[quote=gzz]Flyer, congratulations on the art. Even if you don’t ever intend to sell, it still feels like winning a game when they appreciate.
There are some art submarkets that are weak. Antique furniture is in a deep and long depression, many items down 90% from the peak.
Older European paintings, from before about 1800, also are not doing too well, outside of the very top of that market, e.g. Da Vinci’s Jesus painting. (IMO it is genuine)
I enjoy coin collecting but worry sometimes that the old white guy demographic is going to evaporate and not be replaced by new collectors. That has already happened with stamps and baseball cards to a large extent. They aren’t dead but far less popular than in the past.
To both keep my collecting focused and protect it from price declines, I generally won’t pay more than 100% over melt value for silver coins and 25% over for gold, and don’t buy non-precious metal coins at all. Indeed the boundary between coin collecting and precious metal investment is a little blurred, since some of my favorite items were acquired at roughly melt value, like a whole roll of very cool William Tell silver 5 swiss francs.[/quote]
Thanks, gzz. It’s true that all collecting has pros and cons, and glad you’ve found the niches that work best for you.
My wife inherited most of the art collection, which has a fascinating multi-generational history with a story line that could become a novel. Her personal experience of discovering an Impressionist piece at a thrift shop in Paris when she was attending college there is a gem. All the best to you with your collections.
