Collections v. Collectibles

I received an e-mail this morning suggesting that I buy some company’s Christmas Entertaining Collectibles, starting at just $39.95!  That got me thinking about things that one collects versus collectibles and what the difference is, exactly.

To me, a collection is something that you amass over the years, searching for it piece by piece. You might poke around the dusty corners of an old book shop or barn, or even the remote corners of Ebay to find that certain piece to complete your collection.

Most collectors that I know, myself included, can tell you the circumstances surrounding each piece in their collection – and are willing to talk to you about it at length! In my mind, collectibles are things like Beanie Babies, Franklin Mint Plates and Pokeman cards. They are something that you just go into a store and buy, or you order them via a payment plan scheme.

A few years ago, people were collecting Beanie Babies as an investment, but it’s hard to think that something that is mass produced is going to increase in value substantially enough to be an investment for the future. Although there are supposed to be limited editions, that was always doubtful. 

Do you delineate between the collections and collectibles? Is there a difference in your mind between the two of these things, or is the line blurred. Let me know your thoughts!

P.S.  I am sorry if anyone was confused by my mini-rant yesterday. I am being bothered by a commenter who’s pushing their commercial interests and leaves a dozen comments at a time. I’ve asked them to stop, but they persist and I do not want to give them free advertising. Hence, the call-out.