Why Military Collectables?

When it comes to collectables, anything is fair game but over the years certain goods and themed collectables have become more popular than others, with one of the most popular categories being military collectables.

 

One possible explanation for this could be found in the (and I don’t mean to be stereotypical here) childhood games and ‘when I grow up’ fantasies between young males and the armed forces. This is not to say that women cannot handle army life but is merely one explanation for the popularity of military collectables.

 

Another explanation may lie in the deep rooted respect and admiration many people have for the armed services and a desire to collect and own military collectables in order to preserve a little piece of history. For some militaria consist of all things military related regardless of whether the item in question has been or ever will be used in service.

 

For others, more commonly, the term militaria defines any military collectable that has served a genuine purpose or that has been used to commemorate particular events. For example, some enthusiasts collect and maintain old military vehicles which they then display at events across the UK.

 

Whatever type of military memorabilia you are into collecting you can bet that you will find it online. Specialist auctions for collectables are a great way to both buy and sell militaria without having to leave the comfort of your own home unless you collect ex-service Land Rover’s and other ex-military vehicles which probably won’t fit through the letterbox!

Looking for a Great Summer Read?

With summer on its way most of us are looking forward to a relaxing holiday that offers us the chance to kick back, relax and take some time to ourselves. For some, this is a chance to chill out by the pool in some exotic destination with that book we have been meaning to read for ages but never got round to it.

 

Escaping with a good book is some individual’s idea of heaven, a chance to forget about reality and escape into the fictional (or non-fictional) world of a character. Characters that as in the case of the classics such as Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ are so complex years of psychological analysis in classrooms has left many readers lost in thought and contemplation.

 

But whomever our favourite characters are or in fact our favourite genres, books and indeed any reading materials be it comic books, newspapers or the hugely popular gossip magazines, offer us as the readers an escape or insight into the lives of others, a fact that would not be possible did we not have enough imagination to think outside the box. 

 

Anyway enough of the psycho analytics, what if you’re simply looking for a trashy romance to throw in your bag to read on the beach or a cook book that allows you to become the next BBQ master chef with your relatives. The simplest and perhaps the most inexpensive way to buy cheap books these days is through an online book shop.

 

Now the good thing about books is that, providing they are well looked after, they will last years and lend themselves well to the second hand market. In this respect then it makes sense that an online book auction would be an ideal place to start looking for the book that got away.

What are Lobby Cards? And What Makes Them So Collectable?

Lobby cards are smaller variations of film posters that captured scenes or shots of particular movies that were then displayed in the lobby or reception areas of cinemas. With movie memorabilia of all kinds being highly sought after, lobby cards are some of the most popular movie collectables due to their rarity.

 

Lobby cards are very seldom used today which makes the lobby cards that are still in circulation highly desirable and collectable. Like other movie collectables, lobby cards are an important part of film culture and history and are usually around 11”x 14” in size, lobby cards were once common features in cinemas and movie theatres and were used as a form of advertising to attract filmgoers.

 

Often produced in sets ranging from 8 to 16 lobby cards are a now a highly collectable form of movie memorabilia. Lobby cards were first introduced in American theatres around 1910 and were originally printed in black and white until the 1920’s when full colour lobby cards were introduced.

 

As well as being rare on reason why lobby cards are highly collectable is the images and graphics used on the cards often depicted key or iconic scenes from a particular movie making them a little piece of cinema history.

 

Of particular interest to movie memorabilia collectors are cards containing images of the main or star actors and actresses or cards that represent particularly famous and iconic films. In most cases the first lobby card of a set will contain the title of the movie and is more commonly known as the ‘title card’ with all other cards in the set being the ‘scene cards’

 

In some cases where lobby card sets are incomplete movie memorabilia auction sites enable collectors to source missing cards, although complete sets are worth far more money to sellers.

Is Stamp Collecting Going Out of Fashion?

The Internet along with digital technology has changed on almost every level, the ways in which we communicate with one another. Most modern interaction now takes place over our mobile phones via text message or online through email or webcam technologies.

 

For these reasons and due to growing costs the UK is currently seeing many of its post offices in small villages and towns close, with the future of the postal service looking quite rocky to say the least what does the future hold for the humble postage stamp?

 

Now you may think that the decline of traditional post and correspondence has led to a decrease in both interest and participation in hobbies such as stamp collecting, but you would, in fact, be wrong.

 

Whilst the postage stamp may seem like a seemingly ordinary and mundane item, stamps are, in many ways, embedded in our history and communicational development, and an invention that for a time allowed us to interact with distant relatives, make new friends and cross geographical borders without even leaving our home towns.

 

For these reasons and for the many themes, iconic images and historical relevance, stamp collecting looks set to remain a popular hobby. For stamp collectors the internet has provided another platform from which to trade rare stamps as well as share knowledge.

 

Specialist stamps auctions enable stamp enthusiasts to share collectable stamps amongst the stamp collecting community and are definitely keeping stamp collecting up to date and in fashion. 

Retro Games: Oldies but Goodies

If, like many UK residents, you have no faith in the British weather having spent most of your summer holidays indoors playing on the arcade machines in resorts like Blackpool, and Margate, whilst it poured down outside you may be interested to know that some of the old classic retro games are making a come back.

 

The once old fashioned games such as ‘Asteroid’, ‘Outrun’ and ‘Defender’ are now considered cool by the younger generations and the old unwanted arcade games and pin ball machines are now in high demand. It is however not just arcade machines that are part of this resurgence, in fact almost all classic retro games and consoles are now coming back to the mainstream market.

 

Not only does this offer the older generation a chance to beat the kids at a computer game but it also means that the boxes of games that are filling up the attic might actually be worth something. But before you run off to find them there a few things to consider, including whether or not the games are in their original boxes as this can affect their value.

 

Now this should not be seen as an encouragement to spend the whole summer in front of a computer screen but if you do happen to have the original ‘Pac Man’ and ‘Donkey Kong’ consoles or you a fully functioning ZX Spectrum complete with classic games such as ‘Chucky Egg’ ‘Manic Minor’ then the time to re-test your skills is now.

If You Could Be a Superhero, Who Would You Be?

Continuing with the super hero theme of the last couple of days the question that everyone has considered at some point is if you could be a Superhero, who would you be?

 

Now, even if we can not actually take on the powers of our heroes, fancy dress costumes allow us to at least look the part. Whether you fancy taking on the mysterious persona of ‘Batman’, the feline grace of ‘Catwoman’ or simply want to wear your pants over your tights and become ‘Superman’ for the evening, online fancy dress stores are an excellent way to get into character.

 

Dressing up whether it’s for a party, theatre production, or even a job has always been a part of our lives. In fact, our costumes and the clothes we wear are not only part of who we are but how others perceive us.

 

Residents of university towns and cities, for instance, will be all too familiar with the herds of students dressed up as cheerleaders, cowboys or wearing grass skirt for the fresher’s week Hawaiian night. And I am sure that we have all seen numerous runners dressing up for charity and running in marathons and other events.

 

For some people dressing up means that they can become that character and escape from themselves, for example, street performers such as mime artists and human statues often use their costumes to get into character. But whether its business or pleasure dressing up in fancy dress costumes is definitely lots of fun!

Looking for a Comic Book Hero?

In my last instalment I took a brief look at the history of comic books and the reason why they have become such a big part of our culture both as art forms and through the introduction of super human characters that are still being reproduced on today’s big screen, despite being over 50 years old in some cases.

 

Now, I’m sure that each of us have our favourite superhero whether its ‘Spiderman’, ‘Wolverine’ from X-Men or the mysterious ‘Batman’ we all know and love these characters not only for what they can do, but for who we wish we could be. I mean, don’t we all wish we could fly like ‘Superman’, control the weather like ‘Storm’ or be as strong as ‘Iron man’.

 

The simple fact is that as humans we all have a fascination with the seemingly unbelievable and the recent success of the television show ‘Heroes’ has only proven that our love of superheroes will always be there. But getting back to comics, which were after all the medium that introduced us to these characters; it won’t surprise you to hear that some comic fans will pay thousands to get their hands on rare or old editions of certain comic books or strips.

 

The world’s most valuable comic book is the first edition of the hugely popular ‘Action Comics’ from 1938. Now valued at over $500,000, this famous comic features the legendary Superman on its front cover.  Other highly valuable comic books include the first ever edition of the ‘Detective Comics’ in May 1939 in which ‘Batman’ made his first appearance and the October 1939 edition of ‘Marvel Comics’ which is worth an estimated $250,000!

 

Now I understand that these extremely rare comics will not be obtainable by most comic book collectors but that is not to say that other less rare comics are not just as collectable. The online book shop here at CQout is an excellent place to find those hidden comic gems for more affordable prices.

A History of Comic Books

The recent resurrection of our oldest and favourite superheroes in the summer’s big blockbuster movies has meant that interesting the characters original homes, the pages of some of our much loved classic comic books has soared.

 

With a significant increase in the number of comics both old and new for sale, I thought it might be quite nice to have a quick trip down memory lane and take a brief look at how and why comic books have become so well loved and highly collectable.

 

No one can really be sure of exactly when comics, as we have come to know them, first originated. But with early cave drawings considered to be in the same medium due to their use of images and symbols to represent a story comics have been around for a long long time.

 

Comics actually get their name from the fact that in their early development they were essentially used as humouristic mediums although in non-English speaking countries they are often given a different name.

 

Over the years advances in printing technology has enabled comic books or comic strips to become not only mainstream but slick and sophisticated works of art. Comic books, and rightly so, are works of art and should be appreciated as such, which is perhaps another reason why they have always been popular with all generations.

 

Although comics can be about anything the imagination will allow, some of the most popular and indeed famous comic strips were focused around super heroes. After the birth of the comic book legend that is Superman, comic books and their characters quickly became embedded in mass-culture.

 

During the 1940’s hundreds of comic book superheroes were created included the now famous Batman, Captain Marvel and Captain America. It was also during this time period that comic books became the glossy printed books that we know and love.

 

In the decades that followed we saw a huge range of comic book characters emerge and stamp their mark on their fans. Some of the most iconic and never to be forgotten include ‘The Spirit’, ‘Peanuts’ and ‘Astérix’, all comic masterpieces and true representations of the comic strip art form.

 

It was during the 1960’s, however, that the comic book giants Marvel began to take over the comic book market and become the force behind super characters such as the ‘Fantastic Four’, ‘Hulk’, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Spiderman’.

 

Now all stars of the big screen and capturing the imaginations of the younger generation in the same way they did with their parents and grandparents, the superhero characters are back with vengeance.

 

In the next instalment I will look at some of the most popular and expensive comics ever to have been sold at auction as well as a look at the reasons why buying and selling comics in an online auction is such a ‘super’ way to source old and collectable comics.

Should You Trust Online Auction Sites When It Comes to Digital Technology?

When it comes to buying digital technology such as digital cameras you would not be the first person to be unsure about using an online auction site. Many of us have had bad experiences when buying or selling online, but what if I told you that shopping in an online camera auction is one of the safest and cheapest ways to buy a digital camera.

 

Chances are you wouldn’t believe me, well actually it’s true. Digital technology is always changing and developing and every month manufacturers bring out new digital camera models with added features. Some technology driven individuals buy the very latest model as soon a possible but where does that leave the rest of us?

 

In actual fact the above scenario plays to our advantage as most of these individuals will sell their old digital cameras in an online auction. The auction facility enables them to place a minimum price on the digital camera to ensure they get a reasonable amount back but at the same way enables us to get a high quality digital camera at a fraction of the cost.

 

Ok, so we know digital cameras are cheaper online but is it really safe. Most online camera auctions have built in security measures that ensure you will be not be scammed. The registration procedure protects buyers from scam sellers and monitors all transactions from a particular seller. The privacy features also protect your personal details.

 

In order to stay in touch with the latest digital technology you either need to be super rich or Internet savvy. Digital cameras are very clever technology and so must you be if you want to find the best deals.

Tickets Please!

With advances in the way modern tickets for music and sporting events are sold and distributed, thousands of tickets can be snapped up in a matter of hours. The lucky ones might actually get their hands precious tickets, for the unlucky it can be hugely disappointing.

 

For instance if you wanted to buy a weekend ticket to this years Leeds and Reading Festivals you may have been bitterly disappointed, whilst day tickets for both events are still available all of the 200,000 weekend tickets sold out in just 2 hours!

 

However, there may just be light at the end of the tunnel. The growth of online auction sites has created an avenue for late availability tickets and sold out concert tickets to become available. If you are on the look out for tickets to a particular gig or event then it might just be worth having a look around an online tickets auction.

 

The cost of tickets to large events and festivals has risen over the years leading some individuals, who for some reason, cannot attend or have a spare ticket to resell their tickets so they do not lose all of the money they invested.

 

Now, this is not to say that you are guaranteed to find the tickets you are looking for but if you don’t look then you will never know.