High End Collectibles

Are you interested in Disney collecting but are not sure what to collect?  What about those items that you can't always afford to purchase but love to look at and enjoy.

One of the favorites for me are the Thomas Kincaid Disney paintings.  He started with the Disneyland 50th Anniversary painting of Sleeping Beauty Castle and quickly expanded from there into Disney movies.  His paintings are incredibly detailed and exquisite to look at, yet for the average person you simply can't go get a painting every week or every trip.  Something like this is a rare purchase but very fulfilling.  We started a Disney Art collection years ago, but I am actually saving right now to purchase an actual Kincaid Oil Painting in the one to two thousand dollar price range.  The nice thing about this is it will only go up in value over the years.

There are some things that people collect that are not worth displaying.  These low end items tend to be boxed up and stored instead of enjoyed on a daily basis.  Take for example a Disney Key Chain collection.  This is one thing I collect because it is inexpensive and easy.  Key Chains are small and easy to take on an airplane and fit into luggage with no problems, but do I keep them out where I can see them each day?  No, definitely not.

One thing worth collecting are Disney Books.  There are a few that have shot up in price over the years almost instantly.  The original Nickel Tour book is valued over $2000 now and the reissue from a few years ago is close to $1000 in value.  I have the reissue copy of the book and refuse to part with it.  I have only opened it once, but for me it is sentimental.  I wanted that book so badly and then one day, the reissue happened and I was thrilled.  That book will remain in my book case. 

The Story of Walt Disney by Diane Disney Miller is worth money and I am actually selling that book in mint condition still shrink wrapped.  This book is actually a reprint from a book in the 1950's and was issued in paperback and hard back.  The paperback has no value, yet the hardback copy easily sells for over $500 dollars.  I got the book for Christmas one year and never opened it.  To be honest I have never opened more than half of my Disney books.  Why?  Because I always hope to find one with a high value years later.

Disneyland Paris:  From Sketch to Reality is now worth money and I happen to have a signed copy of the book.  It is also for sale right now.  This book is absolutely amazing with the pictures and sketches inside.  I purchased it signed and put it up on the book case to wait until an appropriate time to sell it.  I have another book signed by Tony Baxter that I will not part with at this time.  Tony Baxter is a hero of mine. 

A lot of people collect Disney Pins.  These are hard to display unless you have a book or something similar for display.  Several years ago I went to the local mall every Saturday morning for a few months to get all of the 100 Years of Dreams.  I also bought the book made especially for this 100 pins and then I put it in storage.  Yep.  I worked hard to get all of the pins and put them in a book but I still never look at them.  Over a thousand dollars worth of pins in a box in the attic.  Now it is for sale.

There are also a few high end collectibles that are worth storing.  I have a beautiful silver Mickey Mouse Porringer that is actually in the collectors book that I got for a great price on EBay years ago.  Silver is constantly going up in value so even though this item is in storage it is not worth selling at this time.

This brings me back to this question:  Why buy it if you are going to box it up?  Think carefully about the storage of the item(s) you buy before you leave the Disney Parks with a purchase. 

Books are easy to store.  Most people have a bookcase in their house, and books are loved and enjoyed.  Keep in mind if you are buying with the idea of selling though, the less you touch it the better it will be.  Most books are not so expensive, so if you really want to read it and look at it, buy two copies.  I did this with Disneyland Through the Decades.  This is an absolutely beautiful book inside and out and I loved it enough that I bought it twice and didn't know it.  I still love the book and now have one I can actually enjoy. 

Disney Art is another item that has easy storage but it is much more expensive.  Most pieces of Art hand on the wall where they can be enjoyed every day.  They usually don't sit in storage in the attic.

Some people collect the Big Figurines, which are beautiful but not practical if you have no place to display these larger items. 

Clocks are one of my collections that we love to have displayed as is easily seen in our family room.  Again, most of these hang on the walls and can be seen every day.  In one room we have over twenty clocks, but it looks appropriate for the room and is something we can enjoy.

As I write this there are several inexpensive pieces of Disney Art on our table waiting to be hung on the walls.  Of course, when I get my Kincaid Oil we will have to find the perfect spot.

The toughest thing with High End Collectibles is the quandary of whether to display them or store them.  My feeling is that if you go to the time and expense to purchase a high end collectible, you want to display it.

The 100 Years of Dreams pin set that is in a book can be a coffee table book.  My Disneyland:  The Nickel Tour can be a coffee table book.  The nice thing is that you purchased the item and can do with it as you choose.

Yes, my silver porringer is in storage, but it is safe from harm in storage.  One day it may pay for something big for our family.

You have to determine immediately upon purchase one thing.  Do you plan to sell this item for profit later?  If that is the case, storage is usually the appropriate solution for these items.

I have most of my clocks on display with no intention of selling them any time soon. 

If you choose to display it is important to keep the original packaging for reselling purposes.  A written document with a date of purchase and purchase price is also good to leave in the box.  Cash register receipts fade and become unreadable, so writing it yourself is a good idea.  Years later you won't remember the when and how much but it is good to have that information.

Now one thing I will caution.  Sometimes it takes a little luck.  Both to purchase, and to resell a high end collectible.  It may take luck to find the perfect item.  And if you purchase with the intent of selling later, it takes luck to find the right item.  You can't know when purchasing a book that it will be worth over a thousand dollars in five years.  That takes a little bit of luck. 

So enjoy your high end collecting.  I am enjoying the hunt right now, knowing exactly which piece of art I will purchase is not the issue.  It is coming up with the money to bring my new baby home, and yes, I will most definitely display my art, just as I display my clocks.  Because if you can't enjoy it why have it?  (The reason a big part of my collection is for sale right now)