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Hampden pocket watches are highly collectible, but you may not find them worth as much as the bigger, more well known companies like Elgin and Waltham. Hampden was known for making a good quality watch, however. Because they were made by a smaller company, new collectors may find Hampdens to be a good place to start. The material used for the case may affect value (whether it was gold, gold-filled or base metal), but the movement itself is the most important. Many excellent Railroad movements were put into less expensive cases. New collectors should read and research to learn as much as possible about the Hampden company and the watches they made. Knowing the little stories and histories of each model can make a watch more valuable. If you can find out personal history of the particular watch you want to collect, that adds value, too. This personal history is known as the provenance. Having a written record of the watch's provenance helps a lot when you get it appraised and can add to its value