8 ‘Valuable’ Collectibles That Are Completely Worthless
You hear the stories all the time: someone pillaging a yard sale pays $1 for a knick-knack that turns out to be worth millions. As a result, many people invest in collectibles that we feel someday will be the basis for our children's college education.
Anyone who walks into my office and sees the array of "collectible" figurines may point to me as an example. Well, there's one difference: I know they're worthless (I collect them for fun).
The problem with most collectibles is that as soon as something becomes incredibly popular, the company that produces said items begins to mass produce them, thereby making them worthless.
I was that way with books. I was always looking for first printing Stephen King novels. In his early days, before he become the printing machine he is today, it made sense. After all, they only produced 30,000 copies of Carrie in its first run. However, once he became popular his books were being produced a million at a time and the value of first printings trailed off.
Andrew Meola of The Street, a financial website, took a look at 15 of the most popular collectibles that in reality are worthless. He created the list by looking at the asking price of the items on eBay vs. what you could get the same item for on Amazon.
I knocked the list down to 8, because some of the things he listed I wouldn't consider "collectibles" in the fist place (marbles? Happy Meal toys?) and some were too generic or broad (Franklin Mint Collectibles? Trading Cards?). You can check out his list on The Street.
- twingrays via eBay
twingrays via eBay Hummel Figurines
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $8,500
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $10.50My grandmother, who came over to the United States from Germany following World War II, had a big collection. These may be worth a few bucks because they were produced BEFORE they became a thing.
- dmac5138 via eBay
dmac5138 via eBay Lladro Statues
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $18,500
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $45This is sad because I actually liked the art style. Again, I would collect them because I like the look, not as an investment.
- diamondcanvashqprint via eBay
diamondcanvashqprint via eBay Thomas Kinkade Paintings
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $21,000
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $30Did you know that with his later works he did a "base" image and then had apprentices embellish them in a "semi-industrial process."
- tkeeper via eBay
tkeeper via eBay Precious Moments Figurines
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $1,200
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $2.00Of all the items on the list, I like these the least. They were cloyingly cute.
- katiidol via eBay
katiidol via eBay Norman Rockwell Plates
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $1,049
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $1.06Now, if you have an actual Norman Rockwell painting that's one thing. But a mass-produced copy on cheap china?
- doublelucky555 via eBay
doublelucky555 via eBay Beanie Babies
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $499,000
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $2.99The poster boy for this very issue. When Beanie Babies came out they were huge. I even bought some for my daughter. The more popular they became, the more the company produced, flooding the market and making them all (for the most part) worthless.
- drevil1988 via eBay
drevil1988 via eBay Cabbage Patch Kids
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $1,499.99
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $9.99OK, I take back the Precious Moments comment. These are the ones I hate the most. They aren't cute. They were just creepy.
- storagedealsandsteals2012 via eBay
storagedealsandsteals2012 via eBay Hess Trucks
Highest Price on eBay (as of 05/26/15): $1,700
Lowest Price on Amazon (as of 05/26/15): $3.97I didn't even know these were a thing.
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