You’re walking along one day and something catches your eye. You pick it up, observe it, and decide you’d like to keep it. It might be a rock found along side the road, or a marble that has long ago rolled under your bed. Before you know it, you start to accumulate similar objects and you end up with a collection!
A collection can be anything you want, and especially something that makes you feel good. Collecting can be like a treasure hunt – you never know what you will find. Obtaining new items for your collection is exciting. A collection is also a great way to practice organization skills by cataloging and determining ways to display your collection. You learn to observe and classify objects, as well as learn how to value items.
Some collections last a lifetime – a hobby that allows you to add, sell or trade items over the course of many years.
What to Collect?
Not sure what to collect? Here are some ideas:
- Stamps – Collect stamps from all around the world!
- Coins – Coin collections are always fun for kids – and a great way to save money! Collect the state quarters, rare coins, and more.
- Rocks – Rocks are all around us, and are easy to find. Collect rocks by type, color, size, or even by location or geographic area. Use a Rock Field Guide to help you identify the rocks in your collection.
- Postcards – Postcards from your hometown, your country, and from around the world are fun to look at and organize. You might even want to create your own postcards and trade them with friends!
- Books – Base your collection on the type of book, the genre, the author, or whatever interests you.
- Bookmarks – Bookmarks come in all different sizes and types. Perhaps you can find vintage bookmarks to add to your collection!
- Sports Trading Cards – There are so many choices for sports trading cards! Choose your favorite sport (or sports) and get started on your collection!
- Artist Trading Cards – Create Artist Trading Cards and then trade them with friends and family. It’s an enjoyable and creative hobby! Click Artist Trading Cards to read our blog article on how to get started.
- Autographs – Gather autographs from athletes, actors and actresses, or even your neighbors, friends, and family! You never know when someone might become famous! Carry a blank book with you everywhere you go and start collecting autographs today!
- Comic Books – Comic books have been around for a long time. Will your collection contain comic books that your parents had when they were kids? Or will they contain comic books from your own childhood? You decide!
- Old Fishing Lures – Vintage fishing lures are colorful and fun to look at, especially when you imagine the fish caught on each one!
- Banks – Gather a collection of new and old banks and display them together on a shelf. Not only are they fun to look at, you can also use them to store your spare change (or your coin collection)!
- Marbles – Marbles are just as much fun to look at as they are to collect! Take a look at this selection of marbles!
- Dolls – Barbie dolls, vintage dolls, modern dolls – they all make interesting collections! You could collect dolls that are similar to each other (such as Barbie dolls), dolls from different parts of the world, or dolls of various sizes. This is such a broad category for collecting!
- Stickers – Fruit stickers, stickers you receive in the mail, product stickers, or gumball stickers. Decide which type of stickers you would like to keep, then stick them in a blank book for safe-keeping.
- Buttons – There is a wide variety of buttons that you could collect! Buttons from clothes, campaign buttons – you name it!
- Insects – Learn about the world of bugs by collecting them! Butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, and beetles are all fun to collect. Use an Insect Field Guide to help you identify the bugs you find.
- Maps – Keep a collection of maps from all the places you have visited, or wish to visit. Old maps or new maps can make a really interesting collection.
Hopefully this list will spark some ideas for fun things that you can start collecting today!
Collection Tips:
- Keep Receipts – If you purchase an item to be added to your collection, make sure to keep the receipt so you can value your item in the future.
- Keep Packaging – If your item came in a package or box, make sure to keep the original packaging. Some collections may be worth more in the future if you have the original boxes.
- Keep Your Collection Safe – Always make sure to handle your collection carefully and store it in a safe location. If you keep your collection on a shelf, you may want to make sure it is not in direct sunlight, as this may cause some items to fade over time.
- Research Your Collection – It can be very exciting and interesting to research information about the pieces in your collection. The library and the internet are both wonderful resources.
- Keep a Record – Make sure to keep a record of each piece as you add it to your collection. Record the date, location, price (if you purchased an item), and any additional notes about the item. You could record this information in a notebook or in a spreadsheet on the computer. You may even want to take a picture of each item, and store the pictures somewhere safe. If your collection is extremely valuable, records and pictures are helpful for insurance purposes.
Additional Resources:
Listed below are several websites you may want to check out to help you with your collection:
- American Philatelic Society – This is an excellent website for kids interested in creating a stamp collection. Lots of good information here!
- The Mystery Box – This website is a great place to learn more about stamps and stamp collecting.
- U.S.Mint for Kids – This website includes information about coin collecting, and is specifically for kids. There are games, articles, and additional information. A great resource!
- U.S. Geological Society – This link to the USGS has interesting information about collecting rocks.
- Rock Hounds – This is a really nice website that describes how to start a rock collection.
- Postcardy – This website has links to information about postcard collections, values, and more.
- The Topps Company – An authority on Sports Card Collection information.
- Bekkett – Contains Sports Cards Price Guides, Card Values, and Trading.
- Smithsonian Education – This website contains lots of excellent resources for “Kids Collecting”.
- Barbie Collector – This website includes information for Barbie Doll collectors.
- University of Kentucky Entomology for Kids – This website is all about bugs! An excellent resource for insect collectors.
- Kids Collect! – This website is for kids and has stories by kids about their collections.
