Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 31, 1992 TAG: 9203310309
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON NEWSFUN WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
And if you're thinking he bought them all just for the bubble gum, you're wrong. Will has collected the cards for about seven years and he's only 12 years old.
The sixth-grader at Colonial Elementary School in Blue Ridge began collecting when he and his family lived in Atlanta, where he would often go to Braves baseball games. He says he doesn't care what team the players whose cards he collects are from; he collects because it's fun.
Randy Collette and Steven Miles, both fifth-graders at Raleigh Court Elementary School in Roanoke, collect comic books. Randy has collected for three years and Steven since he was four - he's 11 now.
Both collect for the same reason Will collects baseball cards: because it's fun.
Many of us collect things. They may be cards, comics, coins, stamps, books, stuffed animals or music tapes.
Besides baseball cards, Will collects autographs of baseball players. His favorite is an autographed card from former Yankee player Joe Dimaggio, who signed the card for Will at a field dedication in Lexington.
Brandy Cooper of Roanoke collects Barbie dolls - she has more than 50. Not only are they neat and fun to play with, but the value of Barbie dolls increases with age. One day, the Barbies may return every dollar Brandy has invested in them, and more.
Author Tennessee Williams even wrote a play, "The Glass Menagerie," about a girl who collected tiny glass figurines.
Collecting is easy and there's something about it that makes it more than a hobby. Collections often become treasured heaps of stuff, like the boxes of comics stacked in Steven's closet.
People collect for a variety of reasons, whether sentimental or financial. Many older collectors are in it for the money their collections can bring them. But most of them started out as kids, simply interested in collecting the objects that they like most.
Phil Davis, part-owner of B&D Comics in Roanoke, encourages kids who are interested in starting a collection to look for something they are going to enjoy buying and using. Randy, Steven and Will all collect things they enjoy.
In the comics business, Davis likes for kids - and adults - to pick out the comic books they like to read. Boys usually like e super-hero comics such as "Spider Man" or "X-Men," and for girls, the "Barbie" comics are popular.
The business of collecting, no matter what it is, can be expensive. Davis says there is one comic book on the market now that is selling for $100,000. Randy once spent $25 for an "X-Men" comic book. Even Will blew 70 bucks for a 1964 baseball card of Pittsburg Pirates player Roberto Clemente.
Sellers determine the worth of collectibles with price guides that keep up with the amounts of money certain pieces are selling for. Just because a piece was expensive when you purchased it, though, doesn't mean it's going to be worth a lot of money later. Popularity and quality have a lot to do with a piece's monetary value.
Will says, however, that collecting doesn't have to be expensive. For Steven, it never has been. He only spends about $2 for each back issue comic he buys. Current issues go for about $1-$1.50. The most expensive comic Steven has was bought for him for four bucks by his dad.
All agree, though, that kid collectors should go into it for the fun of it, not just to make a load of money. "Have a good time," says Steven. "Enjoy yourself."
by CNB