Hi there good folks of the BTN. I hope you're all well and safe wherever you may be. I thought it would be nice to do an article to help those that either collect or you feel it's something you want to take up. Please remember I chose the Bulldog as it's one of the top made pieces and it dates back over two centuries and beyond.  But, you can choose to collect anything you like. For this demographic I'm thinking it would be the Boston Terrier, but the choice is yours.

I believe there is just the one overall passion for collecting, yet it does have a couple of different purposes and these are love and investment. Those that collect for the love of it tend not to be so fussy about what they buy, as there is no commitment further down the line to gain your money back. Then there's collecting for investment with love, but wanting a future return. This tends to be a 30% increase on the item you buy over a period of ten years. This isn't always the case as, you imagine, trends change so book prices do not always reflect current market value.

So where do you start if you want to create an amazing collection or even just a cabinet full of your favorite pieces of your favorite breed/ subject matter? Let's start with the normal online outlets: these include the obvious Etsy, Ruby Lane, eBay and I'm sure there's many other outlets just like these where you can start picking up all sorts of different pieces at good prices. A tip from me is, you will find a better service from Etsy and Ruby Lane. If you use eBay, do not pick sellers that take advantage of using the eBay global shipping program. IT'S RUBBISH!!! That's not to say that sellers on this site are unfriendly, but they do tend to pass the buck when your parcel goes missing. There's thrift stores and markets to muse and, of course, yard sales and other collectors.

Please note, if stateside, there's many a bargain on a site called Craigslist. I know a couple that have bought nearly all their collection just from that one place.

Once you have your foot in the door, so to speak, not only buying with selective thought, you will then come across the more experienced websites that just deal in mid to high quality pieces. Again it's about research as you don't want a beautiful piece costing lots if it's just a piece of extravagance. After doing a little research for your demographic, I found that Europe is key to quality, if you're after Boston Terrier pieces to collect. A couple of websites which are pricey and for the dedicated come to mind: Royal Copenhagen Factory, the other is hunde-figur.de, a German website with a selection of Boston Terriers to choose from. America may have a ceramics industry rich in figurines, buy I'm yet to find any that are native to the USA.  This is only lack of research, there could be hundreds.

For the serious collectors out there that have time and money, there is the luxury of auctions world-wide that can be bought straight from your Devices with such sites as auctioneers.com, invaluable and similar auction alert websites, you type in what your interests are and an alert comes through as an email when a piece pops up anywhere in the world. If you're apt at auctions, you could get a high quality piece for a bargain. Part of this appeal is the different currency exchanges that could save some folks some money, depending on the country and what currency they wish to take.

PLEASE NOTE!!! You have to read all terms and conditions when buying from auction as there are variables that you wouldn't get with normal online auction sites. One example is that you find your own courier. Some only take top rated credit cards. These are just a couple of examples. Do your research before attempting a bid, or get advice from experienced auctioneers.

 I started out on eBay and rose through the ranks and have used all of the above in the past. I also have the lucky edge of somehow soaking up this field to be able to share my knowledge.  I also have contact liquidators I know that have help to obtain some amazing pieces we now have in the collection.

I'm more than willing to help anyone should you wish to start or are stuck on how to find new and interesting objects for your collections. My knowledge is researched and learned by myself, so from fauxs and repos right through to dates, artists and even what countries made what pieces by the colors used, I have found these skills have come naturally. As one lovely [Lady] once said to me, "I must be the conduit of these pieces for a reason a preservationist for the next generation".

Remember I'm here if needed, and until next time happy collecting folks.

BOSTON TERRIER NETWORK NOTES:    You will find Eiffion's blog at http://www.collectibulldogs.com/ 

Eiffion can also be found on Google, Twitter and Facebook.

Edited by Jan Mitchell