Mcsweeny10.net
  Article Directory
Search:

Home | Internet Marketing


Mcsweeny10.net Article Directory

What Makes for a Collectible Bumper Sticker?
By: Susan Kramper

Bumper stickers have been around almost as long as the car – not quite as long as the automobile because the first production car, the Ford Model T did not possess any bumpers! Nevertheless, almost as soon as marketing men and entrepreneurs figured out that there was a market to cater to car owners individuality and desire to express themselves, bumper stickers soon made an appearance.

Over the decades, bumper stickers have evolved from simple marketing tools, through to political promotion and electioneering items through to vehicles for all forms of humor, religious affiliation or simple exclamations of being Proud to be Something (insert "Marine", "Parent of Honor Roll Student" or whatever makes you want to puff your chest out at that time).

While bumper stickers have been a commodity for our "throw away" society, like everything else, there has been a band of collectors who have formed to seek out the good and classical bumper stickers to preserve them for eternity, or at least one great day on eBay so they can retire on the proceeds. Collecting bumper stickers is actually a big business with some collectible items passing hands for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some rare items are actually still attached to the car they were originally affixed to and by now their value far outweighs that of the automobile!

So, just what makes a bumper sticker collectible? For that matter, what on earth makes any item a collectors' item?

The first thing to appreciate is the rarity value of a bumper sticker, however this is extremely difficult to do when hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions may be printed off and in circulation. Rarity value certainly is important but if an item is popular, there will be so much more of them out there.

One way rarity value can be gained is by the passage of time – the older an item is, the greater the likelihood that many of its fellows have long been mislaid in the trash can of time. The problem with focusing on older bumper stickers is that by this stage, the rarity value of a collectible is now established and this will inflate the price accordingly.

Something which was, or is popular is likely to help the long-term investment value and collectability of a bumper sticker. Popular items are more likely to impinge on the consciousness of collectors and aficionados in the future and this is likely to help fuel demand for the bumper sticker at that time.

A bumper sticker's collectability can be enhanced if it associated either generally, or even better, very specifically with a historical event or incident. Political elections present an obvious example of this enhancement of "notoriety", especially Presidential elections.

Bumper sticker art design has a lot to do with increasing the attraction for collectors and enthusiasts alike. The CND symbol interlaced with "Peace" and "Love" is a good example, so is the iconic "I Love NY" where the "Love" is a simple red heart. Being an iconic symbol is what this is all about – if a bumper sticker can encapsulate the popular zeitgeist, it stands a much greater chance of being sought after in the future.

Article Source: http://www.mcsweeny10.net/articles

By Mark Trumper, President of MaverickLabel.com, the Internet's leading provider of custom labels, stickers and decals. From bumper stickers, to window decals to custom bumper sticker printing, MaverickLabel.com can provide all of your label needs.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Internet Marketing Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Internet Marketing
Sign Up for a free account or learn more.
Submit Articles
Member Login
Top Authors
Most Popular Articles
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
SFI
Empowerism
Host4Profit
Warrior Pro
Traffic Swarm

Are you smart enough to make money online? You could be...

Click here to get your FREE copy of "Dotcomology - The Science of Making Money Online" TODAY!

Link to Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Article Directory Software
Click here to download the exact software that powers this directory for FREE. Start your own article directory today!

Powered by Article Dashboard