Collectible Plates

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Ranked #2,072 in DIY, #40,092 overall

Collectible Plates are great Decorations and Can make money too.

A Collectible Plate is one with a limited production run and is usually of a popular subject.

Collectible plates with investment possibilities include Norman Rockwell collectible Plates and thise by Disney Collectibles , Franklin Mint and the Bradford Exchange.

A word of caution here though - the last two companies do have a number of plates whose production run has gone into the thousands and those do not generally increase much in value. It is the lower production run plates that most collectors seek.

All collectible plates should always have a certificate of authenticity and be in the original box.

Like everything else there are sometimes copies and the certificate helps authenticate your purchase. Plates should also be numbered.

How to Collect Plates

and make money too !

Collectible Plates are a huge worldwide industry.
Thousands of people collect them and they make very desirable decorations.
Unfortunately not all plates rise in value.
Some actually lose value quite quickly and there are things to look for when considering a new plate.
Plates are like any other commodity - value is highest for rare or short run productions.

I would advise you not to consider any plate with a production run of over 1000 worldwide - some maker put in their advertisments 'limited by request' or ' to members only' and this makes it difficult to figure out their print run.

There are private individuals and companies producing short runs of collectible plates and these are probably your best bet for investment (although like everything else, investments in plates can go down as well as up.

I advise new investors to buy a book on Collectible Plate values and you will see what I mean.
That pretty much covers buying by mail order
Only buy plates you actually like. Try to stick to production runs under 500 if possible.
Never hang your plates by wire hangers (plastic coated ones may be OK) Old-fashioned wire hangers will damage your plates and make them worthless.

The best places to buy second-owner plates are either eBay or at flea markets or car boot sales (although car boot sale owners may have an inflated value of the plates) Try to pay less than 50% of the original price of the plate in these situations.

A postcard in a local supermarket will produce dozens of people who want to sell their plates.If you get these for a good price you can always resell them on ebay !

Collectible Plate News

ZUCK: Hurrah! They put me on a shorter treadmill: ... watch more TV when I get home in the evening, and spend my extra gas money on those collectible plates advertised on the back of Reader's Digest. ...

Buying at an Estate Sale or other Auction

Condition is Paramount

Once you have consulted your Collectible Plates guidebook, you should check every item in the sale.

Often collectible plates are hidden in boxes of mixed crockery or under tables.

Th main problem here is condition - many auction houses just treat plates like household crockery but ANY damage to a colletible relly does make it virtually worthless.

Things to look out for -
Edge Chips (Especially if the plate may have been dsplayed on a wall) - in Estate sales the plates may still be ON the Wall !

Hairline Cracks (usually caused during transport) - these and larger cracks pretty much make the plates unsalable again. Unless you can buy at a couple of dollars each,its probably best to save your money... at a couple of dollars you can generally make a small proft reselling at flea markets and boot sales.

The best deal to look for is batches of plates all of exactly the same subject since these will not be of interest to the genral public - but you can split them up to lots of auctions.
Don't try to sell them all at once but filter them on to the market.

Another good spot to lok for bulk buys is those companies who buy up bankrupt stock.
One of the best ways to find stock is from catalogue companies - they get hundreds of returns but usually the packaging is a little bent or scuffed. The only snag to this source is that you may have to buy a palette full of other goods too !

Your Favouorite Collectible Plates

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Collectible Plates From Amazon

The Plate Collector's Handbook: A Price Guide To Thousands Of Collectible Plates Issued From 1895 To Date

Collectible Plates

Collectible Plates are great Decorations and Can make money too.

How to Collect Plates

and make money too !

Collectible Plate News

Buying at an Estate Sale or other Auction

Condition is Paramount

Your Favouorite Collectible Plates

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Collectible Plates From Amazon

Collectible Modern Plates from Amazon

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