Collecting Automobilia
By eCountryLifestyle Staff Writer
Collecting anything to do with classic or vintage cars is referred to as automobilia.
The subject covers a wide expanse of memorabilia, including the cars themselves as well as all things related to them. The term also includes military vehicles, motorcycles, books, pushbikes garages, gasoline advertising and pumps, toys, trucks tractors, tools and parts such as hood ornaments.
Most collectors choose to limit their collection to a particular field, but some prefer to collect any pieces that attract them. One collector I know collects vintage automobiles, gas pumps, spare parts and more.
Why Collect Automobilia?
Since the invention of the automobile, people have been drawn to all things related to cars. Purchasing automobilia is relatively easy since thousands of items can be found at flea markets, garage sales, automobile shows, car swaps and online. There are always thousands of automobilia items to be found at online auctions. They vary in price and range from a couple of dollars to thousands. It seems there is a special piece of automobilia for all ages, tastes and budgets.
Collectible Accessories
There are thousands of automobile accessories that can be found with very little effort. These may be purchased to fit a specific vehicle or to be displayed proudly. Sparkling chrome hood ornaments, emblems, badges, mirrors, hubcaps and chrome grills are highly sought after, as are items from car clubs and rallies. AA automobilia is very popular. The organization has been around since the invention of the car and collectors seek out rare memorabilia from AA’s early years.
Other accessories that are collected include parking lights that are clipped to the window of the driver’s door and plugged into the cigarette lighter. People also collect the plastic trays that were used at drive-in restaurants during the 1950s. These had hooks that slipped over the driver’s window. The food was placed on the trays inside the restaurant and they were delivered to the car by a car hop.
In the 1950s and 1960s, smoking wasn’t frowned upon as it is today. Cigarette lighters and gizmo gadgets such as ashtrays with suction cups are highly collected in the United Kingdom.
Spare Parts
There are two types of car enthusiasts that collect original parts for antique and classic vehicles. The first are die-hard collectors who need the parts for their antique and classic cars. The second is the collectors who want to display shiny spare parts in the den or family room. Chrome and stainless steel grills and emblems display beautifully in glass cases or on walls, as do rare automobile related badges and a wide selection of other parts.
Other items that are more off-beat include old car light bulbs with or without the original packaging. Large collections can be very impressive when displayed. These are sought after by many collectors who have limited space.
Advertising Automobilia
One of the most popular types of automobilia collecting is advertising items. The design of these items often indicates the era in which they were produced by the colors, names and style of typography. Framed advertisements from early magazines are exceptionally attractive when framed and displayed on the wall of a bar of family room. Original posters for cars and car products are actively sought after by collectors around the globe.
Condition is very important to collectors of advertising automobilia, as it is with collectors of early tin signs. A collector will accept a turned corner on a rare poster or a small amount of corrosion and general wear on tin signs; though they seek out the best they can find and pay according to condition.
Automobilia Literature
There is a lot of great reading in automobilia literature. Some collectors seek out a specific era, while others may collect a specific mode of transportation, such as car, truck, bus, streetcars and others.
Books are highly collectible as are early car brochures and catalogues. Press photos of specific models are popular with those who can own classic vehicles. Other highly collectible include part lists and workshop manuals.
From the 1920s to the 1970s, children’s books often focused on cars. Some examples include The Book for Boys, which was published in 1945, The Romance of the Motor Car, published in the late 1920 or early 1930s. Every Boy’s Hobby Annual 1933, Tiger Annual 1958, The Ladybird Book of Motor Cars, published from the 1950s to the 1970s. These books have exquisite cover art that attracts automobilia collectors of all ages.
Toys and Pedal Cars
Thousands of collectors world wide collect old racing cars, motor cars, trucks, tractors, vans and a multitude of cast iron die cast vehicles. Those items in good to excellent condition fetch high prices at auction, flea markets and auto memorabilia shows.
Collectors of pedal cars are always on the lookout for items in good condition. They think nothing of paying thousands for a rare find. Many metal pedal cars and tractors were built from low-grade steel and rusted away when they were left in barns, garages and yards where they were exposed to excess moisture. This makes those that have survived highly collectible.
Most Highly Collectible
As with all collectibles, automobilia that wasn’t meant to last are the most sought after and the most valuable. Today, collectible toys are released on a regular basis. Only limited editions or rare items will ever become valuable collectibles. They are great toys, but don’t ever expect them to bring in the thousands of dollars that some of the early toys do. In the early half of the 20th century, up to the late 1950s, toys were just toys. Many were discarded when the owner grew out of them. Therefore the low survival rate has made them very valuable today.
Garage and Gasoline
Many collectors enjoy searching out and hoarding garage and gasoline paraphernalia. Anything that could be found in an old gas station is highly collectible, including vintage gas pumps, engine stands and truck jacks. Smaller items include oil bottles and cans, whitewall tire cleaner and metal advertising signs, to mention just a few.
Rare Items
Collectors attend flea markets, garage and auction sales, hobbyist fairs and car shows around the world seeking out that one rare, must-have item to add to their collection. Items that are found by dealers are sold off to the highest bidder; often on the Internet. This gives collectors in every country in the world equal chance to bid and win the item to add to their collection if they’re willing to pay the price.
The next time you are at an auction sale, flea market or garage sale, check out the automobilia that is for sale. You just might get the bargain of your life.
