"Our top tips for 2011"
There have been many surprisingly good auction results over the years. Results that make you scratch your head in bewilderment.
Rare and unique collectibles have headed for auction with pretty accurate auction estimates only for the prices to have been blown out of the water.
The reason for the high prices?
Well, there's a common theme... see if you can spot it.
In October 2005 Sotheby's, London auctioned a collection of Lord Nelson memorabilia.
The 150-lot sale was estimated to realise £1,500,000.
The sale eventually totalled £4,644,779, over three times the estimate.
July 2009 saw a sale of Apollo 11 items in the US. Again bidding was frenzied and the auction results staggering.
50 times the estimate...
The stand out lot was a cheque signed by Neil Armstrong that sold for $27,500 - over 50 times the estimated price.
More recently on June 25 2010 a US auction house hosted an 'Icons of Music' sale where prices for Michael Jackson memorabilia went through the roof.
- A signed photo estimated at $300 sold for $10,240
- A signed fedora hat estimated at $1,000 sold for $46,875
- A custom jacket estimated at $4,000 sold for $120,000 - 30 times the estimate
I could give you dozens more examples of similar results over the last 20 years.
Now, like I say, these auctions had a theme.
Did you spot it?
They were all held on significant anniversaries.
The Sotheby's sale took place on the anniversary of Lord Nelson's death - Trafalgar Day.
The Apollo 11 sale took place on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing.
And the significance of June 25 2010? It was the one year anniversary of Jackson's death.
What the big auction houses have known for years...
The big auction houses have long understood the effect of a good anniversary and they plan their auctions accordingly.
An anniversary awakens the public's consciousness to historic events, whether they realise it or not.
You see, the human psyche is a wonderfully strange place.
It's a maelstrom of thoughts, ideas, and emotions that reflect, absorb, and bounce off each other.
Cognition is the scientific term for "the process of thought".
A good psychologist will tell you that the cognitive process relies on memory and association.
And now psychologists believe that emotion is also part of the cognitive process.
Emotion also plays a major part in our decision-making process.
So whilst the worldwide media are reminding us of important anniversaries auction houses plan around them.
And as you can see... the results can be staggering.
What you need to know in 2011...
2011 offers some fantastic opportunities for investors in collectibles as there are some major anniversaries on the horizon.
Some are so important that there will undoubtedly be a positive effect on prices.
You can see from the auction results above that anniversaries can see collectibles sell for 10, 30, even 50 times their estimates at world-renowned auction houses.
So it's clear that to really profit you need to be in prior to the anniversary.
We were discussing this in the office this week and the easiest comparison we could find is this:
"It's like buying a house in a street with potential. As others move into the neighbourhood and refurbish their homes, the average house price will increase accordingly"
So, you don't need to be buying the best item of memorabilia available (though it helps), you just need to be buying the relevant pieces of memorabilia, prior to the anniverary.
One major anniversary in 2011 relates to Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln memorabilia is already highly sought after and increasingly difficult to find. This anniversary is sure to further increase the interest in his memorabilia.
One 50th anniversary is due in March 2011.
It's probably the most important anniversary in music history, far exceeding the importance of the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death - and you can see above what effect that anniversary had on the values of Jackson memorabilia.
Another 50 year anniversary relates to one of the most famous Americans of all time.
This one is a sure thing as his memorabilia forms the basis of the fastest growing hobby in America. This is a hobby that is fast catching on in the UK and other parts of the world. In fact there's also another 30 year anniversary that will be equally important to this particular market in 2011.
Another is a 350 year anniversary relating to one of the most notorious historical figures of all time. If you've ever studied British history at school you'll have read about this man. As for collectibles relating to him... well they're already rare, after all not much survives 350 years, it's what makes them so desirable.
These are four of the anniversaries that we've identified.
There are around a dozen more.
These are anniversaries the worldwide media will be reminding you of over the next few months.
Here's the trick...
Like I say, 2011 offers some major opportunities for people investing in rare collectibles.
Historic auction results have proven that important anniversaries welcome new collectors to the collectibles markets... with a marked effect on the value of associated pieces of memorabilia.
But of course, the trick is to be involved prior to the anniversary - before values escalate.
We've been planning for these anniversaries and buying stock in advance.
We've secured the finest collectibles available. But only when the price is right and the quality is indisputable.
Over the next 12 months I'm sure these will be some of the most sought after collectibles in the market.
But just for now we're not giving you all the details up front.
If we put all our recommendations in print today then we'd likely be inundated with requests.
Good for immediate sales? Yes.
Good for building relationships? Possibly not.
Call us old-fashioned but we prefer a more personal approach. We appreciate the opportunity to explain our stock items in detail. We want you to feel as passionate about them as we do.
So, if you want to know what we're recommending for 2011, and our reasons behind the recommendations please contact me and I'll explain our logic to you.
adrianroose@paulfrasercollectibles.com
+44 (0) 117 933 9503
We also offer a unique Build a Collection service enabling you to purchase the world's rarest collectibles with a 25% downpayment, paying off the balance over 12 months.
Applying for a Build a Collection account is simple, you just need to print off an application form. You could be building a valuable collection within one week.
An element of urgency...
There's an element of urgency to this as the first major anniversary takes place on 20th January - I believe it's one the biggest of 2011, and could have a big impact on prices.
If you want to take advantage of any "anniversary fever" then you need to be in before then.
adrianroose@paulfrasercollectibles.com
+44 (0) 117 933 9503
Regards
Adrian
Adrian Roose
P.S. Anniversaries have seen collectibles sell for 10, 30 even 50 times their estimates at auction. 2011 has some very notable anniversaries ahead. You need to be in prior to the anniversary.
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