Fridge Magnets: A Great Starter Collection

You may view refrigerator magnets as merely a practical way to hold your shopping list, but many view them as precious collector’s items. Magnets are made in myriad designs both to provide playful decoration and to create collector’s items. Fridge magnet can be a fun and rewarding hobby, and is an easy one to get into.

Many people dabble in collecting fridge magnets by collecting tourist magnets from places they’ve been. Fridge magnets are an omnipresent souvenir item, representing the place they came from and the memories made there. Since they are a small and relatively cheap souvenir that also has some practical use, many travelers pick these magnets as a way to remember their journeys. Once they’ve gotten a magnet at one destination, many people want to collect a magnet from each place they travel, as a way to connect their trips.

More serious fridge magnet collecting has much in common with other fields of collecting. There are old, rare editions of magnets that would excite most collectors, and more common types that are fun for beginners to collect. Brands and makers are important. One thing that is special in collecting magnets is that it is easy to have an individual focus. While some collectors may focus on tourist fridge magnet collections, others might collect magnets that center around a certain theme, like cars or celebrities. In this way, magnets can also be an extension of other collections – some people collect all of the paraphernalia surrounding certain makes of car, for example, including all the magnets. Some collectors also create their own custom works of magnet art.

As with all collections, display is key in fridge magnet collecting. Serious collectors quickly run out of room on their fridges, and they may not want their collectibles in an area where they risk food stains and being knocked to the floor. The usual method of display for larger collections is one or several whiteboards. They’re an affordable solution, especially if one takes advantage of the back-to-school sales. They’re magnetic without any alterations and provide a neutral background on which to display a collection. They are also fairly portable, which is helpful when going to collector’s meetups.

Collecting any item can be great fun. Many people enjoy the challenge of hunting down specific items and the joy of seeing their collections arranged neatly in their homes. Collecting fridge magnets is a great hobby to start because there are so many ways to do it, so there’s something about these collectables that will interest almost anyone. Also, compared to many other collectables, like plates or figures, magnets are usually fairly affordable, which makes them great for people who are leery of spending too much money on a collection.