# Has anyone here ever ordered anything from the Bradford Exchange? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 9, 2026, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514 "2026-02-09T03:38:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/21 "2026-02-11T18:57:42Z")
The vast, vast majority of those things were simply trashed as they wore out or the kidly owner outgrew playing with them. Of the small fraction remaining, as you say, the vast majority were well-used, not in mint condition. The vast expansion in the size of the middle class between the 1950s and 1990s also meant that far more current era people where chasing prior era goods. As you say, once everybody had the idea to buy to store for future profit, there was a temporary speculative bubble right then, amply supplied by the manufacturers, so not much secondary market profit, then the outyears demand never materialized anywhere near the outyear supply. Oh well. Another kidly dream of easy riches dashed. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/22 "2026-02-11T19:28:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As you say, once everybody had the idea to buy to store for future profit, there was a temporary speculative bubble right then, amply supplied by the manufacturers, so not much secondary market profit, then the outyears demand never materialized anywhere near the outyear supply. This is exactly what happened with comic books in the early 1990s. In the late '80s and early '90s, auction prices for highly-collectible older books skyrocketed, fueling a speculation boom. This led the publishers to chase profits by producing multiple “variant” (i.e., theoretically collectible) covers for many of their books, and special “event” issues, all of which collectors snapped up, hoping for appreciation of value – but, of course, no collectible is going to rise much in value when there’s zillions of copies of it out there that collectors are carefully curating to keep in pristine condition. The publishers got greedy, comic book readers got burned out on the constant stream of “special” releases, and of course the bubble burst, driving a lot of retailers out of business, and damaging the industry for years. > **[An Oral History of the '90s Comic Book Boom... and Crash - IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/an-oral-history-of-the-90s-comic-book-boom-and-crash)** > > Bob Layton, Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, and Louise Simonson tell the story of the '90s comic book boom and crash. > **[The Speculator Bubble: How the 1990s Crashed the Comic Book Market](https://comictornado.substack.com/p/the-speculator-bubble-how-the-1990s)** > > A cautionary tale in comic book investment. Speculation is not the same as value. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/23 "2026-02-11T19:33:38Z")
My Mother-In-Law had an old set of Bradford Exchange Norman Rockwell commemorative dinner plates on the wall next to the kitchen table. I looked up the current price and…meh. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/24 "2026-02-12T03:42:26Z")
One of the people I volunteer with at the library gets really annoyed because I want to put kids’ books out that are in rougher condition than she thinks we should display for sale. I never had kids, but she did, and in fact is a GREAT-grandmother, and we’ve had to explain to her that this is a USED bookstore, and people come here for bargains because they know the kids are going to wreck them, one way or another. She only wants to put kids’ things out that are gift-quality, which excludes about 99.9% of what we get. Oddly, she isn’t as selective regarding the not-for-kids adult books. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/25 "2026-02-12T04:06:35Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I go to a lot of estate sales, and I often see stacks of them, in their Styrofoam containers. Yeah, I have bought a few of their “valuable collectables” for pennies on the dollar (often just a dollar) from yard sales, etc. Some are kinda nice. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Whenever I encounter legit businesses like them who are in reality little more than cons, I It is not really a “con”. You really get the merchandise, and it is not badly made, either. Now, the “collectable” part is a maybe if you think they are going to become valuable later, sure, but a lot of people collect nice looking things just for the joy. If that is why you buy these fine. But they aint appreciating in value. (a very few early ones have, I heard). > [@LSLGuy](#): > > As you say, once everybody had the idea to buy to store for future profit, there was a temporary speculative bubble right then, amply supplied by the manufacturers, so not much secondary market profit, then the outyears demand never materialized anywhere near the outyear supply. Right. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/26 "2026-02-12T04:42:01Z")
For my high school graduation, my Mother ordered a [Princess Diana Bride Doll](https://www.mercari.com/us/item/m64695828494/?gclsrc=aw.ds&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=23476510286&utm_content=t0&adgroup=&network=x&device=c&merchant_id=134611514&product_id=m64695828494&product_id=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23481114694&gclid=Cj0KCQiA7rDMBhCjARIsAGDBuEATV9iZwNFnYqIrbaZ2wYt6Dcj6eLDCRxNqbWm3-WgH79heQEXEZgEaAmNgEALw_wcB) from the Danbury Mint. It was typical of her to waste money that way, and to buy me gifts that she wanted. She filled out the order form in my name, so that the “Certificate of Authentification” would be made out to me. :sigh: Then she proceeded to make none of the payments. So my high school graduation gift was bad credit. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/27 "2026-02-12T11:57:56Z")
My late uncle had a Civil War chess set that could have come from the Bradford Exchange. He got a couple of pieces every month. It’s very nice. It’s in storage at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/28 "2026-02-12T14:21:56Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I never had kids, but she did, and in fact is a GREAT-grandmother, Which might explain this seeming oddity. As a GGMom, she had/has a couple kids, a few grandkids, and a mob of GGkids. With the result she’s bought a lot more kid’s gifts over the years than she did stuff her own kids used and wrecked. And that “they’re gonna wreck 'em anyhow” experience was long long ago, while the “perfect gift for my angelic GGkid #12” experience is recent. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/29 "2026-02-12T20:38:04Z")
She had 3 kids. IDK exactly how many grandchildren or GGs she has; there are some steps in there too. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/30 "2026-02-12T23:08:40Z")
The idea that younger people scoff at collectibles [is misplaced](https://robbreport.com/shelter/art-collectibles/young-wealthy-collectibles-interest-1235657300/). They may be into things like [toys](https://civicscience.com/why-so-many-americans-are-buying-kids-toys-and-collectibles/), watches, sneakers and such instead of plates and figurines, but it’s likely that their homes in many cases are filling up with crap even as they roll their eyes at what their parents and grandparents collected. > [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > I inherited some of my grandmother’s Christmas decorations that came from there. Complete with certificate of authenticity. Old-fashioned/antique Xmas ornaments (like blown glass ones) are likely to hold interest/value for later generations, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/31 "2026-02-13T05:04:29Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > We will be inheriting, one day, a ton of Hummels. Because my in-laws lived near the factory in Germany, and bought some rare ones, I’m hoping we’ll get…something…for it. I’ve got some Hummels that my Step Grandmother brought from Germany about 1930 or so. Plus a few that I bought while there in 1978. Don’t know their value. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/32 "2026-02-13T14:46:07Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > The idea that younger people scoff at collectibles [is misplaced](https://robbreport.com/shelter/art-collectibles/young-wealthy-collectibles-interest-1235657300/) Collectible plates are so dumb. Anyway, let me show you my thirty different Stanley cups and my nineteen different copies of the same Taylor Swift album each on a different color vinyl and with different covers. Have you seen my binder of Pokemon cards? I camped for two days in front of a Target to get them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/33 "2026-02-13T20:22:42Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > I’ve got some Hummels that my Step Grandmother brought from Germany about 1930 or so. I read that the older ones- like yours and the few larger ones can be valuable. Especially if they have the “Full Bee” (TMK-1) Trademark. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514/34 "2026-02-14T05:22:46Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > . . .nineteen different copies of the same Taylor Swift album each on a different color vinyl . . . I think the most egregious example of this is the Birkin bags. All of them are basically the same except for the color and texture in the leather. They are well made, and made by real artisans who are paid a fair wage under French guild laws. And the retail prices are not ridiculous. But once they hit the secondary market the cost can easily hit six figures. For a while there, the entire “Real Housewives” franchise was nothing more than an infomercial for them. These things make me crazy. If you are walking around flaunting a handbag that cost enough to provide a homeless family with housing for life, you need to review your values and priorities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-ever-ordered-anything-from-the-bradford-exchange/1027514.md?page=1)