My father has participated in both kinds of collecting. The De Orbe Novo Collection was a significant assembly of important material related to the New World, obtained through dealers and auctions. Millions of dollars were spent, and it sold for the same. His current project focuses on the Hudson Valley. He grew up there, and is a history buff. This collection is broader, containing art, books, manuscripts and ephemera. For the latter three, the ceiling of his spending on any one item has been about $1,000. And, the reason I bring it up, the way he's acquiring material these days isn't the way he built De Orbe Novo.

Collecting a specific town, - let's take Rondout, New York, as an example - can be difficult. Material related to Rondout is not prolific. In five years, my father's amassed about 50 items. How did he obtain these items? Did he search the various listing sites, day after day after day hoping for a new match? Maybe a little bit. Maybe, until he came up with the idea for MatchMaker. It does what I just described, for you. It searches your keywords everyday against listing sites, eBay and traditional auctions, and when a new item appears, you're notified. Personally I can't think of a better and more efficient way to collect obscure material.

If anyone reading this collects a niche subject, I'd recommend giving MatchMaker a shot for a month. It will enhance your ability to collect. It will allow you to acquire material faster, and from more sources than are practical for a single person to search themselves on a daily basis. This service isn't free, but I rest my case for its value.