Editing Collectable (section)

== The business of collectables ==

=== Created to be collected ===
A manufactured collectable (often referred to as a contemporary collectable) is an item made specifically for people to collect. Examples of items commonly sold as collectables include [[plate (dishware)|plates]], [[figurine]]s, [[bell (instrument)|bells]], [[graphics]], [[Beer stein|steins]], [[doll]]s, and [[art]]. Some companies that produce manufactured collectables are members of The Gift and Collectibles Guild.<ref name=Danziger />

[[Special edition]]s, limited editions and variants on these terms fall under the category of manufactured collectables and are used as a marketing incentive for various types of products. They were originally<ref>{{Cite web |title=Buyer's Guide: Collectables |url=https://www.williamgeorge.com/blog/buyers-guide-collectables |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=www.williamgeorge.com |language=en-GB |archive-date=2023-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410020437/https://www.williamgeorge.com/blog/buyers-guide-collectables |url-status=live }}</ref> applied to products related to the arts—such as books, prints or recorded music and films—but are now used for cars, fine wine and many other collectables. A special edition typically includes extra material of some kind. A limited edition is restricted in the number of copies produced, although the number may be arbitrarily high.

=== Collectables in commerce ===
Manufacturers and retailers have used collectables in a number of ways to increase sales. One use is in the form of licensed collectables based on [[intellectual properties]], such as images, characters and logos from literature, music, movies, radio, television, and video games. A large subsection of [[Merchandising#Licensing|licensing]] includes advertising, brand name, and character collectibles. Another use of collectables in retail is in the form of [[Prize (marketing)|prize]]s (items of nominal value packaged with or included in the price of a retail product at no additional cost) and [[Premium (marketing)|premium]]s (items that can be "purchased" by redeeming coupons, [[boxtop]]s, or [[Proof of purchase|proofs of purchase]] from the product along with a small fee to cover shipping and handling). Also, collectables have played an important role in tourism, in the form of souvenirs.<ref name="museum">[http://www.byte-time.net/souvenir/ch4.htm Museum of the Personal: the souvenir and nostalgia, Chapter 4 — What is a souvenir?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723034110/http://www.byte-time.net/souvenir/ch4.htm |date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> Another important field of collecting that is also big business is '''[[Souvenir|memorabilia]]''', which includes collectables related to a person, organization, event or media, including T-shirts, posters, and numerous other collectables marketed to fans; but also includes [[ephemera]] from historical, media, or entertainment events, items that were meant to be thrown away but were saved by fans and accumulated by collectors. Collectibles have become a huge market globally coupled with the rise in application of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) which are now used as a medium for digital collectibles sales.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Teije |first=Iris ten |title=Council Post: NFTs And Blockchain Technology In The Collectibles Industry |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2022/03/22/nfts-and-blockchain-technology-in-the-collectibles-industry/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=2023-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410020435/https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2022/03/22/nfts-and-blockchain-technology-in-the-collectibles-industry/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The collectables market size in 2020 was $360 billion <ref>{{Cite web |title=Collectibles Market - Analysis, Share, Size, Growth (2022-2028) |url=https://univdatos.com/report/collectibles-market/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=Market Research Reporting & Analysis Agency in India |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410020443/https://univdatos.com/report/collectibles-market/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with an estimated increase of 4% by 2028. Digital collectibles may become a reliable revenue stream for creators as [[NFT|NFTs]] evolve and spread.<ref name=":0" />

=== Collectables as investments ===
Collectables can be items of limited supply that are sought for a variety of reasons, including a possible increase in value. In a financial sense, collectables can be viewed as a hedge against inflation. Over time, their value can also increase as they become rarer due to loss, damage or destruction. One drawback to investing in collectables is the potential lack of liquidity, particularly for very obscure items. There is also a risk for fraud.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Collectables |title=TheFreeDictionary.com: Financial Dictionary: Collectables |access-date=2020-07-16 |archive-date=2020-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716201203/https://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Collectables |url-status=live }}</ref>

The 1960s through the early 1990s were major years for the manufacturing of contemporary collectables. While some individuals purchased contemporary collectables to enjoy and use, many purchased them as investments. Speculative markets developed for many of these pieces. Because so many people bought for investment purposes, duplicates are common. And although many collectables were labeled as "limited editions", the actual number of items produced was very large. Consequently, there is very little demand for many (but not all) items produced during this time period, and their market values are often low.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

=== Digital collecting ===
{{See also|NFTs}}
Digital collecting takes place in the [[blockchain]], and it got popular at the end of 2020 with the [[NFT | NFT craze of 2020–2021]]. Collectors can buy, trade and exchange digital items (NFTs) usually associated with images or artworks. These items are usually bought using [[cryptocurrency]], although many marketplaces have made it possible to purchase NFTs using standard credit cards as well. Just like in physical collecting, items can hold value due to different reasons, but they are not necessarily monetarily valuable, rare, uncommon or aesthetically pleasing. The [[Curio Cards]], the [[Rare Pepe]] or the [[CryptoPunks]] are amongst the first cases of digital collectibles. Digital collecting also applies to [[digital art|digital artworks]].<ref name=":0" />