What do you collect, and what do your treasures say about you?

Do you collect anything as a hobby? Different folks collect all sorts of things. Sometimes people collect certain items as an investment, but often it’s just for fun! Toys, coins, stamps, comic books, trading cards, autographs and rocks are just a few of the things that people might seek out to add to their collections.

Collectibles can be extremely rare or fairly common, priceless or relatively inexpensive—maybe even free. Rare trading cards in good (or mint) condition can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars! The highest price ever paid for a baseball card was $12.6 million for a 1952 Mickey Mantle card. This valuable rookie card, Topps #311, was auctioned in 2022.

Maybe you collect Pokémon cards or trade them with your friends. Pokémon started as two role-playing games called Pocket Monsters. The video games were released on Game Boy in February 1996. The games soon spawned manga, animated shows and a trading card game. A first edition holographic Charizard card from 1999 is one of the rarest and most expensive Pokémon cards in the world—it can list at $25,000–$200,000.

At the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, a special Pikachu in Grey Felt Hat trading card was given to museum visitors as part of a Pokémon Adventure earlier this year. The collaboration between the museum and Pokémon highlighted the Japanese influence seen in Van Gogh’s art. The Pokémon paintings and activities continue at the Van Gogh Museum through Jan. 7, 2024, but the trading cards are no longer available. The museum stopped giving out the special Pikachu cards in October after it was OVERWHELMED by crowds of Pokémon fans and card resellers.

There are many things that people collect that don’t cost very much—some may cost nothing at all! Buttons, stickers, rocks, leaves, and even pencils or erasers are common objects that can become a collection.

Rocks can be expensive or inexpensive depending on the type you collect.

While some rocks, gems and minerals can be rare and precious, a rock like quartz is pretty easy to find in the deserts of Arizona. You may even find some interesting specimens in your own backyard! But when you are in public places and you see an interesting rock, leaf or feather, make sure it is allowed before you touch it. National Parks and other public lands have Leave No Trace principles that ask visitors to leave all natural objects the same as they found them.

Your collection can also be a reflection of your personal style. Maybe it’s a collection of hats, pins or buttons. If you collect enamel pins, you can show the world your favorite characters, remember the special places you visit, or interact with other pin traders who share your love of colorful pins.

Toys,Toys and More Toys!

You probably have toys. Maybe you have amassed mountains of toys, towers of toys, a plethora of playthings! But what makes your pile of plushies, hoard of Hot Wheels, MENAGERIE of Minifigs or accumulation of action figures a collection?

When you gather more than three of a similar item, it can become a collection. If you want to get fancy, you might organize and even catalog your prized possessions. You may seek out special versions of the toys you collect—ones with unique colors, themes or holiday decorations. The best part of a collecting hobby is that the things you collect can represent your interests and personality. Most of all, it is fun!

Vintage or rare toys can be worth big bucks but, just like trading cards, a lot depends on whether the toy is in good condition or even still in the original box or packaging. For most kids, it is more fun to unpack and play with their toys than to worry about any future collectibility or potential value. So break out those Barbies, race your Hot Wheels, and give your favorite stuffed animal a big hug!

A Record-Breaking Pencil Collection!

Aaron Bartholmey has the world record for the largest collection of pencils. The Iowa man started collecting pencils as a kid. Bartholmey, now 37, has almost 70,000 unsharpened pencils, and he is still adding to his collection!

He started his collection after he and his classmates received pencils from their first-grade teacher at Christmastime. Bartholmey kept collecting pencils and would look for interesting ones when he visited flea markets with his grandfather. He has a pencil that is over 100 years old, pencils from presidential campaigns, sports teams, businesses and celebrations.  This summer Bartholmey submitted his documentation for 69,255 pencils to Guinness. It took about 17 hours for two counters from the American Pencil Collectors Society to go through each box of pencils—one would count and the other would recount. Then it took about three months for Guinness to CERTIFY the record. In November it was confirmed that Bartholmey had the new Guinness World Record! He easily beat the previous record of 24,026 pencils.

In a statement Bartholomey enthused, “It’s pretty unbelievable to know I hold that title and officially have the largest collection in the world!”

The Amazing World of COMICS

It’s All About Books

People who love or collect books are called bibliophiles. Books can be fun to collect for sentimental reasons, or you may just have a favorite author or series and so you end up with a collection. Special books may be signed by the author or be a first edition.

Comic books became very popular in the 1930s with some of the biggest superheroes in the genre—Superman and Batman—leading the way. Those caped crusaders are still very popular, but today many diverse characters populate the pages of comic books and graphic novels. Bookstores, second hand stores and garage sales are cool places to peruse for fun books or comics.

Favorite Heroes Began in Comic Books!

Do you love comic books and graphic novels? Are you a fan or DC or Marvel? These days the feud in films is heated, but it all began in the comics.

The “Big Three” of DC are Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. While on the Marvel side, the X-Men and Spider-Man are the most popular characters.

Superman was the best-selling character in American comic books until the 1980s, and he still tops many lists as the most popular superhero. But the new top spot for comic book sales goes to your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Are you a fan of superheroes, comics and anime? Look for exciting news in the next issue of Bear!