Is this man bigger than the Beatles?

Have you ever sold anything at auction? If so, you've probably found yourself thinking:

"It only takes two".

It only takes two keen (and hopefully wealthy) bidders - who both want the same thing - to get prices soaring.

And it's this simple mathematical statement that last night enabled Bob Dylan to better the Beatles.

His self-penned lyrics to Like a Rolling Stone auctioned for $2m at Sotheby's - a record for a pop music manuscript.

They trumped the previous record of $1.2m, set by the Beatles' All You Need is Love lyrics in 2010.

John Lennon's toilet

How could this be? Sure, Bob Dylan remains hugely popular. But he's not on the same scale as the Beatles, is he?

No. On a daily basis, Dylan cannot compete with the Beatles on the memorabilia market.

The Beatles have such an army of fans that their memorabilia - any memorabilia - sells for considerable sums.

John Lennon's tooth auctioned for £19,000 ($32,000) in 2011, while his toilet made £9,500 ($16,000) in 2010 for crying out loud!

I can't see a Bob Dylan lavatory making that much somehow…

Bob Dylan
The most iconic Dylan memorabilia has proved itself a big hit at auction in recent months

But where Dylan can compete is in the very highest echelons of the market, where the most iconic pieces reside.

We saw it with the $965,000 sale of Dylan's Newport Folk Festival guitar - the one where he went electric - last year, and we've seen it now with Dylan's lyrics to the song voted the greatest of all time by Rolling Stone magazine readers.

Why so?

A modest collecting base such as Dylan's may not be able to sustain high prices for the more regular items, but when the best pieces emerge, the interest among the world's leading music memorabilia buyers is most certainly there.

Aim high

So if you're buying with investment in mind, don't be put off from owning a collectible simply because it's a niche area.

Sure, there will not be so many suitors for it when you decide to sell, but you may find the suitors that do bid on your item are such passionate collectors that prices still soar.

Just make sure the item you're buying is a leading example from that person, or collecting area.

Because remember, "it only takes two".

With that mantra in mind, here are three superb collectibles I'm offering for sale that may be considered niche by some, but are connected with people who have a dedicated and passionate following.

·         Marc Bolan's Afghan coat

·         Fidel Castro signed invitation card

·         Pete Doherty's blood painting

Thanks for reading,

Paul


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