Where to Begin?

[Reynard]

Books are a fabby way to get started and won't break the bank. Hunt through thrift stores and yard sales - part of the fun is in the searching - and buy what catches your fancy. One of the most rewarding things is acquiring something on which you have to do some research, where you can find out all about the item, maybe something about the person who owned it etc.

[Cadillac]

Well I went out and bought a medic armband. I think that is a great start to my collection. Thanks for all of the help and input everybody!

[Chopperman]

yea- I was born with the collecting gene. been collecting crap
sense I was a little kid. Rocks, marbles, you name it. If I could
put it in my pocket, I collected it.

I started collecting swords before the first grade---the little
plastic sword that my stepdad would bring home from the bar.

Seriously, collect because you love what you are collecting. If you
collect only as an investment or you collect something because
someone else is collecting the same thing, chances are that you
will end up loosing interest in it.

[willie45]

There's always a lot of good advice from experienced collectors on this forum. Some of the best advice I've seen regards the need to remain focused and disciplined. It's easy to get side tracked by bargains, then find oneself cash strapped when something really big shows up, as Tony mentioned previously.

As others have said, the research and history side of it is important, otherwise it's just stuff hanging on the wall.
Some collect as an aid to research, others research as a compliment to collecting. Either way, the history is every bit as important as the item, probably more so.

Cheers, Willie.