collector's item
11
5.4
- noun
- /kəˈlɛktərz ˈaɪtəm/
:
objeto de colección
- The posters, by the way, may become, I think, collector's items, being produced in low numbers and having a very short shelf life!
- become a collector's item
- instant collector's item
- rare collector's item
Examples
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Later on, after he retired, he gave me that book, a rare treasure and a collector's item.
Blog text (20) -
Each and every one of them knew immediately that it was destined to become a collector's item.
Fiction book (1990) -
Could be a collector's item one day, you never know.
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This is a collector's item, you know that?
-
That might be a collector's item.
-
This is a collector's item.
-
And turned the Corvair into a collector's item.
Blog text (8) -
Since this was a collector's item 2009 World Series cap, I was determined to backtrack and find it.
Blog text (17) -
Zimbabwean dollars have increased in value lately—as novelty collector's items.
Blog text (14) -
The first ones, issued in 1993, are now collector's items at $40 apiece.
Synonyms
22
4.1
A thing people collect because it is interesting or valuable, like cards
7
8.4
An unusual small object people collect because it is interesting, often from trips or old shops
Rare, valuable objects that collectors want, like old books or antiques
An object that people keep and show, like stamps or toys
How Rare
Surface Forms
Morphology
collector's + item
The meaning is directly derivable from 'collector's' (belonging to collectors) + 'item' (an object): a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it is an object that collectors want or value. The possessive composition and the idea of an item for collectors is cross-linguistically common and follows transparent noun-possession semantics, so the phrase is readily understandable from its parts.
Etymology
Collector's item comes from the simple idea of a collector, someone who gathers things, and an item, a single object; imagine someone carefully placing a rare stamp or old toy into a special case because collectors want it. That's why a collector's item means an object collectors 'value' and 'want' because it is rare or special.