Whats it worth

[dee222]

I have talked to friends about this before what is the true value of a collection
take mine for example the most expensive item is £ 75 but the vast majority
is £1 or 2 mostly TRF and desert shirts etc , but my mates is 1000,s of pounds
so were is the true value is it the cash spent or enjoyment we get from collect
ing for me its the fun I get even though others have stated I have crap collection so what do you think .

[manchesters]

Any collection is worth what you can get for it when you sell it.

I can buy rare badges for thousands of pounds each but occasionally find a very valuable one far to cheap. Its not what you pay but what you can obtain when you sell it.

Collectors enjoy collecting and often pay over the odds to have a piece they really want. Its not always about the money.

But if people think you have a crap collection its probably worth crap money, if, and its a big if, you can sell it. Collectors wont buy crap generally and you may have to giver it away.

regards

[Roy]

Hi dee222,

Welcome to the forum.

One phrase that I learned early on in collecting that has proved right (for me) time and time again is:

'One will soon forget the money spent on an important item but always remember that special piece that got away'.

I know that does't answer your question but thought it relevant enough to share.

Happy collecting.

Cheerio,

Roy.

[ScouterEcho]

I endorse that view. A collection is worth what people will pay for it. The essence of collecting is the pleasure it gives you. Never look at it as an investment, although it will probably be. Even the price of gold plummets occasionally. But the joy of militaria is the history, and people love history in whatever form..

[Sonofacqms]

Originally Posted by ScouterEcho

I endorse that view. A collection is worth what people will pay for it. The essence of collecting is the pleasure it gives you. Never look at it as an investment, although it will probably be. Even the price of gold plummets occasionally. But the joy of militaria is the history, and people love history in whatever form..

I entirely agree with the above quote, in the past I have collected stamps, foreign coins, matchbox labels, beermats and a host of other things, but badges have been my main interest for years, what they are worth is up to the person who buys them, but I could have saved my money and put it into stocks and shares or put it into the bookies, I may have made or lost a fortune, but my badges have history, family history and if they could talk what a story they could tell . . !

Rob

[ubervamp]

Originally Posted by dee222

I have talked to friends about this before what is the true value of a collection
take mine for example the most expensive item is £ 75 but the vast majority
is £1 or 2 mostly TRF and desert shirts etc , but my mates is 1000,s of pounds
so were is the true value is it the cash spent or enjoyment we get from collect
ing for me its the fun I get even though others have stated I have crap collection so what do you think .

Hi

"Value" can refer to several things, as other members have mentioned.
Pure monetary value (as in what you'd get if selling)
Sentimental value (a family members badge would probably be worth far more to you than to anyone else)
Value derived from the joy of collecting (which is individual and incalcuable)

I have badges I have no real interest in, other than the price I could get for them. Thats their value.
Also I have badges which I covet, and would never sell, even for a great price. They are valuable to me.
And I have a collection I've spent years on, and the joy that has given me, along with the friends I've made underways represents a huge value to me.

To say someones collection is crap refers either to monetary value or the fact that the person making the statement finds it uninteresting. Either way, they have not taken into account what it represents to YOU, or the inherent value of the other facets of collecting.

Does your collecting bring you joy? Do you have badges you like for other reasons than their potential selling value? If so - the have a value only you can appreciate.

Happy collecting!

Cheers

Colin

[Peter Brydon]

A lot of the insignia we now pay good prices for, you could probably have picked up next to nothing at the time they were being worn ( WW1 and WW2 items during those conflicts were often given away to anyone who expressed an interest in them )

Whilst there are a lot of dud and spurious items being sold on E bay and elsewhere today, I think that with the passage of time, if there are still collectors about, genuine stuff that we might today regard as crap may well become valuable collectables at some time in the future.

P.B.

[Ian B]

I like the quote, "One person's trash is another's treasure." So, if people say what you've got is rubbish, that's their problem. If you like it, collect it!

Your collection may be seen as an investment, and I do keep a record of what mine might be worth. However, I am realistic enough to know I may never get back what I spent. This is due to the state of the economy right now, having more than a few common badges (everyone has one and few want a handful of spares) and shrinking collector numbers.

My collection is my collection. Don't let anyone tell what you should consider interesting.

Ian

[Charliedog012012]

I have never considered my collection as a potential investment. I find real joy in the collection, the research and the history of the regiments. Some badges are special to me because of the association of certain regiments to particular battles...eg: Pals badges, Family members and their regiments who were killed on the Somme and the Newfoundland badge because of their great sacrifice on 1st July 1916. What is also a real joy to me is the help, advice and sharing of expertise and experience that members of this forum have given to me.....that is worth its weight in gold and I am grateful for their kindness. Monetary value for me is of little relevance.

[dee222]

Many thanks for all the comments , the collection I have brings me a lot of fun
I have a lot of named u s special forces items and airborne stuff also modern
British stuff from 50,s onward I was told my collection was crap by members
of the local collectors club because I don't have any WWII stuff and this was a problem for them but its to expensive for me , the main point for me is the enjoyment of the info it brings

[Peter Brydon]

In the 1950`s and 1960`s army surplus shops were full of wartime kit and badges which were piled high and being sold for next to nothing. With the passage of time a lot of that stuff has disappeared and war time dated kit now seems to command high prices and has even resulted in a lot of the stuff being reproduced.

My advise to anyone is to collect what gives you pleasure and even if what you collect currently has little value, with the passage of time you may find you are sitting on some valuable items. But as has already been said, if one of the main reasons for collecting is the anticipation of making a profit, you may find you get little enjoyment out of your collection.

P.B.

[ubervamp]

One of my favourite badges was actually given to me by a kind member of the forum.
It's a pretty common , inexpensive badge, but it opened up a whole new avenue of collecting to me, which gave me many hours of pleasure researching, loads of new knowledge and led to several new freindships. To me that's priceless!

I agree with Peter : collect what gives you pleasure.
There are many badges I would love to have in my collection, but are currently outside my financial scope. Would they give me more pleasure than the above mentioned "freebie"? I doubt it.
As for someone dissing your collection for not including ww2 badges I think they have rather misunderstood a major point of collecting. It should be enjoyable. Or maybe they are badge snobs? Or just totally into ww2 badges and find everything else boring?
Either way you say you get enjoyment from the different aspects of collecting through research, knowledge, etc. That alone tells me your collection isn't crap

Cheers

Colin

[dee222]

Once again thanks for comments it may or may not interest you to know
that I was never aloud to join the local collectors club , but there you go my collection is still growing added A&SH badges and rank sliders and green howards desert shirt today so all good

Dave