6 collectable things to buy now to sell for a big profit later

Collecting can be serious business – a recent study by Lloyds Private Banking found that one in six investors is putting money into ‘collectibles’.

But you don’t actually need a huge amount of money to start – with some collectable items on sale for tens or hundreds of pounds.

The returns can be incredible: for instance, the value of rare whisky, measured by the Rare Whisky 101 Apex 1000 index has risen by 361.09% since 2008.

So how do you spot something which is going to gain in value? We asked auctioneers and dealers from some of Britain’s leading firms for their tips.

The most important thing is that it should be fun, says photography expert Jamie Beeden of auctioneer Catawiki.

Beeden says, ‘Buy it because you love it. Find an artist or theme that appeals to your personal aesthetic and explore what you can find.

‘You don’t have to be a millionaire to start collecting.

Whisky

Andy Simpson, co-founder of Rare Whisky 101, says, ‘The Rare Whisky 101 Apex 1000 is up by 26.09% in the year year to date. The growth of the secondary market for rare single malt whisky, both in terms of volume and value, has exceeded all expectations. We know for certain that the true rarities will only become rarer.’

Jade jewellery

Nick Constantinou of Prestige Pawnbrokers – and star of TV’s Posh Pawn, says, ‘In terms of investment, anything that appeals to the Chinese market, such as jade, is a great investment. Jade’s a very brittle ornamental rock, used in some jewelry. The Chinese market is getting stronger and stronger – and so Jade’s a great investment for the future.’

Strange taxidermy

David Legget, taxidermy and fossil auctioneer at Catawiki says, ‘There is a growing interest in anthropomorphic taxidermy – animals cast in the role of humans – Walter J. Potter, the famous Victorian-era creator of Kittens’ Tea Parties and Rabbits’ School-room antics, has a growing British following. A number of London-based artists, many of them women, have taken up the baton, and dancing mice, sword-wielding rats and squirrels on motor-cycles are on the up!’

Photography ‘work prints’

Jamie Beeden, photography auctioneer at Catawiki, says, ‘I see a recent upsurge in interest in old ‘press’ photos, photographs that were made for use in newspapers and magazines, sometimes referred to as ‘work prints’. These used to be regarded quite sniffily but collectors – but in recent years they are becoming more popular and are a great way to start a collection as you can own genuine prints of iconic images for a fraction of the price of an edition print. You can usually get them for a few hundred pounds as opposed to a few thousand.’

Vintage handbags

Nick Constantinou of Prestige Pawnbrokers – and star of TV’s Posh Pawn, says, We often get clients bringing in handbags which are very valuable – but quite often they say they were going to take them to the charity shop. Vintage bags are often overlooked by the younger generation. They’re into the newer brands. They’re not aware of these older brands. So if you’re out at car boots, vintage bags can be worth £100,000. We just sold a blue crocodile Hermes bag, which came to just shy of £45,000.

Japanese motorcycles

John Seale, motorcycle auctioneer at Catawiki, says, ‘ The key is to buy the best example of a popular type in its period. It should be in factory original condition and with full history. All pre 1945 British motorcycles, any original race motorcycle with good history (proven famous owners). Also, 1970’s Japanese classics are a good investment, because you can still find bargains now. 9 Buyers who have money in the pocket now want to buy motorcycles they adored in their youth.’