Whatever you collect, some of your most valuable pieces will have crossover appeal to other collectors. This Schafer & Vater humidor (about $350) might appeal to collectors of that company, of tobacciana, of majolica, or of black memorabilia.

Collecting doesn’t have to be expensive to be lots of fun. Here’s just a small sample – salt and pepper shakers, cream pitchers and egg cups -- of the scores of items that are available, affordable and easy to display.

Collectors are society’s hunter gatherers, sometimes even head-hunters. A collection of items with head motifs – portrait plates, silhouettes, busts, vases, jars, perfume bottles, Toby jugs, etc. – can fit right into your décor without appearing to be a c

Is this covered dish English or Chinese? Some collectibles require study and research, like 18th Century Lowesoft porcelain, made in England and copied so well by the Chinese it’s hard to tell the difference.

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I remember a few years ago I saw an article in one of the antique trade newspapers about the International Reamer Collectors’ Association. A reamer is that thing you twist a half piece of citrus on to extract the juice.

I knew they were collectible, especially the formal porcelains, the ceramic novelties, and the colorful glass variety produced between the 1920s and ‘50s. I did not know, however, that the collectors were internationally organized. And this article was about their annual convention – in Paris, France. There was to be a formal dinner. (Would there be juice?) And there would be a guest speaker. (Would there be a demonstration -- in French?) It seems like a lot of fuss over juice reamers.

The Victorians invented collecting as we know it today, and they liked to make a fuss over everything. They saw collecting as “productive leisure.” There was reading, research, attending lectures, writing papers. It also might entail, travel and field trips that even provided something of a social life. France, anyone?

That kind of collecting is still alive and well today. Many people find it fun and rewarding, and not a few have turned their hobby into a profitable little enterprise.

But many of today’s collectors take a more casual approach to collecting. They don’t want or need to be so committed to one collection or one type of collecting. Lucky for them the antique shops are chock full of ideas, at every level of affordability.
The most common reason for casual collecting is interior decorating: Some colorful glass for a window sill, some old blocks and toys for a child’s room, some poignant items, for a mantel or bookshelf.

People collect by manufacturer, material, color, era, or distinctive style (Deco, Nouveau, Modern, etc.). Often none or all of those categories apply. For instance, I once collected heads.

Sometimes I don’t know I’m collecting something until I look around and find I have a lot of it. One day I discovered that there were all there heads – on lamps, mirrors, chandeliers, even. There were portrait plates and silhouettes, vases, perfume bottles , card trays, busts and Toby jugs. They were in silver, porcelain, glass, brass and more. I had become a headhunter. Once I accepted the fact, I went about it in earnest. My reward was a great many “crossover” collectibles” These are the pieces that appeal to more than one collector group. And those things are always more valuable.

Its fun, it’s interesting, it’s personal, it can be quite decorative, and like so many other things the Victorians gave us, it’s a little nutty. You really should try collecting; you don’t know what you’re missing.

I was inspired to write this column after a talk I was invited to give to the Antique Collectors’ Club of Linwood. Call the Linwood Public Library for contact information.

Arthur Schwerdt, a certified appraiser, is the author of “The Antique Story Book: Finding the Real Value of Old Things,” and co-owner of the August Farmhouse Antiques on Route 9 in Swainton. Send your comments, questions and appraisal requests to: aschwerdt@cmcherald.com.