But this article also share mistakes, those that have been made by me and others who were in the first thrill of the hunt. Most of these "mistakes" are common sense, but are things we tend to forget when seeing an item we don't already have.
Remember, there is no wrong way or right way to collect, always collect what you love and as a long-time collector says -- Collect What Makes You Smile! Just think about these points and maybe it will save you some money and energy down the line.
Resource Books
Mistake #1 is not buying cookie jar and pottery resource books. I often get asked "what book should I buy", my advice is to buy four or five of them! If you're going to collect vintage or antique jars, the books are invaluable. And before you groan about getting "all" the books, think about it this way. A nice vintage jar from an older company might cost $100. on up. You can buy four to five books for that price and they will help you make intelligent decisions down the line.
Also notice I called them resource books, not price guides. Price guides are just that -- a guide and although it can help you figure out the relative value of one jar to another, don't use the prices as a bible.
I have small pricing section on this site and the prices are taken from different sources, but at any time you might find the same jar selling for double the price stated or perhaps 50% of the price stated. The guide is to give you a general idea if something is particularly valuable or just average, an easily found piece.
