We humans love to collect. It's an obsession for some, a healthy indulgence for others and for the more affluent and fortunate amongst us, an alternative way of investing our hard earned cash.You name it and someone somewhere is collecting it. Stamps, beer mats, bottle tops, toby-jugs, books, old cars, railway signs, football shirts, socks (yep socks!) or martial arts memorabilia.
Okay, so what sort of memorabilia is available that has a martial arts flavour? What exactly can the martial arts enthusiast with a passion for collecting actually spend his money on?
Well, quite literally anything, there's so much out there that even a cursory check on google or ebay is likely to turn up a treasure trove of martial arts collectables. How about this for a small list:
- Cuddly toys - teddy bears sporting a gi, black belt and ubiquitous headband
- Actionman - same outfit as above but obviously more masculine!
- Movie action figures - could include any star wars jedi figure, Jackie Chan, Brandon Lee's the Crow or the rare and hard to find Bruce Lee Enter the Dragon figures
- Movie Posters - classic movie posters look great framed and hung on a wall, need a lot of wall space for a worthwhile collection though.
- Postcards - either miniature versions of the movie posters themselves, still images from the actual movie or artistic representations
- Stamps - yep stamps, depicting martial arts or martial artists like Bruce Lee
- Coasters - seen some Bruce Lee one's but there must be others
- Clothing - loads of martial arts themed t-shirts available, baseball caps, hoodies etc (chavtastic!)
- Coins - the commemorative variety struck especially for collectors
- Figurines - usually hand painted statuettes depicting martial arts poses or movie stars
- Books - either books by famous martial artists themselves, or endorsed by them
- Comics - always popular, even better when they sport a Bruce Lee cover as did the Green Hornet comic series a few years ago.
The list could go on, half the fun is looking to see what's out there, check ebay for starters.You could limit your collection to a theme, Bruce or Brandon Lee for instance. It's a fair bet that although the likes of the Gracies are well known within martial arts circles Bruce Lee's name has universal recognition, one reason why many martial arts collectables associated with Bruce Lee demand a higher than normal premium. Enter the Dragon figurines regularly change hands for $60-$100+
One popular item for collectors is autographs. To use the Gracie analogy again, an autograph hunter not interested in martial arts would undoubtedly covet an original Bruce or Brandon Lee autograph above that of one of the famous Gracies. It goes without saying that due to world-wide recognition along with their untimely and tragic demise demand and premium would far outstretch a Gracie autograph. Personally I'd love to have all three, but with signed Bruce Lee film cells and 8"x10" photos for sale from $700 - $2000 plus, it's highly unlikely. Again check out ebay, you'll be surprised what you can find. Maybe your budget (like mine) is more suited to a $20 print of a Bruce Lee 8"x10"
A word of caution however when buying autographs described as genuine, particularly on ebay. If you see an autograph you fancy, check out comparative prices for the item, if the price appears to be too good to be true then the chances are that it is.
Fake autographs abound on the web. How you identify the genuine article is a matter for the individual. If a certificate of authenticity exists, then chances are it's genuine, however, bear in mind that certificates too can be faked.
Caveat Emptor. Enjoy your collecting
