Collecting memorabilia is a rather special job. It can be one of the most fulfilling things you ever do. In fact, you should be familiar with a couple of things before you end up wasting your time and money in collecting things that don't really have much value to begin with. When you do get the perfect signed memorabilia, there is no feeling quite like it. In fact, some of the best possessions are purchased after trial and error and not because the collector knows what they wanted. After learning these tips, you too might be ready to go out there and see for yourself how it feels like to be a revered collector in the community.
For us, like many this began as a hobby, which gradually takes over your life.
The first tip for a new collector, without any credible experience in the field is to go only with well trusted sources and recommendations. NEVER EVER bid on things that you do not feel 100% comfortable with. If possible, buy direct from reputable and well known and trusted dealers. If using auction sites tread carefully. eBay is a minefield of disasters with fakes and horror stories all over the place. In all cases of genuine and reputable dealers selling genuine signed memorabilia, they will usually offer it at a flat rate, which means that you don't have much to be worried about.If you are in the market looking for particular signed memorabilia but have no idea as to how much they might cost, then it is safe to say that you should always play it safe and look at past history of that particular object. In many cases, you might have learnt that the item had fetched a lot of money at a particular point in time, but now, it might have a different value. Depending on the present situation, the memorabilia might have increased or decreased in its value. Hence, you might need to be careful and make sure that you pick something that is going to hold its value for time to come.
If you are buying the signed memorabilia for personal reasons only, then resale value should not really be a concern. In this case, don't let the seller get the better of you. Don't offer a price that is extremely exaggerated or much more than what it should be. Be careful and pay only the amount that the item might truly be worth for. If you are truly desperate for a piece then you may want to pay over the average to secure it, but even then do not go crazy. We would suggest paying no more than 10% above what you think is fair. In this situation most decent companies, especially those you build a relationship with, will allow you some slack and may even offer a lay away service or interest free payments. If you fear someone may get the item before you, try to become a little aggressive and then offer a little money to secure it immediately.
In order to get started on what sort of genuine signed memorabilia you might want, you should check out http://www.rareandsigned.com This is a great website with all the right links in order to ensure that you get a good deal on a vast array of memorabilia. Their reputation is fantastic and they even supply famous figures you may collect around the world ! With an inventory covering everything from fine art and original paintings through to rock and roll and sporting memorabilia, they have the largest online stock of genuine signed books by Stephen King & J K Rowling. They also have in stock over 1000 genuine signed items by The Beatles.
