as breakables as in collector's plates and Franklin mint items. Really though, breakables are anything that people collect. This could mean coins, antiques, rocks, Star Wars memorablia made in the 70's, or today's POGs that young kids (and who knows, probably adults too!) collect. Who are the collectors?Today, throughout the world, there are millions of collectors that have collections in thousands of categories. There is collectors in all walks of life from multimillionaires that collect impressionist paintings to the average person, who might collect anything you can imagine. There is a saying in the antiques and breakables field that having more than one of anything is a collection. If you have a collector's personality, this can have a ring of truth. You acquire one item because you like it. Then you find another in the same category, and buy it too. Soon, you will buy items that fit in your collection simply because you don't have one just like it. Collectors have been known to fill their residence to overflowing with thousands of related items, sometimes even to the point of financial ruin. If you know of anyone who has an outrageous collection, really big, or really unusual, we would like to hear about it. We will feature some of the most interesting collections on these pages from time to time. We would be especially interested in hearing about collectors from outside the United States. Getting StartedIf you've read this far, you may be wondering how to get started with a collection. There are a couple of routes. You can just dive in, browse online, and go to shops shows, and flea markets, and see what you can find, and what appeals to you or strikes a chord of nostalgia. The other approach is to study up first. There are hundreds of books on antiques and breakables available. They range from introductory surveys of the field, to very specialized examinations of a narrow area. Some books are price guides, giving you an idea of ...
