I loved Cabbage Patch Dolls, Strawberry Shortcake and Barbie when I was young. During the eighties, my Mom and other relatives would spend hours waiting for them to go on sale at local stores. I always ended up getting one of my favorites when Christmas arrived. Some of these dolls have gone on to be collector’s items.

I was fortunate that my family was always able to get me one of my favorite dolls when my birthday rolled around. Nobody ever had to resort to fighting in parking lots to buy me a doll. I saw videos of people actually fighting over dolls back then and it looked ridiculous to me.

My Strawberry Shortcake dolls and accessories still smell of artificial strawberry scent. I took them out of storage the other day and the aroma took me back to my childhood. Sometimes I think I liked the accessories more than the dolls themselves. I try to keep these nice so that I can pass them on eventually.

Another favorite doll is the Barbie doll. As a child, I enjoyed playing with Malibu Barbie and the ken doll as well. I enjoyed the fashionable clothes and shoes for Barbie. I could spend hours changing her outfits and accessories. I also like to style the doll’s hair. Barbies of course offer a great variety in hair styles.

The most exciting gift I received was the Barbie with her own red sports car. Barbie is a lovely doll for girls of all ages. In addition, in our new day and age you can have a Barbie doll created to look they way you want them to look. Many young girls ruin the value of their dolls by “customizing” them with either makeup or by cutting their hair. Both of these things should be avoided.

I plan on passing my Barbie dolls down to my own family. Many of the dolls though do have some nice collectible value. There are a lot of people who sell their vintage Barbies on places like eBay for a nice profit. Although I’ve kept mine in very nice condition, I am just to attached to them to want to sell them.

Back in the 80’s, the cabbage patch doll was also a big hit. I had to have one. So my collection of the cabbage patch doll began. I started out with a cabbage patch with blond hair. I then received the premie cabbage patch doll. I wanted an African American one too, so a year later for Christmas I got one of those as a gift too. I loved going over to my friends house and playing with them.

I loved to get dress up clothes for all of my dolls. I loved getting the birth certificates they came with Cabbage Patch dolls and the signature that each one had on its bottom. The scent of baby powder still reminds me of them. I remember when the doll first came out they became so popular and were in high demand. I still have the dolls that I collected over the years. Collecting dolls is now part of my life, even though I never started a formal collection on purpose. Doll collecting is something I enjoy doing and will keep on doing for the rest of my life.

You might also enjoy reading more about old Michael Jackson dolls and vintage celluloid dolls

Any coin collector knows that his collection cannot be complete without the silver eagle coin. The set of American Silver eagle coins is special because they are the largest in size and are made using the purest legal silver in the history of the United States.

The coins come in a size that makes them easily portable, and the owners can move them conveniently. This is by far the most appealing aspect of the American Silver Eagle coin collection.

These coins have a government guarantee status which is applicable universally. This makes the coins highly liquid and they retain great value around the world.

Although collectors value silver eagle coins the question is how you compare their uniqueness and worth with other special collectible coins. This is because silver eagle coins are not antique.

Contrary to popular belief, these coins are young and have been in distribution for only two decades.

Individuals interested in adding silver eagle coins to their collections need to be aware of the place where they were minted and when they were minted. You also need to know about the available mint marks and have a good comprehension of the coin finishes.

The Silver Eagle coin collection is available only for collectors and not meant for market circulation and trading. They can be purchased straight from the US mint.

Earlier when the silver eagle coins were launched, individuals were not allowed to purchase from the mint. Instead they had to purchase from certified coin dealers or precious metals manufacturers.

Perhaps the most desired and valuable coin in the collection is from the limited edition set of the 1955 era. The 1995 ” W Proof American Silver Eagle is no longer available in the market for purchase.

This set contains the American gold coin in 1 ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and the tenth of an ounce and the entire set was valued at less than $1000 and minted for only 125 collectors.

The fact that the American eagle coin collection is certified by the government gives the collector an assurance regarding the purity, value and weight of the coins in question. These coins are loaded by hand into the coin press and then they were stuck on specially burnished blanks that had the special mint mark for each coin.

Now the American silver eagle is credited as being the best selling silver coin collection of the world. Over 130 million have been sold since 1986 each one made from 100% pure silver guaranteed for by the sate.

Are you looking for a way to really take your model train to the next level? Would you like to make it appear, sound, and believe it or not, even smell more realistic? The best way to achieve your goal is to add multimedia. Due to the advances that have been seen in recent years in the field of electronics and technology, the sky is the limit. Use your imagination and creativity to make your model train something that will amaze the crowds. Consider some of the following types of multimedia that you could add.

What Kind of Multimedia You Can Add

While there is a dazzling array of multimedia that could be added to your set, the following are the most popular and the easiest to add. Each and every one of the multimedia types that will be mentioned, be it audio, video, pictures, or other special effects, will do wonders to make your set breathtakingly realistic.

A very spectacular element that you can add is video. Many in recent years have chosen to add a video background to their model train set. This background can be composed of several different elements. Some choose to thus add a changing climate to their set, a truly spectacular touch. You could also add animals, cars, trucks, other trains, and anything else that comes to your mind.

Another idea that is very easy and economical to implement is that of adding audio, or sounds to your train track. You can buy tapes or compact disks at nearly every store nowadays that contain “life sounds”. This is a very important element to increase the realness of your layout. When watching your train circle the tracks while hearing the sounds of everyday life, people will truly be drawn into the event.

Another way to make your train set realistic is to add pictures. They can be added in several different ways. You could use them to complement the background, the scenery, or anywhere else you feel appropriate. You will thus be able to model your track after a specific decade, a very nice effect.

If you have ever seen a train set with special effects built in, such as fog coming out of the train’s exhaust, lightning crashing in the background, and the likes, you know how realistic that makes the set. You can do the same to your set by using some creativity and adding these elements.

Just imagine incorporating all of the aforementioned multimedia into your set. You could be seeing a storm video on your video background, hear thunder booming in the background, and see bolts of lightning crashing down. Although a lot of labor would be included in adding these elements, the results would be well worth the effort.

Don’t be afraid to be bold. Use your imagination, add multimedia to your set, and bring it to the next level!

The Capped Bust Silver Quarter was the immediate successors of the equally rare draped bust silver quarters which started minting in 1796. These silver quarters were first minted in 1815 and count among the rarest coins ever minted in the United States. These two particular silver quarter types were minted as a replacement for the Spanish two-reales coin circulating in the Americas at that time, by the fledging U.S. government.

The Capped Bust Silver Quarter carried the same design as the other coins, like the half dollar, minted during that time. Production of these quarters went on until 1838, and these coins together with the draped bust quarter, have been named by numismatists as the “Early Quarters” commanding premium prices among coin collectors.

Other key years to look out for when scouting for the Early Quarters are 1823, 1804 and 1796. Notably from 1804 onwards, the reverse side of the Early Quarters sported a bigger, “heraldic” eagle, suggestive of strength and power that collectors and numismatists appreciate over coins of earlier vintage which had smaller eagle designs.

It is a sound advice that before buying a Capped Bust Silver Quarter or any of the Early Quarters, the buyer must have an assurance that these items have certification of authenticity from reputable numismatist groups or associations like the ANACS, NGC, PCGS and ICG. Another is to deal only with reputable dealers.

A useful website for reference on the capped bust silver quarter can be found in the net. This site carries a legitimate eBay auction listing of Early Quarters and their key dates. Through this listing, a prospective buyer could check the trend of the pricing, and compare various price levels within years, comparative data that are useful to the serious collector or dedicated numismatist.

The Barber Silver Quarter coins are so valued by collectors because these are vintage editions. It is named after its designer, Charles E. Barber. These coins are also called the Liberty Head quarters which were first minted more than 100 years ago.

Consider yourself lucky of you have an 1896-S mintage of this quarter, for this is the most valuable of the lot. Still luckier are those who could get their hands on the Barber Dime which is one of the most treasured coins ever minted in the USA where but 24 coins were struck. There were only nine left of these very rare dimes which fetched for a whopping bonanza of close to 2 million US dollars in a fabled transaction two years ago.

There were 74 regular issues of the Barber Silver Quarter, none of which have the same reach as the pay-scale classification of the Barber Dime because the quarters offer no significant variations. Nevertheless, these quarters pose as a challenge to collectors because of the scarcity or low mintage of some coins that were struck in a particular year.

The quarters 1913-S mintage stands as among the most distinct with its 40,000 quarters issued, which went on the record as the lowest regular silver coin issue for the 20th century. The Barber Silver Quarter has a classic design which was drawn from ancient Greece and Rome inspirations. A Liberty head sporting a cap and wreath of laurel leaves is featured in the quarters obverse side.

The “Liberty” inscription in the images headband, which could rapidly wear out with handling of coins in circulation, is often the numismatists basis for determining the condition and intrinsic value of the circulated coins. The USAs original 13 states are honored in this quarter, represented by seven stars on the coins right and six on the left, with the ever-familiar “In God We Trust” motto appearing above.

Those devotees of the study or collection of currency and other members of the numismatic community will find their hearts warmed, knowing that the Silver Peace Dollar Coin issuance was inspired by their interesting and widespread hobby.The Peace Dollar was minted by the The U.S. Mint during a seven-year period, from 1921-1928.

Its inspiration originally came from a November 1918 article in The Numismatist, the official publication of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), which suggested the minting of a coin to mark the end of World War I and the triumph of democratic ideals.

This suggestion was further expounded at the ANA convention in Chicago in August 1920. It called for either a half-dollar or a dollar commemorative coin to provide ample space for a design showcasing liberty, prosperity, honor and democracy. US Treasury authorities, however, went a step further and issued the silver as a coin for general-public circulation.

The Silver Peace Dollar coin succeeded the Morgan dollar which was minted last in 1904. The Pittmann Act sponsored by Nevada Senator Key Pittmann enabled the minting of the Silver Peace Dollar, as this federal law authorized US sale of standard silver bullions the proceeds of which will used for minting new silver dollars.

The Peace Dollars designer was Anthony de Francisci who prominently rendered the word “PEACE” at the bottom of coins reverse side. The silver content of this coin is 0.77344, and it is the last silver dollar that was minted for US circulation.

There was brief minting of the Silver Peace Dollar coin in 1965 with the coins bearing the year 1964. For one reason or another, however, these coins were neither circulated to the public nor any of their examples released. The whole 1965 mintage was melted, perhaps along with the hopes of some avid numismatist and Peace coin collectors.

Some coin collectors have a desire for acquiring, as part of their treasured possessions, a collection of silver bullion coins with exotic animals as their icons. These collectors would for sure find great value in the Australian Silver Koala issued by the Perth Mint of Western Australia.

This particular mintage is a follow-through of the super successful introduction of the Australian Silver Kookaburra by the same mint in 1990 and the Australian Kangaroo in 1993 by the Royal Australian Mint. Having all three in coins should be a superb combination for a thematic animal-inspired silver bullion collection.

The Australian Silver Koala was first struck two years ago by the Pert Mint, which is famous for coins of excellent workmanship and innovative designs. The 1997 first year of mintage was an instant success as the koala whose image the coin bears is a well-loved creature the world over.

Numismatists of course will tell you that it would be erroneous to call this coin as the “Australian Silver Koala Bear,” although there is a certain rhyme to this term. The koala is scientifically classified under the genus Phascolarctos, which is rooted from the Greek word “phaskolos,” for pouch, and the misleading “arktos,” for bear. The koala, however, is a marsupial, an arboreal or tree-dwelling animal found only in the tropical forests of Australia.

The jungle, nonetheless, is no place for the Australian Silver Koala, but would be more at home at some treasure chests. This collectors delight is a 1-oz coin made from 99.9% pure silver in a koala design that changes each year.

The latest edition has the image of a young koala clinging to a tree branch. The Perth Mint struck the 2008 mintage of the coin with a different design which features that of a mother koala perched on a tree with a baby Phascolarctos at her back.

This 2008 mint also has a gold coin edition in addition to the silver standard, firmly establishing that there is indeed alot of treasures to be found Down Under!