COLLECTING FOR THE FUTURE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 101, 15 May 1937, Page 11

COLLECTING FOR THE FUTURE

It is The Common Thing That Nobody Thinks to Save What Becomes Rare in Later Years, so a Little Foresight Can be Profitable and Useful .

The collectoes of stamps who arranged to have letters sent to them on the first trans-Pacific tair mail knew beforehand that those letters would be vaiuable. They could not tell how valuablo, but, knowing the fundamentals underlying such matters, they could make a sirrowcL guess, says John E. Marey in tne Christian Science Monitor. If we were able to guess half as accurately iu regard to the future value of other everyday things, that would be a useful bit of knowledge. And we can do just that, for the same rules that underlie stamp values also apply to all colletcors' items. The only remarkable thing about it is that they are so seldom applied. What makes any object a collector's item ? First, scarcity. If we 'had the commonest belongings of our ancestors of two or three hundred years ago, they would all be collector's items, for it is the common, everyday things that are not preserved, and for the simple reason that they are common. However, there is little present satisfaction knowing that in two or three hundrea years a qollection will become rare. We must be able to select objects that will become rare quickly. That is not difficult to do, but there is also something else. Most common things* without great age are - of no interest to the colleetor. We must then, try to foresee what will be. In a general way, this is the guide: Anything that throws light on the politicaT, historical, " artistic or scientific aspects of an era probably will be of valuo in the f ' Anything that throws light on his! events has potential valuo. Letters v from the scene of a battle, a h gathering, posters • or pamphlets cone

such events, such thingS are worth saving. War posters were displayed everywhere during the World ' War but sq far as I know only ono iuan to-day has a complete collecBon.

Perhaps there is more rapid de- * elopment to-day in the meehanical and scientific fields than in any other. Appliances and machines that are in use to-day aTe obsolete xomozrow. New inventions create a whole new industry. It has been cnly a few years since there were no such things as automobiles, eleetric lights, radio, phonographs, but alrcady it is impossible to tell the complete story of the development of tbese things with the things themselves. Mr EansOme Matthews, curator of the meehanical department of the Los Angeles Museum, informs me that certain types of^ old auto headlights cannot be obtained, and that specimens of photogiaphic, electric and meehanical developments of many kinds, as well as technical magazines and books on them, are very hard to find. To complete his collection illustrating the development of the incandescent lamp, for exaxnple, he had to fill in with models, beeause no actual specimens .were obtaia-t-.'ule.

Eadio, diesels, sound pictures, are still new. 'Television is on the horizon. Dozens of other meehanical inventions that will affect our lives as profoundly as any in the past will see the light to-morrow. They will offer an unlimited field to the colleetor for the future. The Pony Express Museum near Pasadena is filled with relics of that brief epic of transportation, and Henry Ford has spent thousands of dollars on his collection showing the development of transportation. A map of the old Overland Trail brought £150. Modern road maps immediately suggest themselves. A map of to-day resembles one of 15 years ago about as much as one of 75 years ago. Air xoutes, timetables, brochures, posters, and the same for other methods of travel, will be of great interest in the future. Perhaps you may have a piece of cotton print that belonged to your ' great-grand-mother, depicting Washington leading his men or Lincoln delivering his inaugttral address. If so, it's probably valuable, certain Washington prints bringing as high as £10 a square foot. Lindberph prints are already valuable and will become increasingly so. These cotton prints, picturing curient great men and events, are still being made. They sell eheaply, and a few of them, wisely selected are likely to be a good" invest* ment. Likewise, Spode china is still being manufactured. Eighteenth and nineteenthcentury Spode is museum material. It was just household ware when it was new, but a

platter that cost originally a shilling may now be worth £30. These old patterns arebeing revived, and have every chance .of becoming as valuable as the old ware. Mr. Norman Wilcox, of the Los Angeles Museum, who is authority for the above statement, also gives as his opinion that certain decorative glass and tableware, of old and modern design, will very likely be desircd by future collectors. This ware^is not so cheap now that you can afford to be careless with it, but that is iali the more reason why you should keep it intact if you possess some. A friend of mine, recently disposed of several old magazines cOntaining pictures of early automobiles. They brought. £1 each from a designer of automobile bodi.es. Early fashion magazines are also at a premium. Movie studios use them in designing costumes of an earlier day, but what is more difficult to get is authentic pictures of everyday dresses. What lady ever posed for her photograph in anything but her Sunday best?. This suggests the camera. A collection of pictures illustrating the clothes of every day, if added to down the yeaTs, would be prized by future costumers. Indeed, your camera has great possibilities if used with an eye to the future. Pictures of your changing city, of memorable public occasions, will tell an interesting tale. A photographic record of all the amusements, or all the sports that have intrigued the public from time to time and then vanished into oblivion — some future wealthy sportsman would give .

: for the latter. When using the term "value' Mn xefer- ' to collectors' items, a distinction ld be made clear between two meauings.

These are the value to tne coilcctor. and the monetary value. Every colleetor considers his particular collection priceless, even though it be buttons, matchboxes, or spark plugs. He may have an iiem as raTe as a dodo, for which he would not take £200, but for which he could not get sixpence. Bemand is the faetor that largely determines price. It may be out of all proportion to the actual significance of an article, as beeause cf a current demand. But the true colleetor derives his satisfaction from his collection, whatever it may be, and not from its monetary \ alue. Ccndition also affeets value — both kinds. Individual Bpeciments should le as nearly perfeet as possible, and an entire collection slioi.ld be carefully selected and arranged, .not a meaningless jumble. Oliiefly for the latter reason, anyono starting a collection should chcose a subject in which he is intcvested and about which he knows fconr etbing. For the colleetor of antiques this means a great deal of training and specialised knowledge, but x'or Ihe colleetor for the future it is a very different matter. For him it means only the application of good common sense to his present knowledge and interests. The opportunities are all around him; he has only to choose.