COLLECTING. We all do it but many of us don't realise how addictive - and potentially lucrative - it can be.
Adrian Franklin, panelist of the popular ABC TV show, The Collectors, gives us a sense of what collecting over a year entails.
The book is a beauty for collectors and hoarders.
- A Collector's Year, by Adrian Franklin. NewSouth, rrp $29.95
Packed with tips for the experienced and novice alike, Franklin will have you soaking off wine bottle labels and saving jam tin art.
Did you know wall tiles are collectable?
So too are beer mats.
And what about coffee mugs with company names?
Yes, those too are desirable.
Franklin offers warm anecdotes of his own collecting experience, such as walking around London's famous antiques market in Portobello Road with his grandmother.
But it's the guidance he gives month-by-month that will have collectors cleaning out their cupboards.
The old collectable favourites, such as bottles, clocks and toys, are there.
But what about old cricket score books?
These are highly sought after, as are all those tacky plastic tourist toys such as Syd the platypus and Millie the echidna made for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Besides details of collecting snow domes, fishing books and wrist watches, plus just about anything else, the book provides collecting nous to prevent mistakes at auctions and explains how to check-out charity shops for bargains.
What's hot to collect?
Franklin reckons you can't go wrong with mobile phones, specialised bikes and early Ikea furniture.
Don't throw out those old recipe books either. There is a collecting market for them, especially if they are signed.
A tip: get along to clearing sales and check out the household items and old tools.
Woolshed bale stencils are tipped to become prized collectables too.
