In general, it is kind of interesting how much “knick-knacks” from the mid 20th century have appreciated in the kitsch-collector market (aided by eBay, et. al). Which brings me to ask some of you this: Is it necessary for old toys and dolls and well anything to be in near-perfect condition for it to bring much money? Anything I have from my past (Barbie dolls, etc.) were played with to death, and look it.

It is this reason why I have stalled at putting old, read and re-read books on amazon or half.com. I’m worried I will not describe their condition accurately and will get pissed-off customers. I feel to be safe I could just explain that they are a reader’s copy and not in good condition for anything else.

As for the Breyer horses … little girls are so into horses now, it’s like a contagion! Your daughter will probably love them. As a child, I remember how precious my mother’s old toys were to me. They’ll pay off one way or another.

Cheers for a nice read.

Leave this one alone or your wife will come to resent you. This isn’t a prinipal of frugality, it’s being cheap; wanting to make a quick buck regardles of who it will hurt. You may think the value is sliding on this junk that’s taking up valuable storage space. But what else are you planning on storing. Your baseball cards? Other junk that you can justify?

What about your daughter. She will be old enough to apreciate them someday and I’m sure she will be grateful for a collection of breyer horses if only because they were her mothers. You never know what their value will be. There will always be someone looking to collect things.

Maybe your daughter will inherit them and decided to sell them off. Maybe she will make a small fortune on them. Maybe the horses will be a Godsend. Maybe when you and your wife are old and can’t take care of yourselves she will have to sell them off to take care of you. You never know. Or maybe she will get married and tell her hubby to get ****** when he suggest selling them :)

And you don’t know what things you call crap will be worth. I know this girl who’s grandmother saved everything. When they cleaned out the house they found unopened boxes of cereal that were worth hundreds of dollars. Peole collect the darndest things so if your wife means more to you than $, don’t go there. And don’t listen to these people who are saying you should make your wife do it. She is an adult. You shouldn’t attempt to make her do anything.

My assessment is the same as yours. If you don’t need the money, and the item brings you joy, you should keep it.

Do I need my baseball cards? Absolutely not. But they bring my joy even though they just sit in my closet. Thanks for the great article, and inspiring me to write one of my own.

A lot of well-being comes through not being in debt, being able to afford necessities and a few nice things, saving for the future, but well-being is a lot broader. I think you draw a nice distinction between just gathering stuff and collecting things that bring you joy, even periodically (and the joy isn’t just from acquiring them, but from looking through them).

As for me, I actually do listen to my albums on a vintage-look turntable that cost $100. It enables me to record the album onto a CD or a tape. I love it and I love the albums and their covers. It’s as fun as pulling an old book I love from the bookshelf and reading it again or at least perusing. High-tech it ain’t, and I’m probably the only human alive who still uses a Walkman, but it works for me until the day comes I can afford an iPod other than the shuffle.

On a related topic … what about guilt-inducing items you could possibly sell? I have a few things–overly florid china pieces that could bring $100, maybe–that were given to me when a relative died. They are not my taste at all, but I feel very sad and guilty at the thought of selling them just so I could put a couple of hundred dollars’ tops at my credit card debt of my own making.

Recently I have decided to get rid of all my excess frames and instead keep only what I wanted to hang up right now. Then once a month I change out all the photos. My friends love visiting because they say it feels like walking into a rotating gallery with something new everytime, plus I free up a ton of storage space while still getting to keep and make use of my photos

If every season, you switch out your horse or the five cards that will fit in your picture frame, then you are getting that nice feeling of looking through everything once a season also.

I have a bunch of Girl Scout badges and patches which I like looking at. I stuck most of them on my old vest to wear as a Halloween costume, but then just hung it up in my closet between my jackets and shirts. Now when I’m digging through my closet, I often get a glimpse of this, which makes me smile.

I used to collect rocks. I keep them on display hoping some little kid will love it and I can give it away. This would be more likely if I actually met kids and then actually invited them over.

I still collect coins because I think they’re pretty and interesting; not for resale value. I keep them in a notebook in pockets with special holders, and every time I go to a foreign country, I save one of each coin to bring home and sometimes my favorite bill.

I also collect books and DVDs, but am learning to heavily prune those. I plan to keep only the ones I am re-reading and lending out.

I used to collect comics, those have to be put away and not displayed, because light destroys them.

On the topic of finances and collecting, I think one or two collecting hobbies is fine, but no matter, you HAVE TO stay in budget and have the discipline to pass up a ‘good deal’ if you are having trouble paying regular bills. Priorities!