What Do You Need to Know About Starting a Police Memorabilia Collection?
Due to the rich heritage of law enforcement, the wave of
collecting police
collectibles is getting even stronger. There are hundreds of police
memorabilia that have been out there for the collectors. These items include
police badges, patches, handcuffs, whistles, miniature police cars, support
stickers, and many others. Each of these items has importance, a unique story,
and value. If you are considering starting a collection of law enforcement
memorabilia, this quick guide will put you on the right track.
Is It Legal to Collect Police Badges or Other Items?
This is probably the most frequently asked question by the
new collectors. It is always good to check with local laws to determine what is
prohibited or can’t be collected. For most items, there are no restrictions.
Before you start building your collection of police collectibles, make up your
mind about what exactly you are going to collect. It would be wise to find a
police collector book online (there are many pocket guides on Amazon about what
can be obtained).
Deciding What to Buy
Once you have identified your items of interest and prepared
a list of collectibles from the police collector’s guide, you can start
collecting them. It entirely depends upon your personal preferences what you
should buy. It is strongly advised not to get bogged down with the item details
and finding the perfect item to buy. Keep into mind that you can always
purchase what you like, even if that is not a vintage or rare police
collectible. Remember that collecting police collectibles is all about your
pleasure and passion, so you should not hesitate to buy an item wholly based on
your liking.
Setting a Budget for Police Collectibles
It would not hurt to set a budget aside for your police
memorabilia collection. You can also keep track of how much you are spending on
your new hobby and on what items you are sending most of your money. Having a
budget in place will also help you get carried away and control your spending.
However, if you can spend generously, the sky is the limit. It is important to
note that some of the rarest items, such as police challenge coins, may be more
expensive than others. So, if you are on a small budget and want to acquire
rare police challenge
coins, allocating a budget to different items would be a good step.
Choosing the Right Seller
It is essential when you are considering buying the vintage
police collectibles. Choosing the right buyers means that you will get the
original item at the best price possible. In most cases, vintages items can be
purchased from former law enforcement officers or collectors who have built
their collections to sell these items to other collectors. The right seller
will provide all the evidence that the police item is genuine with different
specifications. Some law enforcement agencies sell police patches to raise
funds, which is an easy way to get valuable collectibles.
How These Collectibles Will Be Used?
It is an important question, and some sellers might ask
collectors about where and how the purchased collectibles will be used. Since
some police collectibles are sensitive items, such as police badges, it is
vital that these sellers also you and even have you sign an agreement about the
use of these items. In most arrangements, these items can be used only as
souvenirs, collection for exhibits, decorative purposes. The police
collectibles, such as police badges cannot be used to identify any police
department or law enforcement.
Adding Vintage Police Collectibles to Your Collection
There is a long list of vintage items that you can use to
start building a collection from scratch. These old items may include
handcuffs, badges, billycubs, whistles, and patches. Before you go ahead and
finalize your purchase for police badges and patches, don’t forget to do your
homework about different types of badges and patches. There is so much to learn
about these items, such as identification, authentication, and evaluation of
the vintage pieces.
Adding Modern Police Support Collectibles to Your Collection
There is also a massive list of modern police collectibles out there, such as wall decals, police support stickers, and challenge coins manufactured for the collector or hobbyists. These items have no restrictions on who can collect them. Most of these items are reasonably priced to suit collectors with all different budgets. These modern collectibles are also readily available and can be purchased online. For example, police stickers are readily available, and people use them to show their support to law enforcement officers. Another popular collectible item is police wall stickers or decals that will make excellent focal points for a wall.
Customized Police Support Memorabilia
Other popular items are customized items, such as customized police coins and badges. These items are hugely popular because they can be customized using names, quotes, dates, and other details. These are also popular gift items among law enforcement officers, their families, and supporters. These collectibles are cost-effective and can be customized online. You can even get personalized police collectibles in bulk, but it is advised to first order a test or sample product before putting in a bulk purchase order.
Customized Police Support Apparel
Several types of apparel can be customized using police
department logos, quotes, fun facts, names, and other details. These apparels
make unique gifts for law enforcement officers, their families, and supporters
and make a perfect addition to a police memorabilia collection. Customized
apparels are readily available online, and the most common ones include
t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, socks, gloves, and hats.
In conclusion, police memorabilia’s popularity is on the
rise. If you are thinking about starting a police memorabilia collection, the
tips mentioned above should help you begin with the new hobby with full
confidence. However, it is strongly advised to get some knowledge about what
type of collectibles you should buy, what to look for, and where to make your
purchase.
The post What Do You Need to Know About Starting a Police Memorabilia Collection? appeared first on Living Gossip.