Bumper stickers have been around almost as long as the automobile, not as long as the automobile because the first production car, the Ford Model T, did not have bumpers! However, almost as soon as marketers and entrepreneurs realized that there was a market to cater to car owners’ individuality and desire to express themselves, bumper stickers soon appeared.
Over the decades, they have evolved from simple marketing tools, through political and electoral promotional items, to vehicles for all forms of humor, religious affiliation, or simple exclamations of being proud to be something (insert “Marine”, ” Father of the Honor Roll Student” or whatever makes you want to puff up at that moment).
While bumper stickers have been a commodity for our “throwaway” society, like everything else, there has been a group of collectors that have formed to seek out the good old classic bumper stickers to preserve them for eternity, or at least less for a big day. eBay so they can withdraw the proceeds. Collecting bumper stickers is actually big business with some collectible items passing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some rare items are still attached to the car they were originally placed in and now their value far exceeds that of the car!
So what makes it a collector’s item? In fact, what the heck makes any item a collector’s item?
The first thing to appreciate is the rarity value of a bumper sticker, however this is extremely difficult to do when millions upon thousands, perhaps millions, may be in print and in circulation. The rarity value is certainly important, but if an item is popular, there will be many more out there.
One way that rarity value can be gained is over time: the older an item is, the more likely it is that many of its companions have long been lost in the bin of time. The problem with focusing on older bumper stickers is that at this stage the rarity value of a collectible is already established and this will inflate the price accordingly.
Something that was or is popular is likely to help the long-term investment value and collectability of a bumper sticker. Popular items are more likely to affect the awareness of collectors and hobbyists in the future and this is likely to help drive demand for the bumper sticker at that time.
The collectability of an object can be enhanced by associating it generally, or even better, very specifically with a historical event or incident. Political elections present an obvious example of this “notoriety” enhancement, especially presidential elections.
The artistic design of bumper stickers has a lot to do with increasing the appeal for collectors and fans alike. The CND symbol intertwined with “Peace” and “Love” is a good example, as is the iconic “I Love NY”, where the “Love” is a simple red heart. Being an iconic symbol is what it’s all about: if a bumper sticker can encapsulate the popular zeitgeist, it has a much better chance of being sought after in the future.