The time and care that went into antique handmade quilts make them irresistible to many collectors. From patchwork to crazy quilts, the most sought-after patterns include something for every taste and almost every budget. Their broad appeal has driven up the cost of quilts for today's serious collectors. They may be the ultimate closet collectibles, often hidden away for 11 months of the year. But they're still among the most popular.
Many collectors specialize in specific time periods, materials, and designs.
And there's never any confusion about how to display them. Layers of paint glow with the luster of casual rubbing burnishing and slowly erasing generations of paint. And for the someday home builder, these tabletop models are just big enough to hold dreams of those real homes that are yet to be. When it comes to top collectibles, decoys are the real thing. Hand-carved birds and fish are enormously popular, reaching far beyond collectors who fish or hunt.