Limited released movie merchandise may quickly appreciate in value following the disappearance of a film from the theaters. Fans commonly collect movie posters, one-sheets, toys, games, and advertisements associated with films. The moviemakers themselves also create a vast depot of supplies, junk, costumes, pieces of sets, and other miscellany that they store on site. If you have a friend who is a producer, or if you're otherwise connected to a movie, you may be able to take home some of this memorabilia--sometimes even for free. Of course, movie sets don't welcome collectors as a rule. You may have to go through back channels or wait for handouts somewhere where you won't be seen by roving eyes. Bear in mind that not all movie merchandise appreciates. Memorabilia from films that tank at the box office tend to tank in value. Conversely, just because you gather merchandise from a blockbuster doesn't mean that you'll hit the jackpot. If a movie produces a lot of a particular piece of merchandise, the lack of scarcity may adversely affect your investment. Millions purchased Star Wars memorabilia in the wake of the newly released trilogy. These pieces, by and large, are valueless to serious collectors. On the other hand, even popular memorabilia tends to get rarer over time, as people discard items from their collections and as poorly kept pieces lose their mint value. One way to invest cheaply is to gather easily accessible memorabilia from movies and store these pieces in preservation systems. 10 to 15 years later, these well preserved items will no doubt be worth something on the resale market.
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