The Good: Thorough for its specific topics, Fairly well-written
The Bad: Very addy, Information seems like it would be easily available elsewhere...
The Basics: Shockingly well-written with great sources, Collectors News is a monthly magazine that truly establishes itself as an authority on maintaining and growing valuable collections.
Magazines as a medium may be one of the legitimate casualties of the internet, but as I consider Collectors News magazine, I am beginning to think that that might not be an ideal thing. Reading Collectors News, one immediately feels like they are in the presence of people who know exactly what they are talking about . . . even if what they are speaking authoritatively about is of no interest to the reader. I am a collector of trading cards and a few other things, but Collectors News seems to be a generalized magazine on collectibles in general, with a bit more emphasis on toys and dolls.
I picked up Collectors News because I was hoping to find something other than eBay (or as I call it "the devil incarnate") to use as a market standard or guide for pricing. Far from what I expected, Collectors News is a glossy magazine discussing the current trends in general collecting and offering advice on how to collect better. For the purpose of my review, I investigated the September 2009 issue of Collectors News.
Collectors News is a magazine published monthly as a glossy, full-color magazine that is remarkably short and surprisingly expensive. For the expert opinions of the writing staff of Collectors News, readers pay $3.95 for a 36 page (including the covers) magazine. I include the covers because the page numbers do (the inside cover is page 2). With only thirty-six pages, the magazine devotes an inordinate amount of space to advertisements and opportunities for collector's to gather and acquire, so this has the feel of being a social network and business tool as much as it seems like a magazine about utilizing free time for fun.
Out of the thirty-six pages, sixteen are filled with advertisements for products, places, events or services. Collectors News must be quite useful to those working with antiques because a large section of the advertisements are for restorative artists. Similarly, there is an extensive section listing locations of flea markets, collectible fairs and conventions for the entire month. Given how this magazine is advertising events for the month ahead this gives readers a chance to truly plan their travel plans around the locations with the best collecting fairs. Still, it does seem like a lot of space taken up in a paid publication for ads and listings.
That said, Collectors News is like the magazine equivalent of Antiques Roadshow. After the page of Table Of Contents and the editor's note (this month it was about making travel plans to witness the collections of others, which is a lot less creepy or boring than it sounds), the magazine leaps into regular columns. The columns detail the current events in Hummel collectibles, Antiquing, obscure americana, general collecting, books on collecting, mid-20th Century collectibles, pottery and evaluations of general collectibles. These sections contain a wealth of information for people who might not otherwise have access to the internet or other open information sources.
For example, the column on Hummel was of no interest to me as I have no interest in tiny ceramic collectibles. However, the columnist for that column detailed a complete collection and included a checklist of the pieces in the collection along with the rarity of each piece. That seemed remarkably useful for collectors who might otherwise be bamboozled by people with forgeries if they did not know what was supposed to be in the collection. For people who do not have access to the internet, where such information is easily found, this strikes me as quite useful.
Similarly, the care of antiques and the evaluation of what is worth saving and what is worth throwing away presented in these various columns offers an authoritative position on some obscure potential collections. This, too, is quite valuable to readers. All of the columns are written simply and directly with diction that can be understood by virtually anyone who reads English. Still, columns like the one that detailed 19th Century Sailor art this month do not insult the reader's intelligence and the history lessons are kept to a minimum to explore the benefits of collecting instead. As a result, seasoned collectors are liable to enjoy reading this as much or more than the novices just entering collecting.
Collectors News delves slightly into the craft niche with articles like one on making paper dolls and how some now collect those. The emphasis on toys and dolls in Collectors News is pretty strong as the cover featured a doll that recently sold at auction for over a quarter million dollars! As well, there are articles this month on tin toy collecting, a doll maker and a profile on a toymaker. None of the articles in Collectors News are more than two pages long, so this is a very easy read.
The magazine closes with an article on current market trends and that especially was very heavily supported with outside citations. Whether one is into collecting or not, Collectors News clearly is well-researched and they go to great lengths to establish themselves as the authorities on collecting. The result is an easy-to-read tool that seems like a must for those collecting antiques or dolls, but is easier for the general population to pass by.
For other magazines reviewed by me, please check out my take on:
The New Yorker
Newsweek
The Progressive Populist
5/10
For other magazine reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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