These terms, which include special editions, limited editions, and variants on them all fall under the umbrella of manufactured collectables. They were originally used for products that had to do with the arts (such as books, prints, or recorded music and films), but are now used for fine wine, cars, and other collectables. Extra material is usually included in special editions. A limited edition may have a lower production number, but the quantity could be excessive.
To increase sales, retailers and manufacturers have used collectables in many ways. One example is licensed collectables that are based on intellectual property, such as images, logos, characters, and music from literature, movies, radio, television and video games. Advertising, brandname, character collectibles, and other licensing are all important. The use of collectables for retail includes prizes (items with nominal value included in or packaged with the price of a product at no additional charge) and premiums. These items can be "purchased", which include coupon codes, boxtops, proofs of purchase, and a small fee to cover shipping. The tourism industry has been dependent on collectables in the form souvenirs. Memorabilia is another important part of collecting and is a big business. It includes collectables associated with people, organizations and events. T-shirts, posters and many other items are sold to fans. But also, memorabilia includes ephemera from entertainment, historical and media events. Items that were intended to be thrown out but were saved and collected by collectors. With the phenomenal rise in use of Non Fungible Tokens, which can be used to sell digital collectibles, collectibles have become a major market worldwide. The market size for collectibles in 2020 was $372 billion according to the Collectibles Marketing Report. There is huge opportunity in the market with a Total addressable market (TAM), of $440 Billion by 2020. The digital collectibles market will provide a new revenue stream to actors and musicians. NFT will grow as an advanced and more widely distributed market.
