Collecting antique plates is made up of looking, finding, buying, organizing and displaying your find. Added to this is the job of maintaining your collection. Some collectors are of a general nature and will collect anything that strikes their fancy while others are very specific in their desires to own a collection and will collect only one type of item such as antique plates.

Fore those new to collecting, there is an important difference between “collectibles” and “antique collections”. In the case of antique plates, to be a true antique it must be at least one hundred years old. Then we have the vintage and modern collections. Vintage plates would be old but not as much as one hundred years, perhaps fifty to sixty years. Of course the modern collectibles are either very new or only several years old. What makes a successful collectible is its popularity with the collectible community. An antique plate may not be a good collectible if no one is interested in it. And so to the vintage and modern day collectible.

If you are looking to collect antique plates be sure to learn about what makes the type of plate you are interested in a valuable antique. If you are looking to collect vintage or modern day collectibles be sure they appeal to you and are useable. Do not buy something unless you like it and wish to either use it or display it. I have heard of some people buying antiques and storing them away. This may be fine in the long run if you are planning on opening an antique shop but not for the collector.

If you want to collect antique plates you can work your way backwards and find something that appeals to you and then acquire some knowledge about the item and learn how to build on to your collection. Acquiring knowledge is not difficult as there are many magazines and books that will help the novice collector.

I suggest you buy your first antique plates and get to know them from the information the plate gives you. The underside of the plate will have information such as the name of the manufacturer, in some instances the material it is made of, and some will contain a code name. By writing or calling the manufacturer and giving them the code name and any other information on the back of the plate you will be able to discover the age of the antique plate of interest.

Do not, under any circumstances, buy antique plates because someone said they thought it was an antique or because you think it may be of some value later. Buy what appeals to you and what will fit into your home décor when it is displayed. These are the kind of collectibles you will enjoy. What is valuable today may have no value tomorrow.

To connect with others who are interested in antique dish collecting join the new community site www.antiquedishcollectors.com. It’s free to join and a great way to stay connected.