Collectors want two things: to treasure items that make them happy and, if they are lucky, to collect something right before it becomes a super-hot collectible. What should be the No. 1 reason for starting a collection? Find stuff you love. Keep it. Display it. Love it.

Sometimes, though, collectors go awry and buy things that they think will become more valuable with time. That plan rarely works. Words to avoid: “Collector’s Edition” and “Special Edition.” And if there are lines of people snatching up the “newest thing” (Tickle Me Elmo and Cabbage Patch Dolls come to mind), run far away.

Here are some things that you should only collect if they make you happy. They are not worth a lot of money and are not rare.

Beanie Babies: In the late 1990s, a $5 toy mass-produced in China became such a big craze that people — mostly adults — paid thousands of dollars to collect them. But only a few years after Beanie Babies made their creator Ty Warner a billionaire, the stuffed animals became virtually worthless.

Royal Doulton mugs: These mugs — character or Toby jugs — are plentiful and rarely bring high prices. Most are priced around $100 to $200.

Danish Christmas plates: Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grondahl blue Christmas plates are pretty, but only the early 1900s plates are valuable. Most made before 2000 sell for $10 to $20 apiece; examples made after 2000 are $10 each at flea markets and antiques stores, way below what they originally cost.

Silver-plated serving pieces and tea sets: Sets were found in every home at one time but have gone out of fashion. They sell at bargain prices in resale shops.

Lady head vases: These used to be very hot, especially when icon Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis owned one. At just about any antiques show you’ll find them under $100 unless they are one of the celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis or Princess Diana.

McDonald’s Happy Meal toys: Talk about a flooded market! Every kid loved to buy a McDonald’s meal and get a free toy with it. They are not worth a lot of money, except for rare ones still in the packaging, like the 1983 Hot Wheels cars. Overall, not worth collecting.

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Kovels’ April 2021 newsletter features silhouettes, antique Toby jugs, modern American furniture, Hummel figurines, and the shipwreck of the RMS Carpathia, all with photos and prices.

Bidders were charmed by antique silhouette portraits offered at a Connecticut auction and featured in a sale report in Kovels On Antiques & Collectibles April 2021 newsletter. They are early “snapshots” — images of loved ones or famous people captured before photography was commonly available or as an alternative to pricey miniature painted portraits that were in fashion at the time. Kovels’ pictures examples of the cut paper artwork, some embellished with watercolor or needlework, that sold from $200 to $1,400. And find one that is treasured by the Kovel family!

“Toby” jugs, 17th- and 18-century mugs depicting quirky drinking characters, sold to enthusiastic collectors at a London auction where prices peaked at more than $100,000. See their intricate details and learn about their colorful history and what makes them different from “character” jugs in Kovels’ April issue.

Items from the wreck of the RMS Carpathia, the ship that had helped rescue Titanic survivors some years before, were auctioned in Atlanta. Kovels’ latest newsletter pictures some of the salvaged objects including pottery, porcelain, glass, and parts of fixtures that all help capture that moment in time.

Tables by well-known mid-20th-century designers attracted interest and high prices at auction in Dallas where a walnut and rosewood slab table by George Nakashima took top honors at over $40,000. See it in Kovels’ April issue along with other tables with modern forms and unconventional materials and their prices.

And collectors do love their Hummel figurines! They were some of the most widely collected porcelains in the 20th century, though never an “investment.” Many find it hard to understand why prices are so low when they are ready to sell or trade. Kovels’ April newsletter pictures some sweet Hummel figurines that brought very sweet prices at a recent Florida auction, and explains why, along with pictures of the Goebel/Hummel trademarks on the bottom that help identify and date them.

Don’t miss the April market report on pricey comic books. The illustrated Collector’s Gallery answers readers’ questions about a brass ashtray with a risqué embossed design, a Catalina pottery vase, a prototype of a hydraulic lift hospital bed, and a Helmar Turkish Cigarettes advertising sign. And more than 70 antiques and collectibles are listed in the April Buyer’s Price Guide.