Are you considering beginning a collection of salt and pepper shakers? You will find many people who collect these. They collect antique salt and pepper shakers, vintage salt and pepper shakers, and they also collect ones which are produced to be collectible. You have a few things that you should know if you are considering beginning your personal collection so that you may be able to own one of the best collection with the smallest amount of cash possible.
Most people fall into collecting antique salt and pepper shakers quite by accident. You need that first set to actually use, of course, but after that it gets a bit redundant. Then you must call yourself “a collector”. And what a good field to get your feet wet in! They’re abundant, colorful, eye-catching, run every theme, and best of all, they’re cheap. People can generally find a set of whimsical shakers for around $10, so collecting is certainly within the reach of the average person.
As with other collectibles, if you are trying to add to the collectability of your shaker sets, always make sure the shakers you choose cross themes and genres. That is, add Disney, Garfield, Charlie Brown themes or the like.
When you speak to a collector of an item’s worth, you really are speaking hypothetically or even mystically, as collectors generally don’t buy things simply for their investment value, though they often talk of it. Somehow it makes the purchase a little more legitimate. Why can’t it just be fun, which it is?
Still, speaking practically in monetary terms, antique salt and pepper shakers are great collectibles, though they don’t appreciate much. If you think in terms of what a basic savings account is offering, however, it’s in the right ballpark. And, they are so cheap (relatively) to collect, it’s a way to enjoy and save money. Since they’re cheap, they tend to sell as an afterthought purchase.
In terms of buying, even the things that would seem like it would cost a lot, you will find great bargains. At a local mall, a very intricate set of the Wizard of Oz foursome traveling down the yellow brick road is selling for a mere $15.49. The salt shaker features two of the main characters, while the pepper shaker features the other two. Even with tax, you’ve gotten a good, cross-over collectible (bound to gain value over the years) for under $20. Not a bad deal when you price it out.
While you will certainly find a cavalcade of shakers at a local shop, you will pay top dollar. Yard sales are great for this kind of find, as are auctions. I’ve watched a pair go here and there at auction, but then there are the remaining shakers that can go for as little as a few dollars for a tray. I purchased five and six sets for a mere $6, plus a 10 percent buyer’s fee.
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If you are looking for something specific, online auction sites are good places to watch. In addition to the Internet sites, you can check out auction shopping sites by doing a search on the words +salt, +shaker, +collectible. That should bring up myriad national antique shops which sell shakers via the Web. These are generally the shops that have physical stores you can walk into somewhere in the country.
Generally speaking, the “cutesy” collectibles of farm animals, cartoon characters, etc., fall into the reasonably-priced category. When you look at the high-end collectibles, you will find row after row of silver and fine porcelain-based products. These are meant more to complete sets an owner has begun in the past. These are really not meant for the average salt and pepper shaker collector. So, if you get the urge to look at the high end shakers, don’t be overwhelmed. When you scrutinize the listings, you’ll see these are specialized silver pieces, not really “collectibles” shakers. Whew. I sigh audibly for all of us who like to shake now and again.
