months. It allows for the new owner to get the summer out of the car, which is when they really want them.

A good friend of mine and a fantastic artist made me this awesome t-shirt. In case you can't see it, it's a caricature of me, http://artsyblazer.wordpress.com/with thecollectordude.com under it. I'll wear this to all the auctions and when I'm out doing my digging. 

Artsy Blazer is his name. He sold his first shoe design to Nike (before he was 20!). Not bad eh? 
Check out his blog at http://artsyblazer.wordpress.com/

By the way, am I starting to look a little like our buddy Don Cherry????

We've all heard the story of finding a cool old collectable car in a barn. Just recently there was a 1930's Mercedes found that may be worth up to $11,000,000. 
Here's a video of more than 200 cars that were recently discovered. Okay, it's not actually a barn, but it's some collection. Has anyone heard of an old classic car buried in a field or in a barn? Let me know and I'll post the story for the world!
http://youtu.be/DY_qkM53cIc