collector's item

American  

noun

1. an article or object of particular interest or value because of its uniqueness or scarcity.

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collector's item British  

noun

1. a thing regarded as being exquisite or rare and thus worthy of the interest of one who collects such things

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collector's item Idioms  

1. An object of great interest, value, or rarity, as in This necklace is a collector's item. Originating in the early 1900s as collector's piece, a usage still common in Britain, the term in its present form is occasionally transferred to persons as well, as in The Beach Boys became a collector's item on the tour. [c. 1930]

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Etymology

Origin of collector's item

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

But for Libow, who bought it as a collector’s item as much as an investment, it’s a labor of love.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025

The collector's item was constructed with fabric chosen by world-renowned textile merchant Jakob Schlaepher and featured metallic embroidered stars carefully threaded by the design team at Jacques Azagury.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2023

“Whatever happens in the financial markets, a car of this caliber is a collector’s item, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” RM Sotheby’s car specialist Michael Caimano told the Agence France-Presse wire service.

From Washington Times • Nov. 14, 2023

The sculpture, ugly as it might seem to some, might have had some value as a collector’s item.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 12, 2023

“This is a collector’s item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season.”

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan