Jo's Collectibles Mercantile Black Friday Through Cyber Monday Special

Come join us on Black Friday through Cyber Monday November 28th and receive 20% off everything in my store along with expedited FREE shipping. We offer limited edition collectibles and old fashioned vintage treasures as well as some beautiful new items.

There is something for everyone on your list so check us out.

Visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile and use the code Cyber Monday at checkout from now through Monday to receive your discounts.

Limited Edition Collectibles Versus Non Limited Editions - What Do You Buy?

The collectibles world in general is an ever changing venue for buying, selling and collecting. There was a time when limited edition collectibles were at a peak and trading for 100% and more above their original price point. Today, however, many do not hold that price any longer for various reasons.

Many artists now sign with several different producers and allow their work to be strewn among many different genres. A good example is Thomas Kinkade. Where once his plates were highly collectible and produced by one manufacturer, now his works can be seen everywhere and on everything from books to calendars to note cards and more. Once that happens, the work depreciates. Limited editions are about supply and demand. When the supply is higher than the demand, the items no longer hold a high value.

Limited editions are based on either the amount of days in which an item was produced or a specific number of pieces. There are many items described as collectibles which are not limited editions such as the fan plate above. It is not by any named artist, yet it is unique, it displays high quality color artwork and it's attention to detail is amazing. It is collectible for it's artistry rather than the amount of pieces that were produced in a given time, like the plate seen above it - Sam Squirrel's visit. Both plates are collectible in their own right and both display unique artwork in different settings.

When I buy something for myself, I buy what I like. I don't care where it was made, who created it or even who produced it. If it is visually appealing and I want it, I buy it. When I buy for the store, I have to ignore my own personal preferences and look at the supply and demand factor combined with the uniqueness of the collectible. I have to spend more time reading the backstamp on collectibles which show the maker, the date, the country and the artist. Either way it's fun for me. I enjoy collectibles in general so whether I'm buying for myself or the store it's always a fun adventure. For more details on the two plates shown above visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile.

My two questions this week are:

1. Do you buy many decorative items for yourself, family or friends?

2. When you do purchase a decorative item, do you care where it was made, when it was made or who created it?

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Thursday Two Questions Meme - Childhood Collections

As a child I never really liked dolls or collected anything.  I enjoyed craft projects and at an early age would build TV sets, stages, and altars out of cardboard and construction paper and paint them and adorn them with flowers, bows and anything I could find which would be fitting for their purpose.  I also made puppets and loved to draw and color.  I was actually pretty talented in these areas until I grew into my teenage years.  Then I became more interested in boys, music and junk food :D.

As I got older, my creative talents as a youngster diminished and I began collecting plates, music boxes and dolls.  It was my way of buying art that I could appreciate and afford.  The doll shown above is "Little Dove" which was created by artist Gregory Perillo.  I fell in love with her the first time I saw her with her little papoose on her back.  She is just adorable.

Now, I have grown to a point in my life where less is more and I am shedding my material goods with the exception of sentimental items and my Hong Kong collection.  Of course throughout my life I always wrote poetry and always collected many books of which I still have today.

My two questions this week are:

1. Did you collect anything as a child?

2. What did you collect?

For more information on the doll "Little Dove" shown above, visit the listing at Collectibles Mercantile.

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Cherry Flowers Collectors Plate Poetic Visions of Japan

Inspired by the Haiku Cherry Flowers by Kyoshi:

Cherry Flowers

the cherry flowers are now
in full bloom, and no petal
flutters from the bough

Kyoshi

This item has been sold. For more collector plate listings, visit Jo's Collectibles Mercantile.



1. What is your passion?

2. What inspires that passion?

For me, it is writing and photography. Being out in nature and music inspires both of my passions.

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Just a note that the contest giveaway for Collectibles Mercantile has been extended thru to May 4th in order to acquire more followers so join up on this blog today.

The Art Of Collecting

 

I think we all at one time or another have collected something.  It's been said that if you have two of anything from the same genre that you have a collection.

I began at an early age, first collecting rocks and bottle caps, I know, don't ask me then graduated to limited edition plates, figurines, dolls and music boxes.  I love art and decided that artwork created by some of my favorite artists were much more favorable to my wallet than oil paintings.  I loved my collections by Lena Liu, Gregory Perrilo and Sandra Kuck.  I marveled at the artistry of each piece and took pride in owning such beautiful art.

As I got older, however, I began to realize that I wanted a simpler lifestyle void of all collectibles other than a few special pieces.  Plus, I hate to dust.  I still collect music boxes because that is simply a passion I have yet to ignore.  Music boxes for me combines the best of both worlds, music and art.

This blog and the eBay store with the same name, Collectibles Mercantile are both simply a way for my Brother and I to shed our lifelong collections in a venue where we could make a little extra money and maybe provide a way for others to add to or begin their own collections.  Though we are shedding our collections, this blog and store are a labor of love for both of us.  We know the collectibles field and enjoy every aspect of the store, including the packing and shipping.  I personally love a challenge and there is nothing more challenging then getting a piece of glassware or ceramic out to a customer across the country or overseas and having it arrive in one piece.  We've been lucky so far.

I would love to hear your thoughts on collecting and if you do have a collection or collections let us know what you have and what you enjoy about collecting. 

When you have a chance, hop on over to our Collectibles Mercantile shop on eBay and check out our listings.  

Thank you.