European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse The craze for collecting everything from cars to cans by Holly Ornstein new York times t f collecting is like Caling peanuts m m m you have one and can t Slop says Malcolm s Forbes. Inc 67 year old chairman of Forbes Magazine inc. A Shou d know. Since he purchased his Lisl set at miniature world War t doughboy of auction More than 50 ears ago he has acquired 12.000 Loy soldiers 1.200 miniature motorcycles -40 shipbuilders models and 500 Loy Boals including a 1905 battleship Tor which he paid s2i.ooo and icon Mere is always the key to the while House from the Lincoln Era. And of course his famous Colt Clion of fac re eggs Forbes is Cne of millions of americans with a passion for collecting Stamps political Sullons. Wine bottles baseball cards matchbooks butterflies Aimos anything. For most of them it is a Hobby. But Lor Many it is also an investment almost everything is Worth More Man when we started says Forbes. Collectibles languished As an a Lemal Rve investment during the inflationary period of lire Early 80s. Bui now that Low interest rates and a weak Economy have taken the Bloom off stocks Bonds and Money Market accounts collectibles arc regaining favor. More and More people Are gelling into collectibles because they have been burned so Many times on other investments says Oddvin Lokken a Manhattan dentist who started collecting cars 15 years ago and a Simatos thai his 12 and quo cars have increased in value by 80 percent since he bought them. Cars Are a particularly valuable collectible. Some people buy and sell cars like stocks says Joseph Oldham. Editor of popular mechanics Magazine. He guesses he could gel �20,000 if he wanted to sell the 1957 Ford thunderbird that to bought in 1974 for 53.000. His 1969 Che Ratel Camero Cove Lible also has doubled in value he says from the $4,000 he paid for it in 1979. Bui Money is not the Only motivating Force behind collections. Collectors Are being enticed by nostalgia and a desire Lor status Loo. Teddy bears comic books and Rock n Roll Memorabilia have new popularity. Collecting has typically been Lor the Rich bul most people can t afford old master paintings and diamonds says Lillian bobbins professor of psychology at Rul Geis University in Newark n. J. Nostalgia based items she says give people of modes moans some status " traditional collectibles remain the most popular. According to Ruth Cronk president of the International Barbie doll collectors club in new York Stamps remain i to most popular collectibles followed by dolls. Coins moved from inc top spot three years ago but Ara san l the third most common collectible the Federal government is getting in on the collectible Boom Loo Starling in 1987, new Gold and Silver Bullion coins will be made eligible for investments in individual retirement accounts. For about a year. Arnold Tafte has been showing up each week at the outdoor Lea Market at 76lh Street and Columbus Avenue in Manhattan with a Colt Clion at old books farm tools Glass trinkets and other items he gleaned from his attic or from country garage sales. I can make anywhere from $100 to 13.000 in a Day he says. Jalife is one of Many budding entrepreneurs who Aro making a business out of catering to collectors. Like him some Are trotting out their own artefacts in the Hopo Hairejr will fit into someone else s collection. Othen Are printing guides to collector s items. And still others Are marketing new products As instant the proliferation of collectibles has put information at a Premium. In the past year sales of guides to collectibles has increased 35 percent according to the Baker & Taylor co., a Book distributor in Somerville for example a barbed i
