News-Antique.com - Sep 24,2009 - Right now, the financial world as we know it has gone crazy. The housing market has died, and the stock market has plunged. Interest for CDs has gone down to practically zero. Consumer prices are starting to rise. What is a person to do?
If you have available money to invest, you need to receive more than 1% or 2% interest to outrun inflation. You want your principle to grow, not to shrink. If you were once able to live on Social Security, pensions, sales, and interest, you probably thought you had it made. After all, you didn’t need to reach into your capital for day-to-day expenses. Perhaps your capital wasn’t growing, but it wasn’t shrinking either. Now, it’s a different story for many.
So where do you invest your extra money?
This is the time to invest in antiques and collectibles. Many collectibles, like Sebastian Miniatures, are now inexpensive, and are small enough that a good collection will not take up much room. When buying these little gems, buy the best that you can find. Condition is everything! If they’re broken or have large chips, it’s no fun to display them – and their resale value will suffer.
If you love dogs, but can’t keep one in your apartment, think about dogs from Mortens Studio, Kay Finch, Beswick, Royal Doulton, Weller, or Ceramic Arts Studio. These dogs are small enough to display, don’t need to be walked, and can light up your life. If you’re a cat person, there are marvelous vintage cats available also. Practically any animal is available in porcelain – penguins, horses, mice, bunnies. Rosemeade, a pottery once located in South Dakota, made marvelous pheasants, rabbits, cats, dogs and more.
How would you begin to collect? First, browse on-line antique malls to see what you like. When you find a line that appeals to you, buy a book that shows the values. Attend garage sales and estate sales to find good deals. Good deals can also be found at those on-line antique malls where you first looked. Finding those good deals can be fun; many a vacation has been built around antiquing.
So get started now, or continue having fun, as you find those special items that you can enjoy now and sell later!
