The term “limited edition” collectibles has been around for many years. After all, by virtue of being “limited,” an item usually becomes collectable.

Numerous companies are producing limited edition collectibles, and by the millions. Companies like Bradford Exchange have been producing limited edition plates for decades, and collectors have been eagerly snapping them up for just as long.

Bradford Exchange
Marilyn Monroe plates

Bradford is known for its colorful plates, which depict scenes painted by famous artists, scenes from famous movies and illustrations of famous people, places and events. The company typically limits its plates to a certain number of “firing” days; that is, it will manufacture the plate for a certain period of time – regardless of how big or small the edition may be –and then stops making the piece.

Depending on demand, a collector’s plate can be produced in a quantity as small as 10 or as many as 20,000 or more. When you place your order, there’s no way of knowing how many pieces actually will be produced. Yet there is a big market – both primary and secondary – in Bradford plates. Many pieces sell for five or 10 times their original issue prices, and there is a big market long after Bradford retires a particular piece.

Pete Conrad inscribed
and signed photo

The Franklin Mint is another big player in the limited editions field. Franklin makes everything from coins and medallions to pocketknives and figurines. Again, each piece commemorates a famous person, place or event. Like Bradford, the market for Franklin’s product is huge. The company sells millions of pieces every year and even has opened retail stores to offer its wares.

Animation studios like Hanna Barbera, Warner Bros., Disney and others have all begun to manufacture limited edition animation art. Called “sericels,” these pieces are reproductions of original animation scenes or creations made specifically for the collector market. Are these items valuable? Many are, but the studios keep churning them out, year after year.

The animation reproduction market has become a little soft, partly because of the number of items being produced, and partly because prices for these pieces aren’t necessarily cheap. Few sell for less than $100, and most go for considerably more. Again, these cels are sold in retail stores all over the world.

“Million Dollar Quartet”
signed photo

Even film studios have gotten into the act, issuing limited edition collectibles associated with their movies. One new merchandising idea is to sell a single frame of film from an actual movie print as a limited edition collectible. Never mind that each of the thousands of reels distributed contains tens of thousands of frames – many millions in all when you tally up all the prints made for a blockbuster film.

Other limited edition collectibles issued by the studios include figurines, props and other items. Sometimes the collectibles are made by third parties under license from the various studios.

One must ask the question: If something is produced in the thousands – or tens of thousands – how collectable will it be in time? A lot depends on whether the piece was directly connected to a person or place.

I’ve seen pieces of wood from basketball courts offered in editions of 10,000. Will these items be collectable in the future? They have a chance because they were actually a part of basketball history. They weren’t simply taken from a mill in Oregon and “created.” They are pieces of a court actually played on by stars like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and others. A little more romance than a figurine of Aladdin made in Taiwan.

“Brady Bunch” signed litho

A number of collectibles dealers have entered into so-called “private signings” with celebrities, whereby the company produces a special photograph, piece of memorabilia, or other item that is hand-signed. This practice became commonplace in sports, where the likes of Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio signed limited numbers of baseballs, bats, jerseys and photos.

Few people thought much of the idea at the time, but now Mantle signed jerseys and DiMaggio signed bats have multiplied in value. Why? Well, Mantle died before the demand was totally met for certain items, like the jerseys. Many more could have been produced and sold, but time ran out and now the jerseys sell for many times the original issue price. DiMaggio was hesitant to get involved in a lot of projects, so the quantity of memorabilia signed by him was even less. After his death, demand increased.

Although it hasn’t caught on with many Hollywood megastars, limited edition signings have been done with celebrities like Pamela Anderson. The actress has done several signings, and the price is expected to increase on certain items because limited quantities were produced.

One company did a very limited signing with members of rock’s famous “Million Dollar Quartet,” comprised of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Presley wasn’t around to sign, but the other three were. A signing of 150 11x14-inch photos was done, and the edition sold out almost immediately at $700, which seemed like a lot of money at the time. Now, however, less than three years later, some of the photos have sold for as much as $2,000 on the secondary market.

“Gilligan’s Island”
signed litho

Astronauts also have done limited edition signings, and the pieces have been very popular with collectors. Most autograph editions are done in quantities of one, two or maybe 500 pieces. By all standards, they are truly “limited” editions, considering the potential number of collectors around the world.

It would take a book to write about the pros and cons of limited edition collectibles, but it is relatively easy to distinguish the types being offered. First are “unlimited” limited editions, in which the issue is determined by the number of days an item will be produced. Then there is the individually numbered limited edition, which guarantees that only so many items will be produced. This number can be small or large depending on the size of the company behind the product, or, if a celebrity is involved in signing the item, the number that person is willing to sign.

One thing is for sure in the limited editions arena: The smaller the edition, the bigger the potential for appreciation. So, when looking at a potential purchase, first ask yourself if the edition is small enough to fall short of meeting demand. Second, look at the past history for similar items. For example, Bradford Exchange has an index that tracks all of its issues, their initial prices and secondary market values. See if there are any trends.

Most importantly, buy what you like, regardless of edition. After all, if you’re not an Elvis fan, you may not want an Elvis figurine sitting on your coffee table five years from now.

Until next time, keep collecting!

Courtesy of Pop Culture Collecting Magazine

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