Facts about Collecting
- Americans spend $100 billion annually on art/antiques/collectibles. Of this, 20 percent is spent on high-end art and antiques and 80 percent is spent on a wide range of less expensive items.
- The average collector has two-to-three different types of collections.
- There are more than ten TV shows in the U.S. covering some aspect of collecting. At least five more are now in development.
- A third of all Americans are collectors.
- Collecting has an old cultural history. The ancient Greeks collected books, and the Medici family in Renaissance Florence collected art.
- The commercial side of collecting stems from the nature of collectors as consumers, who need and want to make purchases to build their collections.
- Just a few of the many categories of collectibles on the Collectors Quest® site are:
- Dinosaur items
- Sneakers
- Toothbrushes
- Antique furniture
- Antique toasters
- Star Wars memorabilia
- Vintage American telephones
- Soviet and Russian cameras
- 1970s Marvel Comics
- Cookie Jars
- Some of the most popular categories of collectibles in the U.S. are:
- Coins – 27 million people
- Figurines/sculpture – 20 million
- Trading cards – 18 million
- Dolls – 16 million
- Memorabilia – 16 million
- Christmas items – 15 million
- Plush/beanbag toys – 14 million
- Crystal figures – 12 million
- Art prints/lithographs – 10 million
- Miniatures – 10 million
Sources: ADLA, Antique Marketplace, Collectors Universe, Sotheby’s, Toy Industry Assn. of America, Unity Guide to the Luxury Markets, “Why People Buy Things They Don’t Need” (by Pamela Danziger, Paramount Market Publishing, 2004)
For more information, contact: Alexandra Huebner, ahuebner@bridgeny.com, 212-583-1043
