From the Editor: Of Heatwaves and Has-Beens
Some collectibles are back in style, while others…well, bless their hearts.
If you’ve ever been outside in Texas in August and felt like your eyelashes were melting off, you will understand what we’re working with down here. It’s the kind of heat (and humidity) that has made me seriously question my life choices.
Even my swung glass vases are starting to slump.
And just like the thermometer on my front porch, the antiques and collectibles market has its own temperature swings. Some categories are absolutely sizzling right now. Mid-century barware is still riding high, and black lacquer furniture, once relegated to 1980s bachelor pads, is staging a glossy comeback. Vintage concert and band t-shirts are no longer just sentimental closet survivors; they’re high-dollar collectibles. Pop culture nostalgia is blazing hot, and signed sports memorabilia continues to score with collectors. And if you’ve got porcelain signs stashed in the garage, now’s the time to shine them up because they are having a serious moment.
But, as we all know, the collectibles market is a fickle mistress, and not everything keeps its sizzle. Beanie Babies, once the darling of speculative collectors, now mainly serve as cautionary tales stored in plastic bins. I remember the Beanie Baby craze hitting my household like a TYphoon (pun fully intended) in 1994. My daughters were instantly hooked, determined to collect all nine original plush icons. At $5 a pop, it was a deceptively cute gateway into an expensive habit. I tried nudging them toward something more budget-friendly, like rock collecting, but they were unmoved. If there was an octopus-shaped beanbag at the end of the tunnel, they were all in.
Of course, I caved. I bought a few. Okay, more than a few. But I made the girls work for their plush fix. Chores became currency, and their allowance was a straight-up Beanie economy. As the secondary market prices climbed, so did their ambition, all in the name of Chocolate the Moose. They probably learned more about inflation from Beanie Babies than they ever did in school. But I don’t think those bean-filled critters would have been such a wallet wrecker if the girls hadn’t already been on the My Little Pony bandwagon.
In a way, Beanie Babies continue to limp along, gone from the limelight but not forgotten. Surviving by the millions in attic tubs and the listings of a few very persistent eBay and Etsy sellers, hope for revival lives on. But they’re not the only casualties of the market. Precious Moments figurines and Thomas Kinkade prints have drifted gently from mainstream favor (partially due to oversaturation, I’m sure). VHS tapes (unless they’re rare horror titles or sealed first editions) are rewinding back into obscurity. And massive Victorian furniture? It might be built to last, but it’s struggling to find a spot in smaller modern homes. The same goes for silverplate—polished and pretty, but seen by the new modern minimalist culture as impractical and high maintenance.
And let’s not forget those branded souvenir items we all brought back from tourist traps. That Elvis coffee mug from Graceland? It’s probably not sending you into early retirement.
Of course, what’s out today could be hot again tomorrow. I mean, macramé wall hangings have had their time in the sun more than once. That’s what keeps the hunt interesting. Trends shift, tastes evolve, and collectors often adapt along with them…or seize the moment to scoop up yesterday’s darlings at bargain basement prices.
So, stay cool out there, put the beanie babies back in the bin, and dive into this issue featuring the hottest trends lighting up the hobby.
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