It saves on the dollars too. I avoid areas that are 'hot' because one or two collectors will drive up the price for a while, so I stay away until things settle down. I always suggest any serious collector spend an enormous amount of time going through old issues of Oliver's and Lang's auction catalogs to see what was desirable and what the auction house thought was valuable. Over the years you can discern patterns and I try to trace the patterns and follow in their foot steps. Sometimes it pays to copy those who precede you.
Pioneers get arrows in the chest for their efforts sometimes.
Don't buy anything unless it is a good investment. Yes, I buy things I like, but my tastes are typically along the same lines as those who are willing to pay high dollar figures and that is a good place to be if you ever intend to sell your collection. Collecting one-eyed pollywogs in chartreuse may be interesting, but unless someone is willing to take you out of it in the future, you better either buy it right or avoid it all together. Sooner or later most serious collectors will want to modify their collections or change direction and being able to trade or sell out of the items you don't want or need is a necessity to avoid being buried in something you can't move. Let's talk for a minute about investing in collectibles.