Whether it is Van Halen’s guitar pick or Britney Spears’ empty Starbucks frapacchino cup, the celebrity memorabilia market is a hot one, and it is growing in popularity every day. We live in a celebrity-obsessed world these days where Paris Hilton spending one night in jail makes headlines for weeks and the death of Michael Jackson takes priority over the ongoing economic crisis and civil unrest in the Middle East. It is no surprise that the market for celebrity memorabilia is one of the most popular and thriving collectors’ markets out there. This being said, there is something magical about owning your own little piece of fame.
Being a collector of celebrity memorabilia can be a very lucrative and exciting hobby. For those of you who are ready to jump into the thrilling, star-studded (no paparazzi please!) world of collecting celebrity memorabilia, I have put together some tips and helpful hints on starting your very own celebrity memorabilia collection.
* Choose a type of celebrity, particular celebrity, or category of celebrity memorabilia that you plan to build you collection around. If Marilyn Monroe is your favorite celebrity icon, only collect Marilyn Monroe items. If you are interested in collecting items relate to old Hollywood, browse the market to see what is out there related to early motion picture stars. Some even narrow their collections down to only include, for example, early vintage concert/ movie posters of the 30s. Whatever interests you the most, go for it!
* Do a little research to see what is out there. When you are choosing a theme as a foundation for your soon to be incredible celebrity memorabilia collection, it is important to do a little online browsing to see what you have to work with. This will help you avoid choosing a category that is too rare or too expensive to build a collection on. It can also give you good insight as to what things are worth in a particular category. For example, a free promotional watch given out at the opening of “A Nightmare Before Christmas” recently sold for $200! You never know what you might have thrown in the back of your storage closet that might be worth hundreds of dollars. Check out websites such as eBay.com, the iTaggit Listings, and craigslist.org to get a feel for what is out there. Also, you can use iTaggit’s ValueRange It tool to find today’s market value of any item by typing in a short description and clicking GO! It is THAT easy!
* Set a budget. We would all love to go out and spend an entire paycheck on an Audrey Hepburn worn pearl necklace or an original autographed Elvis record, but this is not the way to maintain a collection. This may seem like a ridiculous and obvious piece of advice but trust me, when you really get into collecting and you come across something that would be the absolutely perfect “cherry on top” for your collection, it is really hard to say no. Our brains process the “I want” before the “Do I really need this?” It is a fact! Set yourself a budget for how much you are willing to spend on each item or how much you are willing to spend a month will help you to stay on track financially.
* Know where to shop. If you are shopping online for your celebrity memorabilia, search for website that guarantee authenticity. eBay is also a great place to shop, as you will find many rare and interesting items. If you prefer shopping for your collectible in person, I would suggest auction houses (you can find incredible items here), antique stores, and specialty memorabilia stores. If you are shopping for autographs, make sure you get a certificate of authenticity if possible. This will greatly affect the value of your autograph.
* Keep an eye on the value and potential value of your celebrity memorabilia. Monitor the market and stay on top of the latest in pop culture news at all time. Things like celebrity scandals, deaths, and fads affect the market in a big way. Staying current on your celebrity trivia will keep you keen on what is hot, what is not, and what could be in the future. For example, I bet even one year ago you didn’t think that a signed Micheal Jackson Biography would be going for $10,000,000 dollars on eBay in 2009. You never know what you already own that could pay all of your bills for the rest of your life. Also, it is important to keep your eyes and ears out there for tomorrow’s next big star.
* Learn what makes celebrity memorabilia valuable. There are certain things that greatly affect the value of your items. As I said above, some of the obvious factors affecting value include celebrity feuds, scandals, deaths, births, etc. Anything that propels your star to the top of the headlines means an increase in value of your collectibles. Some other factors that affect the value of your memorabilia include the condition of your items, authenticity, the level of interest in the theme of you collection, and rarity. Some of the most popular celebrity items sold online are costumes, props, autographs and posters. Items relating to famous early movie stars, such as Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Greta Garbo, are some of the most popular of celebrity memorabilia.
Sign up with iTaggit to digitize, protect, sell, and share your celebrity memorabilia with friends and family!
Also, check out our 10 Weeks of Cash contest win a $50 gift card every week for the next nine weeks!
