How did I turn $85 into $450? Swords are an unusual collectible. They are not something you find at yard sales and not something you put in a safe deposit box. They are the type of collectible that you display over your fireplace and they become a conversation piece during social gatherings.
I first bought (3) collectible swords at a gun auction with no real understanding to what I was purchasing. I saw them sitting on a table and had that moment of inspiration (desire) to bid on them. At first I thought it was sort of funny to bid, but then when the hammer hit, I had won the bid for $85.
When arriving home, my wife was not impressed with my purchase, so I folded them up in a blanket and tossed them in a closet. For several years these swords were dragged from apartment to apartment. Each time they were tossed into another closet and collected more dust.
Recently, I decided to pull up the internet and perform some research on these swords. The more reading I did, the more interested I became in the history of the swords and their authenticity. As it turns out, they were authentic Civil War Dress swords, much to my surprise.
I decided to list them on eBay with a clear description of the research I had done and plenty of photographs. I clearly outlined that I was not a knowledgeable collector, but I shared all details of their markings and other details I had gathered online.
In the end, each sword sold for over $150 each and I ended up transferring over $450 from my PayPal account to my checking account one morning. My wife was floored by the amount deposited to our checking. I merely had a smirk and chuckled over the experience.
I hope you will consider collecting swords as a hobby. I learned much from the experience.
Jim
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