Signs Of Endangered Collectibles

I recently was looking around the web when I came upon this article not about stamps but collecting in general. Its dated 2010 but it discusses some of the signposts to watch out for a collectible market in decline.

http://www.harryrinker.com/col-1206.html

I remember when this first appeared and thought it was very good, too. So much of what you read about the future of stamp or other collecting is repetitive. This article has some useful insights that I, at least hadn't thought of before.

Excellent article, my first impression is that the only item where stamp collecting is showing signs of trouble is #1 average age of collectors and perhaps #3 Clubs are disappearing.

Everything about the article is correct and true . But remember how dead stamp collecting was in the 1990's ,back when collectors where dying off ,it looked depress until ebay came along . So something that isn't around now but in the future will change everything .There is another little factor which can change everything ------the central government of all the major countries are printing money faster each year .....and there is not enough gold or silver combine with all the worlds collectibles to cover this huge amount of paper money that's coming off the presses .Today we have about 2100 investment funds that can control the whole stamp market if one of them decided to do it . To put that in view ,we had the Hunts control the silver market with $400 million dollars in 1979/1980 .Today there are over 5,000 different groups who could do the same if one of them wanted .Paper money is piling up faster than any market can handle around the world .

What I also thought was interesting the gentleman who wrote the article is also a member of the Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee till this December.

No.

They would only be able to 'control' the really-rare rarities end of the market, if that.

Drive the price of the Famous Americans or Farley's Follies to the moon, and I'll sell mine for a half-moon in a New York Minute. Ditto everything else.

Only the tiniest sliver of the market is even subject to cornering; any attempt to corner the broader market would just empty every attic, garage & safe deposit box on seven continents.

The Brazilian Bus Magnate Who's Buying Up All the World's Vinyl Records:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/m...records.html

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey