Kim's Corner
Page 5 of 5
Every collector has something that they’re looking to add - be it a holy grail pin or that one book that would make the library complete - and every collector has things that simply don’t fit in their collections any longer - that WDW Pin Trader pin that they got on their last trip - or the first volume of Disney A to Z that can be replaced by the revised edition. And that’s why there’s e-Bay, and collector clubs, and shows and sales, and Internet boards, and conventions. It’s a global marketplace that operates 24/7 in as many languages as are spoken. Collectors enter the market and leave the market every day and their collections end up in storage on the secondary market. Every day the marketplace changes - shifts - morphs. And - every day more collectables are on the drawing boards to fill the gaps and catch the new collector or re-hook the old.
In the months to come we will kick around the types of collectables available - pins - cards - flat and three-dimensional art - figurines - post cards - clothing - accidental collectables - phone cards - theme park collectables - books - historic documents - and any other Disney brand items in the consumer marketplace. And we will explore the marketplace - both primary and secondary - that created the collections and the collectables that have created the marketplace. I’d like this column to become a combination of commentary and collectables information.
And I’d like to ask for your help: If there are any questions you LPers might have - aside from the kinds of appraisals that an auction house is more able to make - I’d like to have them. Anything that strikes your fancy or perplexes you - something you want to see featured - something you want to learn more about - let me know and I’ll take a look and see what I can find.
Kim on Kim
This being Kim's first column, an introduction is in order:
I’m a Native Californian - a Native Southern Californian - and think of Disneyland as a birthright of sorts - after all, the park is only 2 years and twelve days older than I am and I can get pretty protective - call me a “Disneyland Purist” and you’ll get no argument. I spent my youth growing up across the country and learned to alternately love and miss my park. I’ve been a collector for as long as I can remember - my Mom likes to joke that I got the “illness” inutero as she was a Disney fan well before I was born. - she’s probably right as I can’t remember being drawn to anything else.
I made my first trip to Disneyland in 1960 and very promptly fell in love with Mickey and the relationship has prospered over the years - often at the expense of my bank account I’m afraid.
Those who know me will be the first to tell you that I have an opinion on nearly everything - and have absolutely no hesitation in expressing it. I’ ve been an avid watcher of the Disneyana marketplace and Disney brand collectables since my best friend drug me to my first Disney memorabilia show in 1987. I joined the NFFC in 1988 and have been on the Board of Directors as the Vice-President of Publicity & Public Relations for more than a decade. It’s a great group of people and a great deal of fun.
And, now I find myself at LaughingPlace - what a long strange trip it’s been.
Until next month,
Kim
Discuss It
-- Kim Petersen
Kim's Corner is posted the fourth Monday of each month.
The opinions expressed by our Kim Petersen, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted August 27, 2001