By MARTHA QUILLIN, Raleigh News & Observer

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jane Strand won't have to wonder how her son is doing as he deploys for the first time with the North Carolina National Guard to Iraq in a few weeks. She'll be right there with him.

Bruce Zalkin has made a living as a broker between people who want to reclaim some space in their homes and those who want to recapture the days of their childhood.

"That's the reason they start collecting in the first place," said Zalkin, of the Antique Toy & Doll Roadshow. "They're trying to buy back their youth."