I guess what i realy want to know is how to i become a rares collector. Is that the same as a thief? Im not sure about all of this but i would like to learn how to collect rares? Can anyone please tell me how to do this and what skills i would need. Thank you so much
"I'm all out of dire onions but I have a few dread potatoes.."
Rares collecting is what you make of it. The best way to get into it is collect what appeals to you, that way you get the most enjoyment out of it. Or possibly you want to make money trading rares, then the only way to do that is research, research, research. Try the trade forums and ask for further direction there. Also, if you want to keep rares, think about how you'll want to display them.
Some people treasure things for their rarity.. eg: server birth rares
Other favour events rares as they have a historical significance.
Some like collecting complete sets of limited issue items, the completed collection itself being the rare factor.
Still others collect whatever they fancy with no particular deference to relative rarity, or based solely on what looks good for decoration.
Myself, I fall into that last category. The only rare stuff you'll find at my place are items that suit the decoration, and nothing impossibly rare at that. Many collectors use displays such as pedestals, tables, or cabinets to make the items stand out.
Lair Spirit has a fabulous historical event rares collection on public display, along with detailed accounts of each piece. Some collectors such as Gavin like to keep their treasures private, offering tours and demonstrations only to trusted acquaintances.
----
As for thieves, there are two types: the pvp thief and the crate thief. The pvp thief steals from other players or for Factions, the crate thief is concerned with rare items.
Dungeon Doom, the Fandancer Dojo, and the Yamotsu Mines all have decorative artifacts that can be lifted by someone with 100+ Stealing skill. These items vary in rarity and they're actually labeled with the relative rarity on the item description. Some of the higher level stuff sells for good money, if you can find a buyer.
Also, the crate thief gets its name from the crates in various NPC shops that hold semi-rare items. Anything from reversed-graphic food to dried herbs, smithy deco and other sundry items. Basically a lot of stuff that's "nice" deco but not ridiculously scarce.
Also another source of rare stuff is the daily rares, such as fruit baskets and rocks, etc. As the name suggests, these are available once daily after server-save.
Some rune libraries have the locations of daily rares, crate rares, "stealable" artifacts, and so on.. so it's worth looking around for these.
One decent source of rares is IDOC hunting (houses that are In Danger Of Collapse), that's an entire profession in itself. IDOC houses collapse and spill all their contents on the ground, much of which is likely to be older, possibly rarer stuff. Stumpy or Barjunkie on this forum should be able to provide you with plenty of tips.