Are Antiques Still a Good Investment in 2021?

[rbrown001]

Hi, all Do you think antiques are still a good investment for good returns both in short and long term?

 

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[pepperj]

First of all-Welcome to TreasureNet

From being around collectables/antiques most of my life I would say yes/no in many ways.
The days of collecting are no longer as it was in the 70's for many items.
Really who wants 200 Owls/Santas/Swans or tea cups for example.
But single items covering many subjects seems to be the trend.
Furniture can/always was a hard sell.
Folks might pick up a piece here and there to add an interesting accent to a room.
One just has to gleam the online estate auction sites to get a view of what things go for, and it's a buyers market.
Special/unique items will always hold value.
Query what item/subject were you actually referring too?
Furniture/glassware/pottery/jewelry/coins/stamps

 

[BennyV]

Personally I think colonial era high end furniture will always have a market of some sort. Other than that I see modern furniture (50s, 60’s) stuff being far more collectible.

 

[charlie_21]

Hi, all Do you think antiques are still a good investment for good returns both in short and long term?

Yes, it is. Not just good, antiques are one of the most profitable investment options in this year and beyond. However, very few people can afford to dive deep in this deep sea. One of the leading antique collection houses, AntiquitiesArt, in a recent press release said that “people are not aware of the first step and scope of this sector but it has been observed that this sector can now beat any other sector in the matter of Return on Investment (ROI), that’s why this sector is always favorite among millionaires and billionaires”.

Due to lack of knowledge and a lot of funds required, it is still not a very competitive sector but it is still bigger than you thought. Dr. Arnott Philip Michael, a British business magnate, investor, and billionaire in an interview revealed that “he has a good investment in areas such as real estate, oil, gas, agriculture, manufacturing, but antiquities are always his ideal area to invest”. He further added that “ Whenever I find something that has a history behind it, or story to tell, and can add value, I just can’t stop myself from buying it”.

People don’t believe it but it is a secret very few people know and among them, very few people have the guts to reveal. I think most wealthy people share this common hobby or investment strategy.

As I am a researcher always searching for antiquities and opportunities to be explored and seized. It is my observation that Investing in antiques is currently one of the most profitable investment options. It is also because people are getting more interested in collecting old stuff, the number of wealthy people is growing and some of the historical and old items are getting vanished.

 

[pepperj]

Personally I think colonial era high end furniture will always have a market of some sort. Other than that I see modern furniture (50s, 60’s) stuff being far more collectible.

True the "Retro" market has been crazy over the past decade.
The 60's chrome kitchen table and chairs have a higher selling price than a teak one.

 

[ARC]

In one simple response...

It depends on the item(s)... The truly rare will always remain rare... therefore will always have some "value" and appeal.

Many things i bought and later sold in the 90's were considered rare... or "hard to find"... and were very sellable.

Most of those same items today are worth a fraction of that now... due to one main reason.

Ebay.

In other words... the once elusive can be easily obtained now.

 

[pepperj]

Yes, it is. Not just good, antiques are one of the most profitable investment options in this year and beyond. However, very few people can afford to dive deep in this deep sea. One of the leading antique collection houses, AntiquitiesArt, in a recent press release said that “people are not aware of the first step and scope of this sector but it has been observed that this sector can now beat any other sector in the matter of Return on Investment (ROI), that’s why this sector is always favorite among millionaires and billionaires”.

Due to lack of knowledge and a lot of funds required, it is still not a very competitive sector but it is still bigger than you thought. Dr. Arnott Philip Michael, a British business magnate, investor, and billionaire in an interview revealed that “he has a good investment in areas such as real estate, oil, gas, agriculture, manufacturing, but antiquities are always his ideal area to invest”. He further added that “ Whenever I find something that has a history behind it, or story to tell, and can add value, I just can’t stop myself from buying it”.

People don’t believe it but it is a secret very few people know and among them, very few people have the guts to reveal. I think most wealthy people share this common hobby or investment strategy.

As I am a researcher always searching for antiquities and opportunities to be explored and seized. It is my observation that Investing in antiques is currently one of the most profitable investment options. It is also because people are getting more interested in collecting old stuff, the number of wealthy people is growing and some of the historical and old items are getting vanished.

There's the investment side, where one of a kind/rare items hold value.
But common items have lost a lot of value.
EBAY was a gold mine in the beginning for sellers.
But it also drove many hard to find items into the common find market, hence flooded the market.
So if the OP is referring to a $5/6/7 digit rare antque something that has provenance.

 

[pepperj]

25 years ago my sibling stated this while owning an antique store.
Customer: How much for this item?
$15.00
But if I tell them a great story it will be $45.00....
Knowing the history of an item does add value.
Online-$$$-dictates the value mostly.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

RBrown001 and charlie21, are both using the same static IP at the same time in the same thread to advertise a business. Thread can stay, they can't.

 

[CreakyDigger]

Our business is antique books. There are many rare, even one-of-a-kind items that don't have much resale value because they don't interest anyone. But when you can combine rare with desired, you make money.

I think in the short term it will be a buyer's market, as inflation escalates. And I think the OP is correct in pointing to 20th century furniture as a very valuable niche where good buys can still be had. Some of those items were selling at yard sale prices not so long ago, and the public's knowledge of them is not that strong as of yet.

Think of Fiestaware. 45 years ago you could still pick it up for a song at estate & yard sales, then the popularity and value went through the roof....and didn't come back down until it started being mass produced again.

And as pepperj noted, one adds value with a story. We do this constantly with our books. We tell the story of the author, or of the significance of the book at the time, or if someone like Abraham Lincoln used it as a schoolbook, that sort of thing. People who collect what we sell feel a connection to the book in some way - and if they don't know that yet we attempt to make the connection with a story.

A successful dealer in antiques of any kind makes money when he/she buys, and adds value through research. You have to find the stuff and buy it right, then add the story. Many collectors think they can start a business because through collecting they have stock to begin. But they don't know how to replace the stock, and they don't know anything about research.

 

[ARC]

RBrown001 and charlie21, are both using the same static IP at the same time in the same thread to advertise a business. Thread can stay, they can't.

Conclusion ?
Dead thread ?
or shall we continue as if... heh...

 

[ARC]

Nice catch btw TH.

 

[CreakyDigger]

Nice catch btw TH.

I wonder if bells and whistles go off somehow to alert the admins when something like this happens.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Conclusion ?
Dead thread ?
or shall we continue as if... heh...

The thread remains and can continue.

It is an old spammer trick RBown001 joined this morning and started the thread, then joins again under charlie_21 to answer his original post and advertise the business name. Both were using the same static IP in India.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I wonder if bells and whistles go off somehow to alert the admins when something like this happens.

LOL, no bells and whistles, just experience.

The new software makes it easier and quicker to research, but there were no bells and whistles or admin flags that went off. I noticed charlie _21 posted a business name, checked to see if he had any shared ips and he was sharing RBrown001 IP, I then see they both joined this morning RBrown first and both are using the same static ip in India.

 

[pepperj]

LOL, no bells and whistles, just experience.

The new software makes it easier and quicker to research, but there were no bells and whistles or admin flags that went off. I noticed charlie 21 posted a business name, checked to see if he had any shared ips and he was sharing RBrown001 IP, I then see they both joined this morning RBrown first and both are using the same static ip in India.

I guess they thought it was rare.
Good catch TH
Interesting topic for those that have collected, and still do, actually in many ways many do on TNet.

 

[pepperj]

Our business is antique books. There are many rare, even one-of-a-kind items that don't have much resale value because they don't interest anyone. But when you can combine rare with desired, you make money.

I think in the short term it will be a buyer's market, as inflation escalates. And I think the OP is correct in pointing to 20th century furniture as a very valuable niche where good buys can still be had. Some of those items were selling at yard sale prices not so long ago, and the public's knowledge of them is not that strong as of yet.

Think of Fiestaware. 45 years ago you could still pick it up for a song at estate & yard sales, then the popularity and value went through the roof....and didn't come back down until it started being mass produced again.

And as pepperj noted, one adds value with a story. We do this constantly with our books. We tell the story of the author, or of the significance of the book at the time, or if someone like Abraham Lincoln used it as a schoolbook, that sort of thing. People who collect what we sell feel a connection to the book in some way - and if they don't know that yet we attempt to make the connection with a story.

A successful dealer in antiques of any kind makes money when he/she buys, and adds value through research. You have to find the stuff and buy it right, then add the story. Many collectors think they can start a business because through collecting they have stock to begin. But they don't know how to replace the stock, and they don't know anything about research.

There's a market that I have no idea about-so in-depth the world of books.
From the one on line auction that I have buy from I see many collections of personal books.
The auction covers many cities now in the country and does moving/estate/down sizing/resale even.
But it is pretty good for representing the product/backed up if something wrong it will compensate the buyer.

I met a fellow during a pick up that just did books-bought them for the sole purpose of online sales.
Did quite well in the the venture, but said it was all in the knowledge of what is in demand.

I know just for our Canadian Country Atlas I use for researching of sites I have picked up some at $5.00 and they retail for over $100 this is just for the reprinted versions.
The original atlas are rare and don't come up for sale often.

Actually our real estate lawyer has an original-he just snickers at my offer at replacing his beloved thread bare binding/dog eared version with a crisp reprinted version.

 

[Missouri Breaks]

Hi, all Do you think antiques are still a good investment for good returns both in short and long term?

Depends on the niche. Old time slot machines, bottles and first edition books have held up nicely. Cabinet ware and older furniture not so much. Prices on early CA oils have gone down as people want newer art work. Duck Decoys as hot as ever. Equestrian items very much in demand. Certain mid century categories still doing well after a while of being trendy. Sports collectibles ok, stable and depends on the item. Certain baseball cards and comic books have maintained and or increased. Old style porcelain that grandma had has lost value unless it’s ultra rare. Hi quality oriental rugs are stable but not like 20 years ago. Old watches and pocket watches ok depending on make and condition. Antique jewelry also depends as always on the quality of the stones or if it’s a well known maker. Antique firearms stable.

 

[Mackaydon]

Rare coins --yes.
World stamp collections-no.
Don.....

 

[GoDeep]

Other than stumbling across some super rare item at a garage sale that no one knew was valuable, not really a great investment at all. A lot of grind, for not a lot of buck.

Same goes for Muscle Cars. How many of us think, oh, back in 1969, i could get a rare 4 speed, 400CI, 4.10 rear end, ram air hood Pontiac GTO for 3500!. I wish i had bought 10 of them and stored them away! Well, the problem is, you have to store, insure and maintain them for 50 years and still rust can start forming on the floorboards and rockers, wiring dry rots, engine seals dry rot, interior dry rots, mice chew up wiring, carpet, seats etc.

Had you taken that 30,000 and invested in a diverse stock portfolio, you'd have infinitely more profit without any of the hassle of keeping cars for 50 years.