Sheet Music Can’t Be Bought for a Song

Question: What tips do you have to enhance sheet music collections?--P.W.

Answer: Collectors tell us that you should specialize--that is, your sheet music collection should focus on a particular subject, such as songs of a particular period, subject or composer.

This can pay off because early sheet music by Scott Joplin, for example, has experienced strong demand in recent years. A turn-of-the-century “Maple Leaf Rag” piece of sheet music by Joplin, in good condition, has changed hands for about $50 and more, a dealer said. A World War II edition of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” has sold in excess of $30.

An interesting, illustrated cover would attract collector interest. Well-known American artists often designed sheet music covers that helped sell the song. For the collector, the illustration can enhance value and provide an interesting insight into the period.

Collectors warn that newcomers to the field should take extra care in storing their sheet music collection because production quality may not be up to modern standards and the ink could smear. Try to keep acid-free paper between each piece of sheet music, and don’t stack your collection in heavy piles, which can cause excessive wear.

Q: Will restoration hurt the value of any of the cars in my toy-train collection?--T.D.

A: Toy-train collectors say if the restoration process pays strict attention to original detail, the value of the overhauled cars could actually increase in value. However, they warn, authentic spare parts, which are sold widely in the toy-train marketplace, must be used.

Oftentimes, collectors caution, too much time and money are spent attempting to get an engine or caboose back in operating condition, when the marketplace is often more interested in appearance than performance on the track.

Collecting toy trains can be fairly expensive and tricky for the novice. For example, it’s not unusual for a valuable locomotive to sell for more than $500. So the beginning collector is well advised to do some reading before making extensive purchases. There’s plenty of material on the subject--available from the library, dealers and clubs.

One immediate tip that veteran toy-train collectors are quick to offer: No matter how old or rare a car might be, if it’s beat up--that is, showing dents and wear--it will not be seen as a valuable item.

A particularly valuable period in the evolution of toy-train production was between the 1920s and the 1950s when names such as Lionel, American Flyer and Ives made their marks. Later on, plastic played a major role in the construction, and their value was not as great as earlier models.

New Book: Much has been written about paper collectibles in the sports field, such as baseball cards. But non-paper collectibles--pins, tabs, buttons, coins, pens and so on--constitute another major area for collectors.

Collectibles dealer Ted Hake of York, Pa., and New York sales executive Roger Steckler have teamed up to produce a 192-page paperback on the subject, “An Illustrated Price Guide to Non-Paper Sports Collectibles.”

Liberally illustrated on heavy stock, the book has a handy estimated retail price code for its 5,000-plus items. Heavy emphasis is on baseball items, including pictures of the national pastime’s All-Star Games (in color) and World Series press pins. It’s priced at $20 for a postpaid copy (Hake’s Americana & Collectibles, P.O. Box 1444SC, York, Pa. 17405).