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Collectables made into investments

Collectables are limited-supply items that are desired for their potential value increase. As a financial hedge against inflation, collectables could be considered a form of insurance. Their value will increase as they become scarcer, damaged or destroyed over time. There is one drawback to investing, especially in obscure collectables. The risk of fraud is another danger.

The 1960s to early 1990s were a significant time for modern collectables manufacturing. Although some people purchased collectables for their own enjoyment and personal use, others bought them as investments. Many of these pieces became popular investments, leading to speculative markets. Duplicates are common as many people buy duplicates for investment. While many collectables were listed as "limited editions", their actual production numbers were very high. There is little demand for many of the items made during this period and their market value is often very low.

As incentives, early manufactured collectables included cigarette cards in cigarettes packs. Popular items found a secondary marketplace and became popular enough to be the subject of "collectible trends". Many collectible items were eventually sold separately instead of being used to market other products.

Manufacturers will often produce a whole series of a particular collectable to encourage collecting. For example, you might find Beanie Babies with different designs or sports cards depicting players. Enthusiasts may attempt to gather all of the available variants.

Collector editions support collectables in a different way. Collector editions are rare and often contain extra content that could be of value to collectors. This practice is most commonly used in video games.

Collectable is an object considered to be valuable or of special interest by collectors. Collectables aren't always rare or of high monetary value. There are many terms and types of collectables. An antique is an item that is older than the rest. A curio can be a small, often fascinating or uncommon item that collectors seek. A manufactured collection is an item created specifically for collectors.

A "manufactured", or contemporary, collectable is an item specifically made for collectors. Plates, figurines and bells are all common collectables. The Gift and Collectibles Guild is a membership organization that includes companies that make manufactured collectables.