Collecting Articles

Hobbies » Collecting | By Paul Clough @ Saturday, 26th January 2008 @ 6:21 PM

As the adage goes, old is gold, antiques are items which are at least a hundred years old and which have a collectible value. To you your grandfathers piano may be an item worth disposing. But to an antique lover, the same piano is a valuable item worth preserving and giving special care. Antique collection almost comes instinctively to a person, only a few people may possess such taste of preserving century-old item. To others, selling antiques may be a money minting business. Antique c... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Timothy Russell @ Friday, 25th January 2008 @ 6:56 PM

Collecting American Girl Dolls is a wonderful way to teach young children about early American history. The Dolls are representations of the characters in the American Girl series books. There are three types of American Girl Dolls to collect. There is the historical collection. Such as, Felicity, who is a Colonial girl in 1774. There is also American Girl Today girl who represent girl of the modern era. These dolls are available in a variety of eye, skin and hair color so they will ... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By David Cowley @ Monday, 21st January 2008 @ 7:44 PM

Sunstones are formed in molten lava and found in volcanic vents that have erupted from volcanos. When the lava rock is weathered away or broken up the sunsone crystals are exposed. Sunstone is a transparent, yellowish labradorite found as crystals in these volcanic rocks. Colors can range from clear through pale yellow, soft pink, and blood red to deep blue and green. Some sunstone crystals will have bands of different throughout. This color varation is caused by varying amounts of tiny cry... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By David Cowley @ Wednesday, 16th January 2008 @ 8:21 PM

Could there actually be a much more exciting name for a tourist attraction than "Crater of Diamonds State Park"? It evokes visions of walls of rock from which there are diamonds the size of grapes just waiting to be plucked. In reality, this is the only diamond site in the world where you can pluck and keep whatever you find, and yes, that does include real diamonds. Anyone interested in gemology or that just wants to have an adventure with the family should not miss out on visiting t... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Derek Both @ Wednesday, 16th January 2008 @ 10:36 AM

Unless you are an expert it can be very difficult to spot an antique and whether it is valuable or not. This is particularly difficult with furniture as some woods are designed to look aged when they may in fact be brand new. There are several tips you can adopt however which can successfully help you to determine whether you are literally sitting on a fortune or not. Whilst no two antique dealers or shops will agree on what an antique actually is, typically it is described as a piece of... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By William Doggett @ Tuesday, 15th January 2008 @ 10:08 PM

A typical pair of scissors measures from the tip of the blades to the finger ring. The sizes vary by what the scissors are made for. The smaller scissors are usually around 4.5 inches long and the longer ones are about 8 inches long. Children's scissors are almost always dull blades incased in plastic. Kitchen scissors are usually made of durable, black plastic and have a fulcrum - the pivoting point - higher up, near the blades. Regular scissors do and are usually sharp for cutting a wide ... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By William Doggett @ Sunday, 13th January 2008 @ 2:27 AM

Any knife used in the preparation of food is the definition of a kitchen knife. And today there are more than a handful of kitchen knives that qualify. There are knives for just about every item of food, or so the cooking shows would have you believe there are. The Chef's Knife - To begin with, a chef's knife is a must have for even the novice cook. It's a multi-purpose knife that minces, chops, dices, and slices along with all your other slicing duties. Its possibi... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By William Doggett @ Sunday, 13th January 2008 @ 2:17 AM

There are two sides to the knife sharpening issue: old fashioned and modern. Many people have returned to the old fashioned way of sharpening their knives with a honing stone or whetstone and oils, while others prefer the precision of an electronic, sometimes hand held device that sharpens knives to perfection. Today's Knife Sharpeners - There are several different types and styles of electric and non-electric knife sharpeners on the market today that range in prices just as ... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By William Doggett @ Wednesday, 9th January 2008 @ 6:44 PM

Knife sharpening used to consist of grinding the knife against a stone or another hard surface. It could also be hard particles on a supple surface, like that of sandpaper. Using a razor strap made from quality leather would do the job for fine sharpening. The slighter the slant among the stone the more razor sharp the knife would be. Unfortunately, this makes it easier to chip the blade off or turn the edge over, so less force from the side would be needed. It is important to be careful. Ten d... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Jack Deal @ Wednesday, 9th January 2008 @ 1:49 AM

You might know Paul. I do not. But through fate I came to know some things about him; enough to have some questions. But interestingly I found out that Mr. Miller and you and I have something very much in common. But first a bit of background on Paul. Paul grew up on a farm. He had an older brother and a younger sister. His father was a generic farmer doing a bit of this and a bit of that. He had some cows and several horses. And a big tractor. Paul knew about the farm and how... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By William Doggett @ Wednesday, 26th December 2007 @ 8:45 PM

Pocket knives (that are sometimes referred to as Jack Knives, Pen Knives, Folding Knives or Multi-Blades) have been manufactured commercially in America since about the middle 19th century. Different Blades Today - The blades themselves are pretty much the same as they were then, with slight variations depending on where you find your knife. Two different finishes were used on older knife blades, glaze and crocus. A glaze finish, the abrasive glued onto the final polishing wheel s... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Mirko Davidovic @ Monday, 24th December 2007 @ 8:21 PM

Throughout history silver has played a major role in all aspects of society. It has been used as a metal of choice for currencies, barter and trade. The bourgeois used it as a metering wealth status. Advances in medicine, electronics and others, are made largely to unique properties of silver. Silver, along side with gold, are the two precious metals sought after. The supplies are dwindling, while the demand is reaching an all time high. Not surprisingly, the price of silver has ... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Derek Both @ Monday, 17th December 2007 @ 6:55 AM

Unless you are an expert it can be very difficult to spot an antique and whether it is valuable or not. This is particularly difficult with furniture as some woods are designed to look aged when they may in fact be brand new. There are several tips you can adopt however which can successfully help you to determine whether you are literally sitting on a fortune or not. Whilst no two antique dealers or shops will agree on what an antique actually is, typically it is described as a piece of... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Anna Stenning @ Thursday, 13th December 2007 @ 6:08 PM

The time has come when Christmas is only just around the corner and you still have to go shopping to buy presents, decorations, food, Christmas tree etc. You begin to panic as you have realised that you have to buy a completely new range of dinner sets as your old sets have chipped, washed out or cracked. On the other hand, maybe this is your first Christmas dinner to cook for the family and friends, and you have no dishware to serve your dinner. This year I have noticed a new trend in s... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By MIKE SELVON @ Tuesday, 4th December 2007 @ 10:28 PM

With the largest motorized fleet in the US, the postal service has come a long way since the meager pony express. Collectors of colonial stamps are generally handsomely rewarded for their hawk's eye, as some of these stamps can go for $2 to $3 Million new! Read on to learn more about the fascinating history of United States postage stamps. While the pony express had been delivering letters for over fifty years, the first American postal service was formally granted by King William ... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By MIKE SELVON @ Tuesday, 4th December 2007 @ 7:31 PM

You may be wondering, "Why do people collect stamps?" Initially, British children saw collecting as a fun game, since stamps were inexpensive to buy and had vivid pictures. These days many people are prompted to collect because a relative passed down the tradition or bought them a souvenir sheet of stamps. Today over 20 million Americans engage in postage stamp collecting, making it one of the most popular type of compilations. In 1840, Britain introduced the "Penny Black"... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Derek Both @ Monday, 3rd December 2007 @ 12:44 AM

Some people may find themselves in the fortunate position of being able to sell an antique. However, how do you go about selling one and making sure that you get the most for your money? If it is obvious that you don't know what to look for when selling an antique clock you may find people trying to take advantage of you. With a few tips and pointers though you will find yourself an expert in no time so you can make sure that you get a great price for your antique clock. You have se... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Douglas Taylor @ Friday, 30th November 2007 @ 6:47 PM

All you need are a few supplies to turn a few postage stamps into a full-fledged hobby. Musicians, athletes and hikers need the proper equipment and so do you as a stamp collector. This article will look at some of the supplies you will need as a collector of stamps. You will need to get some essential items like archival stockbooks, albums, and some software to help you organize your collection. Your collection can be worth a lot of money so anything that helps protect it is a wise inves... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By MIKE SELVON @ Friday, 30th November 2007 @ 11:02 AM

Stamp collecting is a life-long hobby for art enthusiasts, traders and hobbyists alike. Much depends upon the quality of the stamps and to preserve your collection, you'll also need some stamp collecting supplies. Archival stockbooks, stamp albums and computer organizer software are stamp collecting supplies that help collectors organize, maintain and protect the stamps. Archival stockbooks are made up of stiff pages with pockets where stamps can be set, without using any kind of hi... more...

Hobbies » Collecting | By Derek Both @ Monday, 26th November 2007 @ 12:42 AM

Those who own an antique table are usually very proud of their item and want to take care of it the best they possibly can. Other than storing it somewhere sensible where it's not going to be constantly touched and bumped into, the best thing an antique table owner can do is keep it clean. Some people are reluctant to polish their table because they are scared that the product may damage it. It is important to take precautions with the products you are using but there are also plent... more...