Over the years, I’ve collected many things; everything from porcelain dolls to baseball cards. However, in recent years, I quit collecting do the fact that I didn’t want to collect that same things as everyone else. Below are some tips that I’ve discovered to help people discover the hobby of collecting something they love.

1. Find your passion.

This may seem cliché and many talk about passion with relation to careers. When deciding on what to collect, however, you absolutely need to make sure it is something that you are very interested in. You have to have a drive to want to learn all about the object you are collecting. There is no point of collecting if you are going to be bored searching for your latest piece.

2. Find a niche.

The narrower your collection, the better off you will be! It may be more of a challenge to find new additions to your collection, but in the end, you will have a much more unique collection. For example, if you love baseball, you could collect all of the cards of your favorite players from a specific period. If you love a certain sports team, search high and low for complete team sets.

3. Don’t get hung up on price.

This one can go either way. Some people refuse to spend hardly any money on their collections, while others spend outrageous amounts. When you spend almost no money on your collection, you automatically limit the scope of your collection. Many times, if people spend just a tad bit more money, they can greatly improve the quality and quantity of your collection. On the other hand, if people insist on paying top dollar for items for their collection, they can miss some great bargains and high quality pieces that may greatly increase in value at a later date. The bottom-line is this: You need to make sure you are getting a value for your money.

4. Create a Network for your collection.

You can’t be everywhere at once! The best way to expand your collection, especially if are concentrating on very specific, unique items, is to have as many people as possible looking for items for you. For example, I have an Aunt who absolutely loves consignment stores. Her dream is to one day open a resale shop. I also have another Aunt who is a former antique dealer who goes to estate auctions. When I start a unique collection of my own, which will surely involve antiques, they will be the first people I tell.

5. Plan on going to as many garage sales and estate sales as possible.

Garage sales and estate sales are wonderful places for collectors to find hard-to-find pieces for very good prices. This requires a lot of patience. You have to hit a lot of bad garage sales before you find what you’re looking for. No matter what, garage and estate sales are entertaining. They can certainly become hobbies.

In the end, a little ingenuity can go a long way towards making a ho-hum collection stand out. You need to get as creative as you can. The types of collections that can be created are truly endless. Let your imagination go wild!