Starting a sheet music collection is easy, once you’ve decided what you
want to collect. Sheet music is inexpensive and relatively easy to
find. You can find music at yard sales, antique shows and on the
internet. Only music that is very scarce or rare is expensive. Most
pieces can be found at a price between three and twenty five dollars.
Extremely rare sheet music can carry a price of up to a thousand
dollars, but few pieces fall into this category. You will find music in
any color graphic or subject matter you are looking for.
People collect sheet music in many ways. Sometimes sheet music is
collected by the genre or songs. You could put together a history of
music in America with a sheet music collection. You could do this with
the entire history of our country or concentrate on one time period or
decade. The possibilities are endless - be creative when building your
collection! Songs have been written about most important events in our
history, including wars, plane crashes and natural disasters. Themes
such as love or the evolution of images of women in music are popular
themes for sheet music collections. Other collectors focus on one
composer or cover artist.
Ragtime music from the early twentieth century is popular with
collectors of vintage sheet music. This music is considered the
foundation of modern jazz music. A ragtime music collection looks great
displayed in a room decorated in the Early American style. And the
cover art on rag time sheet music looks great displayed in picture
frames on a wall or sofa table.
Music written by famous composers is popular among sheet music
collectors. This music is readily available in all music genres. Other
collectors focus on rare or vintage sheet music. The value of these
documents depends largely on the condition of the sheets. Pieces in
mint condition will be more expensive. Most sheet music isn’t found in
perfect condition. The spine of the sheet was usually broken to make
the score stand up in the music stand. Spills, tears and names written
on the covers are common because sheet music was often used at parties.
Sheet music displayed in a family room or bar area makes a great focal
point. Even people who don’t collect sheet music use it in a display of
other collectibles. Collectors of beer, whisky, golf, military, cigars
or trains can find sheet music to accent their collection. A few pieces
of sheet music with great cover art enhance a display of other
collectibles. Collectors of memorabilia from movies or Broadway
productions often look for sheet music written for the production.
Any sheet music that isn’t displayed should be stored properly to
preserve the condition. Store each set of sheet music in a plastic
baggie like those used for comic book collections. Place those bags in
a large plastic storage container to protect them from being ripped or
crumpled. Store your containers in a dry place away from sunlight or
moisture, which can damage the music.
