How much can you afford to spend?

Very good nutcrackers are available from the Erzgebirge for as little as $59.00. The issue price of Steinbachs and Ulbrichts go up as high as $279.00 for their limited editions. (The secondary market value may go as high as $5,000) You can buy Chinese nutcrackers for as little as $7.00, but it would be much better to get one German one instead of 10 made in China, unless you want them only for decoration and not for a collection. Do not buy for speculation ... there are many more ways to make money! Certainly, they will all escalate in price with the cost of living, and some limited editions will climb up faster, but you should value your collection in terms of present appreciation, not future investment.
So you have a Merlin worth $3,000.00 to $5,000.00--what should you do with it? Enjoy it. Just don’t tell everyone that comes to the house, or brag about it to everyone. You don’t want this kind of information to get into the wrong hands. Even if it were stolen, this would be much harder to get rid of than electronic equipment.
Which brings us to insurance. Be sure to check with your insurance agent. Here is a company that handles only insurance for collectibles, called Collectibles Insurance Agency.  This company can be reached toll free at 1-888-837-9637,  Their address is P.O. Box 1200, Westminster, MD 21158.  You can look them up on the web at: www.collectinsure.com.  You would be amazed at the number of calls we get for appraisals because of fire or other damage. Who will be inheriting your collection? If you are older, like myself, you may want to have a chat with your children if you intend to amass a huge collection. Perhaps they will have some good ideas that you will want to consider.