I collect vintage kromex kitchen ware, as well as other vintage home goods, it's not worth alot but I love it so much, I could never part with any of it;)

I collect Vintage Tins. I hope someday they will be worth more as a collection, but I buy them because they make me happy. I make a point not to spend too much on any one item, and plan to stop when my collection reaches two dozen at the most ( I am about halfway there.)

I've had many collections, but never imagined they would be worth significant money to any one else. That didn't reduce my fondness for them. I started watching old hoarding TV shows episodes this year after reading an AT post about them. One of their saddest aspects is hoarders living hip-high in miserable crap they imagine will make them rich.

I collect all sorts of things—old cameras, photographs, metal salt and pepper shakers (mostly birds), boxes, vintage magazines/art, tea cups, old books, children's toys, etc. My photo and tea cup collections are modest (maybe 30-50 pieces each) and the others are quite small (5-20 pieces). I collect them because they make me happy, are interesting, aesthetically pleasing, etc. Some are worth a little money (the most expensive collectible I own is an autographed photo of silent film star Bebe Daniels) but most are not. And that's okay with me. To me, it's fun and relaxing to collect what interests me or catches my eye, versus trying to collect certain pieces to complete any sort of set or whatever. But if a collection IS worth something, well, that's not such a bad thing! And I have no set stopping point, or particular rules for what I want to collect (recent new collections are vintage letters, clocks, and brass figures). So it's just a fun hobby for me.

I collect Mr. Potato Heads and cookie cutters. They both make whimsical and charming displays in my kitchen, without taking over my life, and undoubtedly are worth little to nothing.

I have so many collections:

Old baseball cards - Complete set as well as singles from 1951 and many singles from the 1910s and 1950s-1970s.
Garbage Pail Kids - No joke, 1st-5th series
Baseball and football memorabilia, game used and collectible stuff
Star Wars toys
Star Wars replica props
GI Joe
NASCAR Race Used Car Panels and Parts

So many things just hanging around. I'm under no delusion that I could ever sell these things and make any significant money. They are all just things that I really like, really enjoy, and like to think they are "worth something" to someone. It's just a bit of fun.

I know that my collection has some value - I've researched quite a few of the things and have a couple books that cover most of the items. Bottom line anyway is that regardless of what 'experts' say, a collection is only worth what someone else is willing to pay.

As the article says though, the value really doesn't matter. I can think of a lot of other things i'd sell before I started selling off my collection. Simply put, it just makes me happy!

I collect lamps and lampshades from the (mostly) 1950s. I find them separately and pair them up, usually stumbling on them in antique malls and shops where they think they're ugly and have no idea of the value, so I get them pretty cheap.

I'm sure if I wanted to sell them, they'd be worth a lot more as lamp/shade pairs than as a collection. My kids call "dibs" on the lamps they like most and want to inherit. My husband is supposed to keep me from buying more, but he's the one who often points them out to me saying, "You've GOT to get this one."

I recently came across some really good ones at a great price, but all I could picture was bringing them home and putting them in the "lamp graveyard" with the rest of the lamps that are currently out of "rotation."

I probably have about 50-60 lamps and 20-30 shades (all of the shades are fiberglass and many of them two- and three-tiered). It's a great collect--I think.

West German ceramic vases. I guess one day they will go on eBay but they are a shared interest with BFF from when we were neighbors so they have sentimental value, not individually, but as a collection.

I couldn't care less. When I was a HARD CORE (YES, all caps) Barbie collector, I'd meet other collectors all the time and I was eager to chat with them. But nothing would have me heading for the door faster than for them to say "I just bought PDQ barbie and she's worth $$". That's not a collector, that's a speculator. I collected them because I LOVED them. Value means squat to me and should mean squat to ANYONE who truly loves what they collect.

When I fall in love with an item I inadvertently start collecting them. I have a wall in my bedroom of tiny Florentia gilt frames; I have (so far) 6 West German vases; and my latest collection is of drawer knobs and pulls... I have around 150... still trying to figure out how to display them :)

Antique paper - 1890's seed catalogs and die cuts mainly - are so appealing because of the bright, detailed lithography of the time period.
I acquired many wonderful pieces in the early days of eBay, probably at too high a cost, considering current market value.
The smaller images I frame and sell on Etsy, but the catalogs and rarer garden ephemera will eventually be donated to the arboretum library here in San Francisco.

OMG my in-laws collections of old advertising and Coca-cola trays and Lladro stuff was their retirement plan. They were foreclosed on because they borrowed against their home to pay the eBay bills, etc. They now live in a rental with all that stuff in boxes in storage. My MIL doesn't want to sell her collections. THAT worked out well for them.

I have warhammer armies, struggling working out a good way to store them in the new place. Not easy!

An antique dealer gave me a tiny frog years ago, only about 2"x2". I'm not sure where it disappeared to since I've moved about 3 times since then. I now have two other frogs that I love. One has her hands up to her face like she's primping, so I have her sitting near a mirror. The other is lying on his (her) side looking up as if to say la de da, I'm chilling out! I usually put him near a plant. I kind of say I collect frogs, but only if they are small and have an usual pose. For real life frogs, I don't think I'd even touch one!

I have so much STUFF, that I intend to use(art supplies, jewelry supplies, fabric,books) that I really don't have space to "collect" anything!

I collect one type of doll from the 30's-40's love them and yes they have value but I rarely if even sell them. Usually only to upgrade one. The value was much more years ago but oh well, nothing is more important than what they provide me, quiet me time to enjoy them.

No talk of collections or collecting.

"This will be worth something one day"... how many times have I heard this... or: "it's real wood/silver/whatever", but nobody uses or wants it anymore. Take persian rugs: my grand-parents have expensive persian rugs, bought over 20 000 euros at the time. Would you pay that price for a rug nowadays ? Nope.

I'm a "slow-collector" of silver and china, but I always consider that each piece I bring home is worth half of what I paid for it, like a car.

That said, I still bring some home from time to time, because my enjoyment of them is worth much more than the money I paid for them.