More December 2002 Hotlines

Shag is back. The long-hair rugs of the 1960s are back in carpet stores. They are even being made in 1960s colors like pale gold and avocado green.

Time has caught up with limited edition collectibles. The 1970s craze for silver ingots, Franklin Mint coins, Christmas plates, and figurines lasted about 10 years, with prices going up each year. Then interest dropped along with prices. In the late 1990s, Hallmark Christmas ornaments, Beanie Babies, and Dept. 56 Christmas Village pieces were selling fast and going up in value each year. They are now going down in value, well below issue prices.

The vintage collectibles market is $40 billion annually, according to CBS MarketWatch. Another $20 billion is spent on new collectibles.

Eighteen American Indian artifacts were removed from an auction in the Midwest. The items, deaccessioned from a museum, were arrows with feathered shafts and pipes made of catlinite. There was concern that these items might be illegal to sell, because the feathers might have been from birds of prey, and the pipes might have been used in Indian religious ceremonies. The items were returned to the museum.

Vintage mystery novels by Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and other familiar authors are starting to sell well at book auctions. Of course, first editions with dust jackets get the top prices. Books that became movies are crossover collectibles that interest both movie buffs and book buyers. This is an area where good stuff can still be found at garage sales.

Vintage Barbie doll prices seem to be dropping at auctions.