You won’t get rich on Obamabilia, Better Business Bureau says
by Ryn Gargulinski on Jan. 22, 2009, under Edge, Local, Special
Ojamas
Folks are going gaga over President Obama memorabilia – from cuff links to piggy banks – but they shouldn’t expect to get rich from the items.
Unless, of course, they save lots of cash in the piggy bank.
Since “Obamabilia” has been so popular, most of it will never achieve the high price of other collectibles, according to the Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona.
“For memorabilia to become worth much money it would need to be quite rare,” said spokeswoman Kim States. “Unfortunately for Obama collectors, there is a glut of merchandise being sold nationwide.”
The Presidential Inaugural Committee opened an Official Inaugural Store in Washington, D.C. The merchandise is also available online at InauguralCollectables.com.
Here’s where folks can find the piggy bank, along with shot glasses, coloring books, note cubes, pens, portfolios, tote bags and commemorative medallions.
“There’s nothing wrong with buying a plate or a coin celebrating Barack Obama’s inauguration,” States said, “but consumers need to be aware that the value of the item might be purely sentimental.”
The online auction site eBay listed Obamabilia as one of its top sellers, States said, with more than 111,000 Obama items sold through its site.
The site still features a wide array of keychains, buttons, front pages of newspapers from Chicago and New York as well as at least two versions of a poster featuring Obama and the Amazing Spiderman.
Tucsonans have several items listed on the classified advertising site Craigslist, including stickers, an inauguration invitation and handmade jewelry featuring pictures of Obama in little silver charms.
New on the site Wednesday was an “authentic Timmy Woods limited edition Obama bag” for $250.
Midtown resident Janet Green is trying to sell the front page of a local paper from the day after the election.
She wants $50.
“I’ve gotten a few calls,” she said, “but nobody’s come to buy it. They just called to find out what it was.”
While Green was ecstatic about Obama’s win, she is selling the paper because she has no heirs or family to pass it down to.
Just because it hasn’t sold yet, Green is not giving up hope. After all, she has sold other publications containing historical content.
“I happened to be in an airport in Barcelona the week that Picasso died,” she said. “I saw a magazine that somebody told me would be worth $100.”
While she didn’t get the $100, she did eventually find a buyer.
“Some art student went crazy for it and gave me $20,” she said.
