GoGoKitty’s Flea Market Secrets

Are you a sports memorabilia collector?  If so, you might be shocked at how much the value has increased by the time you are ready to sell.  On the other hand, the value might go down.

Avoid Disappointment.

We have all heard stories about enterprising kids who get involved in sports card collecting.  With the promise that the sports cards are worth a great deal of money and will be worth a fortune in the future, these youngsters buy boxes of cards that are supposed to be a really great deal.  Most of these are worthless fakes … and a waste of a young person’s long saved allowance.  Beware of this type of scam when you buy a group or box of sports collectible items.  The appraised value will be nothing, not even a cent!

The serious sports collector realizes that an appraisal is essential.  People who are just breaking into the collectibles business are often sadly disappointed when they discover that they have sold their collectibles for less than their value. This could have been avoided with an appraisal.

Where to Have Sports Memorabilia Appraised.

Some reputable sports memorabilia appraisers include:

• AllAuthentic Sports Memorabilia — This organization is staffed with professionals who can provide references and offer instant appraisals.
• Vintage Sports Memorabilia Appraisals — Vintage Sports has a sports artifacts library for thousands of vintage sports items.  The company prefers to work by email. Requests for information should be about items that predate 1980, and should be limtied to two items.
• Krause Standard Catalog of Sports Memorabilia Price Guide.
• Robert Connely holds clinics about appraisals.  He’s a member of the American Society of Appraisers and was honored by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
• Founded in 1992, American Legends provides paid appraisals.
• Sports Memorabilia Appraisal Expert Witness provides a tollfree phone number and volunteers background information to help give reference to its value as an appraisal business.

Appraisals May Help You With Your Insurance Claims.

Not only are appraisals of your sports memorabilia important to determine resale value, but if you have valuable collectibles, you will want to have your valuable insured.  Insurance companies might not recognize the value unless you’ve had an appraisal done.  Make sure you have written and documented proof.

Is the Price Right?  What Are the Standards?

There is a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice which is recognized in courts and acceptable to banks, insurance companies, auction houses, and even the IRS.  Don’t just depend on a local sports shop or the first available appraiser you come across if you are thinking about selling your sports memorabilia.

If you have valuable sports collectibles, it might be worth the cost to pay for more than one opinion.  Prices change, so realize that the value will go up and down.  If you had an appraisal done several years ago, you should get an updated appraisal if you are thinking about selling your sports memorabilia now.

Some Tips About Sports Memorabilia and Collectibles.

• Memorabilia involving retired players hold their value better because the player’s status is not going to change.
• Sweat stains do not necessarily make a jersey authentic.  Anyone can wear a jersey long enough to sweat in it and try to pass it off as the real thing.
• Watch for smudged autographs, dog-eared pages in books, worn edges on cards.
• There is a system with trading cards called grading.  A graded card has a more reasonable guarantee of authenticity.  Graded cards are sealed to discourage card switching, a low tactic of some sellers.  The appraiser will recognize graded cards and their value.

Want to know more?  Discover some more tips about antiquing and collectibles at the Blurbosphere.

The other day I posted a question on “answer bank” and had a quite a few replies. It seems that there are loads of people out there with fond memories of the toys that they owned back in their childhoods. 

My question was what do you think was the best or most entertaining toy you ever owned?” 

The first response I got back was “etch a sketch” I too remember having one of those and got hours of fun out of it. 

Next up was “Hungry Hippos” probably a game that many people have either owned or heard of. It’s an addictive game and one that you never seem to get tired of. 

Someone else said it was a yo yo and another “juggling balls” which kept them amused for hours. 

Football was mentioned often using Mums washing line to make your own makeshift goalposts in the back garden. Also there were boomerangs. 

Another real old favourite was lego which I suppose really took over from mecano. 

For the girls out there it was of course “Sindy”, “My Little Ponies” and the “Barbie Doll”. 

It seems that a lot of the girls were lucky enough to have their own dolls houses. Very often they have been kept in the family and passed down generation to generation. 

One thing I do notice is that out of all the replies there is only one game which requires more than one to play. 

I wonder what that says about our childhoods or do we just prefer our own company? Maybe we were simply just used to entertaining ourselves better, that’s my theory anyway! 

When I look at all the different toys I think what strikes me most is the lack of computer games. It looks like the good old fashioned traditional toys are the ones that seem to stand the test of time and its those that we remember best! 

What do you think?

Many different banks issue credit cards, and many are providing various inducements to entice you to use them. Credit cards often offer you the chance to accrue points as you buy items with the card, and some cards give you special advantages, such as special deals at stores and eateries, or admittance to special events. There seems to be available a credit card that will satisfy the needs of most people.

When you are the owner of your own business, you need a credit card designed with the needs of the small business owner in mind. Perks that are normally associated with a regular consumer credit card may not be right for you, but rather you could use features that are more business oriented. While there are not as many options when it comes to a business card, there are still several that will be just fine for your business.

When it comes to a credit card for your business, there are ones available from the largest players, which include business credit card offers from American Express. Most of the business credit cards include features that allow you to track spending, get additional cards for employees, and adjust the credit limit for additional cards. These business specific cards tend to give a lot of control to you, the business owner.

It is very important to go with a credit card issuer that understands the needs of the business owner. An example of such a company is Advanta with their small business credit card. Advanta only deals with the small business owner, so they are one of the best that serves the needs of the the business owner.

When it comes to choosing a credit card for your small business, go with one that is designed specifically for the needs of entrepreneurs. Choosing the right credit card for your situation is important so that you are using the best financial tools available to the business owner.

When you are a small business owner, you have a whole different set of monetary matters you are faced with. Probably the most important of these is keeping your business and personal monies totally separate from one another.

The simplest way of keeping your personal and business finances completely apart is by having both a bank account for your small business and a credit card for your small business. Of course, the small business accounts will then be used only for business purposes, and the personal financial accounts will never be used for business. This will keep your tax professional and the taxman off your back.

An integral part of your small business finances is having business credit card online. A typical small business has the need of a business credit card on a fairly regular basis. From paying monthly bills, to routine office expenses, a business credit card is a necessity.

When choosing a credit card for your business, you have many options. Most banks issue credit cards to consumers, while not as many issue small business credit cards. If you are looking for small business credit cards, there are several good ones to pick from.

Finding a bank that caters to the entrepreneur is the smart choice when it comes to choosing which business credit card to choose. You want to get a business credit card that is issued by a bank who realizes the requirements of the small business professional.

Thankfully, there is a good selection of reputable banks that issue a small business credit card. For instance, if you were to choose an Advanta business credit card offer, you would be dealing with a financial institution that caters to the business owner.

Choosing the correct financial institution for your small business credit card is just as important as using a credit card with your business. Making the right choice in a business credit card will help your business’ financial prospects.

As an entrepreneur, you are always on the lookout for services that can help you in making your business the best it can be. Business services accomplish just this by allowing a business owner to have the greatest operation possible.

Many varieties of business support services are available to the business owner. These services can assist the small business owner in appearing to be a much larger operation to their customers. They can aid your workers be more productive and efficient. Or they allow a business owner to run a very large company from anywhere they want to be.

What allows these services to succeed is simply technology. Technology allows entrepreneurs access to services that, until recently, were only available to the largest of companies.

One example of small business service technology is a virtual business phone service. With this service, a small business can transform their existing phone service into one that is very much like a large company. With a single number for inbound customer calls, and the ability to then route these calls to any employee’s phone, anywhere in the world, a business owner can have complete control over a very versatile phone service.

Virtual meetings are another great example of a business service.. You no longer have to spend thousands of dollars to have a system that allows you to hold a meeting with a remote customer or client. All that is required to hold an internet meeting with anyone, located anywhere, is a computer and a broadband Internet connection.

The cost of business support service is very attractive. These services don’t cost a lot of money. In fact, for pennies a day you can make your small company appear like a much larger company. Today’s technology allows you to go up against much larger businesses.

To grow your business to its full potential, start using the available business services. Going up against much larger companies will no longer be the headache that it currently is.