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Collectors collect many kinds of Antique items such as Furniture, Paintings, Music boxes, and other type of Antiques. If you want to collect antiques, there are a few things you need to know, such as, sources for items, needed knowledge and an idea of the value of the items you are buying.

Good Sources for buying Antiques and collectible items are Antique shops and malls, Antique shows, yard sales, estate sales, and auctions ( both online and traditional). A will run Antique shop can be a good source of information as well as actual items. The shop owners are usually quite willing to share their expertise about antiques. These people are quite knowledgeable. Another good source is Antique shows. These shows give you an opportunity to meet many different dealers under one roof. They can be a great place to get exposure to many different categories, styles, eras, and types of Antiques. Another great source are yard and garage sales. These are a good source to find hidden gems, usually for an inexpensive price.Should check out your local newspapers classified ads for garage and yard sales, as well as estate sales. You should also check out antique publications for estate sales and auctions. Auctions are a source one shouldn’t try until he or she has obtained basic knowledge of Antiques. Should begin slowly with auctions. Arrive at the auction early and take notes about the inventory. Listen to what the auctioneer says about the items, and again take notes. Take note on how the bidding is done and how much the winning bids are. Before bidding yourself, you should go to several auctions and learn the patterns and bidding process.

Before you start collecting and buying antiques you should learn the basic knowledge needed. You shouldn’t buy what you don’t know. You need to do research and study on the type of items that interest you. One does not have to become an expert, just need to know basic things like styles, periods, construction details, and woods.

Styles: While some styles have been repeated through history, some are unique to certain periods and can help to establish the age of a piece.

Periods: It is important to know the major periods of a piece. For example, a period like the Victorian covers 70 years of the 19th century, you need to know the important developments within the time frames of the period to more accurately identify what you want to find.

Construction details: This is especially important when looking at antique furniture. Examples of this are, being able to discern hand made from machine made, 17th century construction techniques from 19th century construction techniques. Also need to know when certain production techniques became the norm, such as dowel construction.

Woods: Being able to identify the major woods used in construction, especially furniture construction. In some cases knowing the wood of a piece can help determine its age and origin.

Finally it is important to be skeptical about the pieces you see. Do not believe everything you see and hear. Check the piece out and let it tell you what it is and isn’t.

A good source for information on collecting antiques is www.antiqueweb.com.

A popular hobby activity is collecting Die Cast models, especially classic cars. I think part of the reason for this popularity is the feeling people get from owning replicas of cars they wish they could have own for real. There are many places to buy die cast models online. The best known are the Franklin Mint and Danbury Mint. You also can buy on Ebay, but this could be hit and miss.

Collecting Die Cast models should not be seen as an investment activity, but more as a hobby. The value of ones Die cast collection is in the eye of the collections owner. The value of any model is the way the buyer feels
about the model. In other words the amount of pleasure one gets from owning a particular model determines how much that buyer is willing to pay for it, the more he/she likes it the more of a premium the person is willing to pay. That person does not consider the models potential appreciation.

The most popular models at The Whiskey Hill Thunder Hobby and Game Shop are the smaller scales, 1:64 and 1:87. The reason for this may be that they are easy to display, but more likely its the cost, most of them sell for under 10 dollars. One exception is the 1:18 scale Maisto Harley Davidson replicas. But we have found that most things with the Harley name sells well. Other popular models at The Whiskey Hill Thunder Hobby and Game Shop are Nascar 1:87 scale replicas, the M2 1:87 scale display models, and the matchbox 1:64 scale collectibles.
To view Die cast models at Whiskey Hill Thunder click here.

Maisto, a model manufacture specializing in hobby collectibles has a series of Harley Davidson die cast replicas. They are authentic replicas and can be a great addition to a die cast collection. The different series contain models from at least the 1940s to the present. There are six different bikes in each series. In some cases the series will have the same model as another series, but with a different paint scheme.

I have reviewed two of the series, numbers 21 and 26. The series number 21 contains, a 1958 FLH Duo Glide, 2005 FLHTCUI Ultra Classic Electra Glide, 1968 FLH Electra Glide, 1980 FXWG Wide Glide, 2006 VRSCR Street Rod, and the 2005 FLSTCI Softail Springer Classic. The series number 26 contains, a 1998 FLSTF Fat Boy, 2008 FXSTB Night Train, 1968 FLH Electra Glide, 1942 WLA Flathead, 2005 FLHTCUI Ultra Classic Electra Glide, and the 2008 FLSTSB Cross Bones. The 1968 Electra Glide in the series 21 is basically red and white, in the series 26 it is black and white. The models are authentic replicas. They are very realistic with working suspension and steering.

I believe that these models are a great buy for any collector. Their prices range from $9.99 to 15.99. The series 21 and 26 are now available at the Whiskey Hill Thunder Hobby and Game Shop on both the Amazon Market Place and at Yahoo Shopping.