Author Reveals Secrets in New Guide for American Collectors

Joel Goodwin's hobby since his teenage years was collecting coins and other old pieces that could be valued for auction. Finding himself retired after nearly thirty years in heavy industry, often working with his life at risk, the author found himself confronted with more free time than he thought possible. That is how his life became centered on his old hobby, collecting.

Auctions, and Finding Silver, Gold and Gems and How to Sell Them is about the fun and adventure of collecting which Goodwin had continued after his Grandpa helped him start his collection when he was young.

In this helpful guide to collectors, sellers and those who are new to the game, Goodwin starts with a brief history of collecting, of an industry of avid collectors who are addicted to their stuff - and to finding items where it is thought impossible to find them. There are seasons to collecting, and he expertly discusses what to buy and where to buy them and when. He tallies these to the times when auctioning or bartering between collectors are a main event in cities and towns across America. Goodwin turns on his readers to the variety of stuff available all over the country - a treasure trove swept by the centuries into its fabric. Thus, history also accompanies all of the author's finds.

Auctions, and Finding Silver, Gold and Gems and How to Sell Them finds a balance between the author's canny instinct for finding valuable items he'd developed through the years and the industry itself - which puts out journals and newsletters for worthwhile items being searched out by collecters. It is a guide into a world full of mystery and romance, of the material proof of history found in coins, in old guns, in paintings and such. He teaches how to build a collecting network, how to advertise among auctioneers, and to find useful information via the Internet. This is a handy, informative guide into a club happily trading treasures that have historical value.