Next time you pick up a brick, take a second. It might just be a collector's item. Why? Mainly because there is a growing interest in bricks that feature lettering, patterns, pictures, slogans, or dates.
The nearly 700 members of the International Brick
Collector
Association in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia,
and
France, regard bricks as part of the history of mankind. They collect bricks for rarity
and beauty and because each has a story. Those who belong to the IBCA are folks from
all walks of life—professionals, retirees, teachers, building-trades workers,
scientists, and others. Their interest in bricks draws them together from many parts of
the world.
Collectors of most artifacts often find their particular hobby
turns expensive when items become rare. And that's when most people drop out and leave
the pleasure to the Rockefellers. The IBCA hopes this will never happen to brick
collecting. Members don't exchange money for bricks they want; they simply swap. This
method of building collections keeps the activity easy, sociable, fun, and
inexpensive.
The IBCA holds brick-swaps three times a year in various
sections of the country. This system assures that new finds will turn up at each
successive show and allows members to meet others of mutual interest.
Anyone having an
interest in bricks or brick history is welcome to attend these get-togethers.
Most collectors find their bricks at random—beside a road, under a bridge, at a demolition site, around a flower bed, at a river's edge, or in some other unexpected area. A few collectors even do serious excavating, but all members who attend the swaps are eager to trade.
To become a member, visit the Join IBCA page.