# Are there really that many collectors of antique garbage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 20, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051 "2011-02-20T22:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/21 "2011-02-21T16:31:03Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Oh, and note that I’m differentiating between collectibles (like baseball cards, comics) and just garbage. And what exactly is the line between the two? A collectible is defined by demand. If people are willing to pay big bucks for it, it ain’t garbage. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/22 "2011-02-21T16:34:42Z")
Interesting topic-you never know what something is worth. For example-the mechanic who services my brother’s cars restores old motorcycles. In the 1980’s Harley-Davidson imported some really crappy, cheap small motorbikes from Italy-and sold them under the H-D name (groan!). These bikes were crap-they fell apart, they were so cheaply made. Now, they are worth a fortune-this guy is restoring one-and he expects to get upwards of $10,000 for it! I would think that the internet is a good tool for finding value-but I suspect that you do need a skilled dealer, who knows these obscure markets. Take Victorian furniture-20 years ago, nobody wanted it-it was heavy, dark, and uncomfortable-now its worth big money-go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/23 "2011-02-21T16:42:47Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Oh, and note that I’m differentiating between collectibles (like baseball cards, comics) and just garbage. I don’t really see a difference between baseball cards and an old sign someone found in a junkyard. Neither one of them is particularly valuable to me. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/24 "2011-02-22T04:17:07Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Have you ever walked into one of those chain restaurants that have that kind of old junk all over their walls? Old road signs, gas station signs, advertisements, farm tools, etc., etc.? A lot of them have people whose job it is to go out and buy that kind of stuff to decorate their business establishments. Maybe, but that only works if the stuff is _cheap_, if you can buy it more or less by the ton. If the items are each individually of value, the strategy that **Superhal** suggests (and that \*\*cjepson \*\*says Cracker Barrel uses already) makes more economic sense for a chain, so the chains are probably only going to drive up the value of such stuff a very slight bit from zero. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/25 "2011-02-22T17:36:50Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > why isn’t there a counterfeiting business like for the classic Coca Cola advertising? There is. Corey once bought such a fake Coke piece and Rick was pissed. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/26 "2011-02-22T18:11:07Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I think that’s what is actually done in many instances. I believe a lot of the stuff you see in, e.g., Cracker Barrel is replicas. Actually, [Cracker Barrel has made an industry of digging up authentic antiques for their restaurants](http://www.crackerbarrel.com/about-decor.cfm?doc_id=224), and they maintain a legendary warehouse of such items, ready to be used in decorating new locations. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/27 "2011-02-22T19:04:17Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Why not get an old bike separate all the parts and sell each piece for hundreds? Very often old machines and vehicles are indeed worth far more as parts. However, a given part is only worth that much to someone who actually _needs_ that part, and if there’s only a very small pool of people who are still keeping the things running, you are going to be waiting a very long time to sell enough parts to make up the difference vs. selling a whole unit. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/28 "2011-02-23T00:19:29Z")
On a larger scale, The Neon Museum in Las Vegas has assembled a collection of old neon signs salvaged from former casinos. That’s a whole lot of ‘garbage’ tossed aside. It’s so popular you have to make an appointment way in advance and pay a fee to walk through the yard, looking at the old Sands and Flamingo signs and such. ---
**Author:** ![ChicagoTom25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@ChicagoTom25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChicagoTom25)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/29 "2011-02-23T01:28:36Z")
I don’t know how many people actually collect old junk anymore but I’m glad that they do. I wish I had the money and space to store old junk. Some of it can be really valuable, you just have to know what is collectible. It’s a hobby I wish that I could have. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/30 "2011-02-23T02:12:03Z")
It’s pretty clear from things the guys say that a lot of their buyers are actually interior decorators and prop houses - people who aren’t “collecting” per se - they just want a rusty old widget as a discussion piece for the living room, or a half-smashed vespa as set dressing for a 1930s-era drama set in Italy. In these cases, condition may be immaterial, or poor condition may be a selling point. The only important thing is that it is cool and very typical of a certain era. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/31 "2011-02-23T02:29:07Z")
The market that I was surprised at in _American Pickers_ was oil cans. One of the guys (the shorter one with the beard) turns into Rainman when he sees one and will pay $50 or $100 if it’s a rare one. I’ve never known any oil can collecters- is this a Midwest thing or a NASCAR thing or what exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/32 "2011-02-23T03:09:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The market that I was surprised at in _American Pickers_ was oil cans. One of the guys (the shorter one with the beard) turns into Rainman when he sees one and will pay $50 or $100 if it’s a rare one. I’ve never known any oil can collecters- is this a Midwest thing or a NASCAR thing or what exactly? I pretty much gave up trying to understand that show in the first episode when they got a collectible amusement park ride from the 50’s that probably is a deathtrap today. ---
**Author:** ![clarkstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@clarkstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clarkstar)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/33 "2011-02-23T03:20:59Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Don’t propose that to the people who own Hard Rock Café, just sayin’. that already happens. if you look closely, most of the decor is knockoffs ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/34 "2011-02-23T03:33:41Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The market that I was surprised at in _American Pickers_ was oil cans. One of the guys (the shorter one with the beard) turns into Rainman when he sees one and will pay $50 or $100 if it’s a rare one. I’ve never known any oil can collecters- is this a Midwest thing or a NASCAR thing or what exactly? No, the short stubby guy buys them _for himself_ and the tall lanky guy thinks he’s crazy. The carnival ride was an absolutely perfect example of something that can be easily sold to a prop house as a set piece. That’s also why they go nuts over, for example, period but uninteresting trash cans. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/35 "2011-02-23T03:42:43Z")
Hey, I’m glad somebody holds on to that kind of stuff. I’ve been to many a local museum/historical society filled with day-to-day ephemera from earlier times. I find the displays quite fascinating. Out of context, though, outside of the museum, a lot of it would be considered junk. > [@salinqmind](#): > > The Neon Museum in Las Vegas has assembled a collection of old neon signs salvaged from former casinos. There’s a neat neon museum in LA, too. In the summer they have night time bus tours to see neon in various neighborhoods. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/36 "2011-02-23T16:39:11Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I pretty much gave up trying to understand that show in the first episode when they got a collectible amusement park ride from the 50’s that probably is a deathtrap today. It ended up being sold for $3000 to some white-collar worker as a restoration project. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051/37 "2011-02-23T23:43:57Z")
There was a movie about the bus boycott filmed in Montgomery many years ago and some pickers were sent to find props for it. One thing I remember them doing was scouring all the car junkyards for any vintage cars, no matter how terrible the condition, so long as they were cheap. A 1948 Ford that was either irreparable or would cost many thousands of dollars to fully restore could be given a paint job and polish for a couple of hundred and would look fine parked on a roadside or in a driveway during a street shot. It was interesting watching the film and noticing the same car will be in front of a courthouse in one scene, parked in a church lot in another, and in front of a house in a neighborhood later on, and knowing the car had to be towed and manually set up each place. After the movie wrapped the same cars and many other props and costumes were sold so the production company recouped a part of the money, and then some of the same props were hauled out and sold or leased again when another movie set in the 1950s was filmed here a few years later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-that-many-collectors-of-antique-garbage/572051.md?page=1)