Eileen Schoenecker, who said she was a tom boy growing up, shows some of her collection of her hero, Roy Rogers. Her husband, Wayne, collects hearses, which causes the couple to carefully balance their two different worlds of collecting.

From yo-yos to depression glass, people will collect anything, says Linda Kruger, who runs the Collectors' Information Bureau in Grundy Center, Iowa.

Along with figurines manufactured specifically as collectibles, seasonal items top the list.

"Christmas is probably the king of it all. Halloween is a close second," she said

Kruger, who also edits three publications for collectors, says there are 4,000 documented collector clubs, indicating the hobby is here to stay.

Despite this stability, the online marketplace has facilitated change. By using the Internet, collectors have found some items to be more plentiful than estimated and others to be less available — causing some prices to drop and others to rise.

The Internet also has affected brick-and-mortar stores and malls, threatening some but aiding those that use the technology.

More notable change is occurring in collecting habits, Kruger said.

"We're finding people are becoming minimalist. They're sizing things down. They're decluttering. So we'll find people are still collecting, but they are looking for more specific items they really love."

That might mean buying a single piece of art glass or antique furniture to enhance a room's decor or function.

"They might use the smaller collectibles to enhance those major pieces," she added.

Even though many collectors are leaning toward minimalism, some remain drawn to nostalgia and quantity.