Guitar Pick Displays

The demand for music memorabilia is huge and the market is thus highly competitive. Items, such as guitar pick displays are highly attractive because they provide the collector with a piece of art. Indeed, these displays are popular items, even with non guitar players. Thanks to their high print quality and glossy, vivid colours, they form a striking addition to any display of music-related items.

Plastic is the most common material used in guitar picks, but metal, wood, felt, stone and rubber plectra are also available, at varying costs. Tortoiseshell was formerly popular, but its use has been illegal since 1973. Some authentic tortoiseshell picks remain, but modern picks marketed as "tortoiseshell" are synthetic. Of the plastics, the popularity of celluloid has declined due to its high flammability. Nylon is inexpensive and durable. Delrin is a lightweight and extremely durable whilst Tortex and Delrex are synthetics that simulate natural tortoiseshell. All of these materials are easily decorated, leading to some first-rate pick displays.

There is a wide range of "collector edition" pick displays available, usually consisting of about ten individual, full-colour designs, mounted on an A5 size card. Amongst those popular with collectors are music memorabilia associated with Bon Jovi, Mark Knopfler, Jim Morrison, Guns N' Roses, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Brian May and The Clash, to name but a few. With prices ranging from around £5 to £10, for a 10- pick set, collecting guitar pick displays is an inexpensive hobby.

Several types of unusual plectra have been created, using various materials and surface textures, to aid a player's grip. Contoured picks with variously moulded surfaces are available, along with very atypical picks such as the "Wirething," which combines acrylic with steel / copper for better grip. These unusual picks are rarely available as display sets, but a self-mounted display can be a fascinating addition to any collection of music memorabilia.