I asked a similar question when I started out and the best advice I got here was collect what you like. Granted, we all want to see the value rise, so pay attention to the prices of the stuff you like and buy in that range. You cant go wrong if you enjoy looking at it. And buy quality.
Check out Antiques Roadshow. Someone will have a piece appraised and they will say " The market is really hot for this, you can get $5000" The next piece they will say "You could have gotten $5000 for this a couple years ago, but now its worth $3000" So buy what you like for a fair price
