I collect things, because I collect things I like or enjoy. I do not collect for resale, future value or bragging rights. I'm not a dealer. Some people collect things, because they buy and sell, and not always, just because they collect as a hobby.

Collecting, primarily means, finding or saving or accumulating. Just having more money and buying everything, isn't collecting. Well, yes it is, but I'll never own the last two cents in my "penny" collection, which most of them came from circulation, when I was a kid, trading or eventually being forced to buy the ones I was missing, to make a more complete collection. I can't "collect" them. I could possibly trade for one of them.

I collected old fishing lures, until they became popular and the prices went through the roof. I collect old cameras, because I can still find them at reasonable prices. That whole interest for the market, peaked years ago. Now people dump them or they sit unsold, overpriced. I collect casino items, because I can find them at sales, auctions and in shops, for a reasonable price.

Does anyone here call people who collect cars, vintage cars, a collector or hobbyist? That's got to be one of the trending interests. Guitars are hot. People with deep pockets want to own the history, so if they can find a 50s Les Paul, or an early Strat. the prices on those keep climbing.

Collectibles are very trendy, there are peaks and valleys. You want some Hummels? Value guides show them for some pretty steep prices, but unless it's an old one, a LE, or some special, hardly worth anything, no future gain. Dolls, came and went, especially porcelain heads. Trendy junk, will come and go, Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch, Furby, there's something new almost every year, but some take the market by storm. Now you can find them by the box full at resale shops, or new in the box, for less than the original price. Electric trains have come and gone, more than once. Hot Wheels? 50¢ with the usual exceptions, rare versions, in rare colors and in demand by a very limited group of high end collectors.

Casino collectibles? Lots of fun, not trendy, always on the hunt and you can find new ones in person. I think it's a great hobby. Except for the mailing costs, trading is still a fair option. Like everything else, there are always people who will try to cash in, manipulate the market, create copies and fakes. On the better side, you never know when something new could be discovered, something old can be found. Unlike many other hobbies and collectibles, the dealers didn't write the price guides for casino collectibles. BRAVO!

Casino collectibles had a wave, along with all casino interests. Look at poker right now. So what's more natural? Poker Chips. Here's why I haven't stopped and I won't stop collecting casino related items. Availability and price. I can find things, there's history, there's not a lot of price competition, they are generally smaller and easy to store. Ashtrays, dice, cards, tokens, chips, pens, keychains, coin buckets... 😎

What did I say? Oh yeah, not for value, not for resale, but simply because I enjoy and like what I have found and saved.