..Items that were not meant to have lasting value. Or as I prefer to look at it, little snippets of history. Have a look at the original FBI wanted posters for Bonnie and Clyde above. They were stuck on every telephone pole, mailbox and general store in most towns in the mid-West. There must have been hundreds of thousands of these. And yet, someone is willing to pay $1500 for 2 old posters. Why? Because it brings back memories, it's a small pea on a plate of yearly what's happenings. No one knew that Bonnie and Clyde would become the infamous gangsters of the first half century. What possessed someone to put these old posters off to one side, forgotten in a drawer or cupboard for 80 years.
As shown above, ephemera certainly does have value. Everyone knows someone who collects sports cards, but did you know there are collectors of sports card wrappers? Yup, there are many collectors of throw-aways. Old menu inserts, bubble gum wrappers etc. There is a massive number of kitchen food container collectors such as empty cereal boxes, spice containers etc. Though most people associate ephemera with paper, by definition, it can be anything that was meant to be thrown away. The major advantage of collecting this type of item is cost. Instead of paying $300-$3000 for a mint 1979/80 Wayne Gretzky Topp's rookie card, you can buy a full roll of 1979/80 Topps unused wrappers (91 in total) of about $280. Believe me, these are far rarer that the Gretzky card.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-80-Topps-hockey-card-wax-wrapper-roll-MINT-Gretzky-rookie-year-/221931556766?hash=item33ac26cf9e:g:4XMAAOSwI-BWOWwa
So, if you want to start collecting but are unsure of what, think outside the box. Unless of course you want to collect the box.
As shown above, ephemera certainly does have value. Everyone knows someone who collects sports cards, but did you know there are collectors of sports card wrappers? Yup, there are many collectors of throw-aways. Old menu inserts, bubble gum wrappers etc. There is a massive number of kitchen food container collectors such as empty cereal boxes, spice containers etc. Though most people associate ephemera with paper, by definition, it can be anything that was meant to be thrown away. The major advantage of collecting this type of item is cost. Instead of paying $300-$3000 for a mint 1979/80 Wayne Gretzky Topp's rookie card, you can buy a full roll of 1979/80 Topps unused wrappers (91 in total) of about $280. Believe me, these are far rarer that the Gretzky card.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1979-80-Topps-hockey-card-wax-wrapper-roll-MINT-Gretzky-rookie-year-/221931556766?hash=item33ac26cf9e:g:4XMAAOSwI-BWOWwa
So, if you want to start collecting but are unsure of what, think outside the box. Unless of course you want to collect the box.
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