Let's talk vintage comic books. How is it possible that the popularity and value of collecting these books could increase in a downward economy? How is it also possible that those popularity and value increases could happen in an age where kids are reading from computer screens versus paper products? The recent popularity growth in collecting is due to three factors: the stability of comic book reading and collecting over the long history of the hobby; the popular releases of new movies, television shows, and computer games which include vintage super heroes and villains; and the influx of new closeouts that are now available, due to collectors selling collections to compensate financial issues, caused by a weakened economy.

It is hard to argue that collecting these publications is a fly-by-night hobby. These fun publications have a long history. The origin of these books, some believe, developed from newspaper comic strips dating back to the late 1800's. Most modern collectors contribute "Yellow Kid" as the first modern comic-strip character that appeared in the New York Journal in 1896. Most collectors consider Famous Funnies issue #1, which went on sale in May of 1934, as the first actual comic book. With a history over one hundred years old, comic books seem to have a here-to-stay persona. Most adult collectors remember the comics they read as kids, and although many of those books were eventually discarded as these collectors aged, many are now replacing the vintage books they once enjoyed as children. This may be one of the factors creating the onset in the recent popularity of buying vintage comics. It may also be one explanation of why that popularity has boomed over the past ten years, despite a currently struggling economy.

Supply and demand dictates prices and popularity. It is important to understand that early era comic books were designed to be a disposable entertainment, quite like newspapers. Read it and toss it. Early economic issues, however, turned the "read it and toss it" philosophy into the "read it, then trade it for a comic you have not read, and then toss it" philosophy. Sometimes these transactions occurred multiple times, but the end result often led to tossing said book. One major reason vintage comic books were not discarded was due to long-term thinkers who held their books, saving them for future reading or passing the books to family or friends to introduce them to the same entertainment they enjoyed. With low-print runs and the disposable entertainment philosophy back in that era, it is no wonder why these vintage comics are currently hard to find and why their prices have steadily increased over the years.

Hit movies such as "Spider Man," "Hulk," "Bat Man," and more recently, "Thor" and "The Green Lantern" have introduced a new excitement to collecting comics. For reasons apparent, Hollywood super hero movies seem to generate enthusiasm to their comic book counterparts. Hit television shows, like "The Big Bang Theory," have made comic book collecting geeks more popular than sports jocks in today's times. Also, the fact that super heroes and super villains appear in today's popular video games has surely contributed to the popularity of comic book collecting. The video game trend has flocked a new generation of collectors towards collecting these graphic novels.

One of the biggest factors of why people were not targeting vintage comics in recent years was the difficulty in readily finding them. During hard times, when collectors or their family members hit economic struggles, one of the first assets they normally sell is their collectibles. This avenue of availability is short-lived, due to the buy-back mentality we have when economic times change to the positive. If a collector or investor acts quickly enough, they may be able to take advantage of the current market's situation and thereby benefit by finding the vintage comic book deals that they were unable to find during the positive economy.

Whatever the reason for collecting vintage comic books, whether for investment or enjoyment, knowing why and when a market might change can be a valuable asset in making sound decisions when seeking your comic books of choice. Being in a position to take advantage of that situation may lead to finding vintage comic books at prices a downward economy might dictate.

Billy May is an avid collector and owner of Cardsone Trading Cards ( http://cardsone.com ) If you have opinions, or adivse for potential collectors. Sign up for an account and submit an article here at EzineArticles. Your thoughts matter. Share Them!

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Vintage magazine ads - how can you use them? You would be surprised at the various uses for old magazine advertising. They are much more than just old slick paper. The following paragraphs will show you the various things you can do with old back issues of vintage magazine advertising slicks. FYI: "Slicks" is how people in newspaper production describe slick inserts like coupons and department store advertising. Now on to popular and unique ways to utilize old ad prints.

Home Decor

Matting and/or framing is one popular option for antique ads for home decoration. Old ad art prints like those from the 40s and the 50s are highly popular due to the interest in those eras. Some examples of 40s ads might include movie ads like "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart, Lucky Strike cigarettes, WW 2 ads and soda ads like Pespi-Cola. The 1950s prints might include cars like the "Rocket" Oldsmobile, vacuum cleaners like Hoover and makeup like Tru-Glo featuring Marilyn Monroe. Imagine the originals being matted and framed for hanging on the wall. It is a really inexpensive option for interior decorating.

Crafting and Artwork

Crafty people love to get creative with these old magazine ads. You will see them used for one-of-a-kind (OOAK) greeting cards, trading cards and gift tags. Scrap booking is a very popular arena where these can be used. Less common uses might include furniture decoupage or wallpaper for a feature wall (they need to be reinforced for this use).

Artwork using vintage magazine ads can include such things as canvas printing or screen printing, digital reproductions and collage art. Creative people and artists can find many more uses than these. This is just a few examples of how you might see them used.

Office Decor

You will find a lot of health care related ads from the 40s and 50s in old magazine ad prints. Some doctors use them for display, in frames, in their offices. Auto repair shops and vintage car shows present old 1950s advertising art prints as a decorative element. Any business can use these old ads as pieces of nostalgic ephemera related to their business.

Gift-Giving

It can be difficult to find unique gifts, especially for people who seem to have everything. Original vintage magazine ads make very unique gifts because they are technically quite rare. Two examples of how you might be able to use them as gifts.

*1st anniversary is paper gifts which means this is perfect. You just need to find out what the happy couple collects or what hobbies they have and search.

*Grandparents Day is a nice holiday for giving these old vintage magazine ads. Utilize their time period and make a collage or just get an ad or two for framing.

Every person is different which means each individual will likely find various ways to use these old ads. It doesn't take a lot of creativity or imagination to make use of these collectible and decorative ads.

CeLeste Christopher enjoys writing about vintage magazine ads at: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Many-Uses-for-Vintage-Magazine-Ads

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No doubt about it, antique (vintage) autos have a huge fan base. But while auto insurance for vintage vehicles only covers part of the value, it is better than having nothing, in case of theft or damage. These classic vehicles are a passion for many people, saving some of our automotive past.

The Corundum of the Vintage

The value of classic autos increases each year. This is in contrast to newer cars, which decrease in value every year. It is rather difficult to accurately determine the market value of an antique car for insurance purposes.

To make matters even more difficult, there aren't all that many antique auto insurance providers available either. These vintage "works of art" are sought-after by collectors who are at times willing to pay much more than their actual value.

Computing Ordinary Car Insurance 101

In the case of an ordinary automobile that isn't old enough to be an antique (usually 20 years), the value of the auto is determined by taking the original cost then depreciating each year from that dollar amount. Of course, this assumes no major accidents, etc.

For antique automobiles, though, it's a tricky situations. The price can't be determined using normal methods. Especially since the value of a vintage vehicle increases over time, not decreases.

Computing Vintage Auto Insurance 102

There are three main methods for determining the value, insurance-wise, for an antique auto.

Method 1: The value is mutually agreed upon between the owner and the insurance company. This tends to yield a higher coverage amount than other methods.

Method 2: The antique's value is determined based on the current values for similar automobiles as listed in popular vintage automobile magazines and price indexes that are in vogue. In some cases, an independent assessor might be called in to help determine the value of the automobile.

Method 3: A lesser-used method is to calculate the value of the automobile as the total of the actual cost plus the many up gradations and enhancements and amount spent on repairs etc over the years. In other words, the value of the vehicle is the amount calculated after deducting the depreciation with age from the original cost price of the vehicle, then adding back in the upgrades and restoration work.

Insuring Your Vintage Vehicle

To sum it all up, antique auto insurance providers have their own set of rules they use to determine the insurable amount of the vintage vehicle. For example, these insurance providers usually require that the automobile being insured should not be used as a means of regular transportation. They may also require that the vehicle be garaged.

Additional requirements may include that the vintage auto cannot be used for racing, and that any other members of the household have proven access to other modes of transportation. Oh, and the owner has to have a spotless driving record, to boot.

Whether you call them antique autos, classic cars or vintage vehicles, they are a slice of history...albeit a slice that has to be insured!

Is Your Car Not Quite to Antique Status? Here's FREE Information on Insurance!

Your heart might thump hard at the pleasure of owning a classic, but do you have the right insurance?

Not to worry, here's some totally free information on finding classic auto insurance, wherever it is you may live.

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What attracts people most to vintage dresses is the fact that they want something different from the usual offerings on the high street.

When you think of vintage, it's easy to slip into the attitude that it will be a tacky piece passed down several generations with horrible lace, ruffles or flowers.

Vintage style dresses are far from this stereotype as evidenced by the classic fashion hitting the trends right now. Vintage styles from the previous decades are making a big comeback.

Never before has vintage style been so in - what's old is very much new!

A lot of people enjoy buying vintage clothing because it allows them to wear styles from decades that inspire them most. Some like the movie glamour of the 1930's, curvy styles from the 1950's to the groovy trends of the 1970's. This lets your individuality and personal style shine through rather than being confined to modern trends.

Vintage dresses seem to have that feminine floaty feel making you feel more womanly. They have a unique elegance and charm and are very distinct from modern factory mass produced dresses.

They are perfect for a formal evening occasion or an night out with friends. Styles range from glamorous vintage cocktail dresses to prom dresses to casual day dresses ....

Even vintage wedding dresses have gained popularity amongst brides as they look stunning on and add a touch of classic elegance to the wearer.

Real style never goes out of fashion; vintage clothing will always be timeless.

Browse the latest high street dresses including this gorgeous blue coast dress.

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