By Paul Chenard (Copyright 2008)

A member of The Collectors Weekly Hall of Fame, Paul Chenard shows off his impressive collection of race car toys and automobilia on his personal site, focusing mostly on European racing history.

I’ve been collecting vintage toys since 1982. I started slowly and methodically, partly for lack of information, mostly for lack of finances. I used to collect any metal transportation toy that I found interesting, anything that caught my eye (and that I could afford). In the late 80s, a Canadian-made Chime tin wind-up racecar toy from about 1935 came into my …

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In an example of how certain categories of antiques and collectibles can rise and fall quickly, the market for gold coins is undergoing gyrations because of volatility in global commodity prices for the precious metal, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Because of the runup in the price of gold over the past year, many speculators have jumped into the gold coin market, hoping to use these coins as a bet on the price of gold, or a hedge against inflation. But when the price of gold dipped in …

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By Kimberly Wulfert (Copyright 2008)

Kimberly Wulfert is a quilt historian and collector whose website, www.antiquequiltdating.com, is a member of our Hall of Fame.

Many antique quilt collectors think of themselves as caretakers of historical documents, made at the hands of the needlework sisterhood before them. Their quilts speak to them and tell their story through clues in the style, fabric, pattern, quilt stitches and sometimes stitched or inked words, names, cities or dates.

The first time I went to an all antique quilt auction was in Southern California. One of those large Mid-western quilt dealer auction houses was holding …

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By Michael Jack (Copyright 2008)

Michael Jack, whose personal Flickr website is a member of our Hall of Fame, is a collector of vintage transistor radios.

Perhaps you recently saw a picture of a cool looking pocket radio from the early 1960’s and were reminded of your carefree, youthful days? Maybe it was the pastel colors or atomic aged designs that caught your eye? Or the chrome highlights that attracted your attention? Nonetheless, you find yourself actively seeking them out at the local flea market or surfing eBay for a good deal.

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