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Collecting pocket watches & vintage pocket watch chains

I love pocket watches. To me they are the epitome of masculine elegance, and I regret that they are no longer popular as everyday timepieces. They have become a wonderful collector's item, and many beautiful ones are available if you shop around. Collecting these old watches, and the vintage pocket watch chains that go with them can be a fun and profitable hobby. Over the years, the value of these collectibles has increased significantly. If you've decided to make pocket watch collecting your new hobby, there are a few things you need to know.

The first is how to identify your watch. Elgin was a large maker of these watches, and theirs contain a serial number. If you have an Elgin watch, you can find the serial number on the watch movement itself. Then you can compare your serial number to the Elgin Database to better identify your watch. For other brands, you will need to look at the watch movement and compare it to pictures of your watch brand to find the right match. Once you have identified the type of watch you have, you can try to determine its value. A great resource for this is a book called "The Complete Price Guide to Watches" by Shugart, Engle and Gilbert. It will list most vintage watches available, along with their approximate value.

What to Watch for in a Collectible Watch

When you are shopping for a vintage watch, keep in mind that the value is in the watch movement itself, not the cosmetic details of the case, dial and chain. It is much more important that the watch's serial number is there and readable and that all the pieces of the mechanical movement are present and in good working order than that it have a beautiful, scratch free case or dial. If the movement itself has engravings or etchings, this can indicate that you have a fairly valuable watch. The value of the watch is also increased if you have the original box and the bill of sale.

Pocket watch collecting is a great hobby. You can have a lot of fun searching out interesting and beautiful watches, and be assured that they are a great investment as well.

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