Opportunity 

That’s what the world of collectibles offers buyers in 2027.  Whether you’re a collector, an investor, or something in-between - the opportunity to buy great pieces at below market prices is there for us all.

And that’s because this is a market again on the rise. And we’re at the start of it.

Following unprecedented growth during the Covid era from 2020-2022, the overall collectibles market saw a correction in 2023 and 2024, followed by a stabilising year in 2025.

2026 feels different.

The auction rooms are buzzing once more. The records are again being broken, and a younger, more global demographic is getting hooked. We’re seeing it across a variety of sectors, from autographs to rare coins to movie memorabilia.

Yes, 2027 presents the most exciting opportunities for buyers in decades. You’ll discover them all in this report.

Top Category Market Reviews

Trading cards

Trading cards broadened beyond the familiar sports market in 2026. At Heritage Auctions' June Trading Card Games and Manga sale, a signed and sketched Magic: The Gathering artist-proof set made $575,000, while the auction total reached $7.9 million, a house record at the time. The strength was in scarce, high-grade and first-generation material rather than new releases. Demand spread across gaming and manga cards, suggesting that the best material from several franchises is now attracting established collectors.

Coins

The coin market remained strong at the top end, where grade, pedigree and genuine scarcity mattered most. Heritage Auctions' ANA sales in late August and early September realised $67.1 million across US, world and ancient coins. Five US coins made seven figures, led by a finest-certified pattern rarity that realised $2.6 million. The results showed continuing depth for coins that combine low populations with a clear place in numismatic history, even as buyers were more careful with more ordinary material.

Toys

Toys benefited from the continued pull of major screen franchises, especially Star Wars. Heritage Auctions' paired Star Wars Day sales brought $3.6 million across trading cards, action figures, toys and entertainment memorabilia, with more than 1,600 bidders taking part. The result showed how collectors now move between connected areas of a franchise, from cards and figures to props and artwork. For the best toys, original-era production, condition and a direct character association remained more important than brand recognition alone.

Movie memorabilia

Movie memorabilia had another strong year for hero props with an unambiguous screen connection. A Luke Skywalker lightsaber realised $3.8 million in Heritage Auctions' July entertainment sale, setting a record for a Star Wars prop and helping the week's auctions exceed $14 million. The pattern was familiar: material linked to landmark films drew the fiercest competition, particularly where provenance was secure. The strongest market was therefore concentrated in objects that could be recognised instantly and tied closely to a specific moment on screen.

Music memorabilia

Provenance-led collections attracted serious money. Christie's Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection realised £3.6 million in London in September, while Heritage's April concert-poster auction totalled $1.3 million, led by a Buddy Holly Winter Dance Party poster at $100,000. The year rewarded instruments, posters and personal material with a convincing artist connection. Buyers were prepared to compete for quality, but routine signed items and less distinctive tour material faced a more discriminating audience.

Comics

Comics were driven by foundational issues and original art of the highest quality. The original Don Heck page that introduced Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #39 made $3.9 million at Heritage Auctions in July, a record for original comic art. A copy of Action Comics #1 realised $1.5 million at the same event. The four-day sale took $21.1 million, demonstrating that collectors are placing major value on both Golden Age keys and landmark pages from the history of established characters.

Stamps

Stamps remained a sharply divided market in 2026. The top 0.1% of the market, especially material with outstanding condition, provenance and specialist demand, continued to attract determined buyers. More common vintage stamps struggled for attention, while modern GB errors looked relatively inexpensive after recent weakness. The lesson was selection: catalogue rarity on its own did not guarantee demand. A strong specialist market, visual quality and sound certification were more reliable guides than a low printed quantity.

Art

At the top end, art buyers continued to compete for exceptional objects with cast-iron provenance. Christie's Hong Kong Spring Asian Art Week realised $111 million, up 54% on the previous year, with a Yuan blue-and-white narrative jar making $22 million. Within Asian art, Chinese ceramics and works of art, classical calligraphy, and modern and contemporary ink painting were particularly strong. The strength was not confined to Asia: blue-chip Impressionist and Modern works, Post-War and Contemporary art and selected Old Masters also performed well. High-profile examples included Picasso, Renoir, Pollock, Brancusi and Rothko, while rare Dutch material was led by two Jan van Huysum still lifes, each of which set an auction record for the artist. A Rembrandt drawing also set a record for the artist's drawings.

Wine and spirits

Wine and spirits showed continued global depth, particularly for limited-production bottles and stock with strong provenance. By region, the clearest strength at the trophy end was Burgundy, especially Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leroy and Armand Rousseau, including rare Grand Cru reds and large formats. Mature Bordeaux, including Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild and Château Palmer in large formats, also attracted strong bidding. Prestige Champagne such as Salon and Louis Roederer Cristal, alongside sought-after grower wines from producers such as Jacques Selosse and Cédric Bouchard, performed well in selected sales. Christie's Fine and Rare Wines & Spirits online sale in London realised £1.5 million in September, while its Hong Kong edition reached $3 million. The market's leading buyers continued to focus on famous producers, careful storage and complete documentation.

Pokémon

Pokémon's 30th anniversary brought sustained interest at the top of the market. A PSA Mint 9 Pikachu Illustrator card made $5 million at Heritage Auctions in September, a record for that grade and the second-highest auction result for any Pokémon card. The two-day sale realised $12.1 million, another house record for the category. The year reinforced the appeal of early prize cards, sealed first-edition material and the best-graded examples. It also showed that top-quality Pokémon have developed a collector base well beyond nostalgia buyers.

Sports memorabilia

Elite cards and objects connected to defining athletes continued to dominate the sports memorabilia sector. Heritage Auctions' August Summer Platinum Night Sports Auction realised $63 million, the largest sports auction total on record, with landmark results for a T206 Honus Wagner and a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle among hundreds of records. Modern cards also continued to set new benchmarks. The market rewarded exact grade, rarity and a clear place in an athlete's story, while demand was more measured for material without those advantages.

10 Vital Auction Sales of 2026

1. Jackson Pollock's Number 7A, 1948 sold for $181.2 million at Christie's New York in May

Pollock's characteristic drip-technique masterpiece is now the fourth most valuable work of art ever sold at auction, and it tripled the artist's auction record. It came from the single-owner collection of S.I. Newhouse, one of many such sales in 2026, and shows big money is still chasing the best art.

2. A PSA Gem Mint 10 Pikachu Illustrator card sold for $16.5 million at Goldin in February

A breathtaking, record-setting sale, showing the long-term power of collectible cards. Who bought it, and why, matters as much as the sale itself: AJ Scaramucci is a super-collector who believes these items are now an investment asset class, and he is determined to corner the best of it.

3. Two casks of Karuizawa whisky sold for £4.2 million at Christie's London in March

The two casks confirm Karuizawa as not just a cult favourite but a genuine heavy hitter in the whisky market. Another cask from the closed "ghost" distillery made $625,000 at Sotheby's in September, showing it's no one-off, and that the top end of the spirits market is in good health.

4. A July 1776 Exeter Broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence sold for $3.6 million at Goldin this July

Anniversary sales are a reliable winner in the auction world, and the USA's 250th birthday has brought a series of big, successful results. American founding documents are still relevant and still discussed, and they will continue to command high prices for the foreseeable future.

5. A Hsüan-t'ung silver specimen pattern "Short-Whiskered Dragon" dollar, Year 3 (1911) coin, sold for $4.9 million at Heritage Auctions in June

All markets are global markets these days, and Chinese money and Chinese artefacts are a growing presence in many collecting sectors.

6. A white gold Cartier Cheich watch sold for $3.4 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong in September

This was a landmark year for Cartier watches, with this sale breaking a marque world record set only in February in London. That earlier watch is believed to have been bought by Shinsuke Sakimoto, another super-collector, who is assembling a historic collection that also includes the $10 million original Birkin bag sold in 2025 in Paris.

7. David Gilmour's Black Strat sold for $14.6 million at Christie's New York's Jim Irsay sale in March

Is Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour as influential as the Beatles or as iconoclastic as Kurt Cobain? Probably not, but his guitar is now by far the most valuable ever sold. Interestingly, it beat Cobain's Fender Mustang from the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video, which made $6.9 million to set a record for the Nirvana frontman.

8. The 1976 Apple partnership agreement sold for $2.5 million at Christie's New York in January

What's telling is that it was listed alongside constitutions and letters from the Founding Fathers in an American anniversary sale. That's the status of Apple, and particularly Steve Jobs: historic, significant, a fundamental building block of the world we live in now.

9. Dan Quintana's cover art for Absolute Batman #16 sold for $100,000 at Heritage Auctions in February

An Action Comics #1 sold for $15 million in January this year, but that was a private sale. This auction lot shows the comic market moving into new generations with renewed vigour. The Absolute line has shown there's an appetite for darker, modern stories featuring well-known characters, and rare copies of the comics also trade for big money online.

10. A C-3PO prop head from The Empire Strikes Back sold for $1 million at Propstore Los Angeles in March

Star Wars hero props remain the gold standard in a movie memorabilia field that is thriving like never before. With the original trilogy approaching the collecting sweet spot of 50 years old, and new titles bringing in new collectors, there still looks to be a bright future for Star Wars and modern sci-fi more generally.

15 Predictions for 2027 
What will happen in 2027? Our specialists give their insights into what to look out for:

1. Pokémon

Pokémon trading cards were feverishly traded in 2026, their 30th anniversary. We believe the top end of the market will continue to soar. Other trading card games, such as Magic: The Gathering and One Piece, could easily follow Pokémon into the stratosphere.

2. Movie boost

More Star Wars, Marvel, and DC movies in 2027 will put lots of focus on related vintage comics and collectibles. Collector appetite appears to be never-ending.

3. K-shaped market

Collectibles markets will continue to display a K-shaped pattern, where the top is booming against a hard-scrabbling lower end. There’s no sign that will change, and we expect big-ticket items in art, movie and music memorabilia, coins, watches and more to continue to do well.

4. Super collectors of pop culture and tech

The uber-wealthy are on the collectibles scene now, and they will continue to help raise the highest end of the market across multiple sectors. They are overwhelmingly interested in pop culture and tech sectors.

5. NFTs

A big fall in NFT values after an unsustainable boom hasn’t completely destroyed the sector, and digital art is growing as a serious body of work that some collectors will spend money on. You can’t deny the future forever, and this is an area worth exploring.

6. Tech collectibles

This area should continue to thrive as new generations enter collecting and seek to bring back the thrill of the games, consoles, gadgets and increasingly phones they enjoyed in early life. You can easily imagine a museum collection showing generations of iPhones because they’re genuinely culturally significant. Collectors will be no different.

7. Fractional ownership

Fractional ownership is spreading through collecting markets, though legislation is becoming tighter on the fractional companies. Watch closely for developments.

8. Rare wristwatches

Prices fell after COVID-19 but are now recovering slowly and should show sustainable growth. The very best examples from Patek Philippe and Rolex will bring huge prices at flashy sales.

9. Taste in music is moving on

The Beatles have big things coming up, including the 60th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and their new London attraction. But the market for most 1960s favourites should become increasingly selective.

10. Postage stamps

Stamps have bifurcated into two markets: the top 0.1% scarcest, most valuable stamps and the rest. Some areas of “the rest” – modern GB errors, for example – are undervalued right now, and the top of the market is still capable of producing good investment results.

11. Young and rich

Young, wealthy collectors aren’t necessarily buying Rembrandts. In 2027 they will continue to seek out sneakers, hip hop, sports memorabilia, one-of-one sports cards, luxury fashion and new artists.

12. David Bowie

What would have been David Bowie’s 80th birthday is a notable landmark in 2027. Expect celebrations to provide a boost to his already-popular memorabilia scene.

13. Beethoven

2027 marks 200 years since Beethoven’s death. Worldwide commemorations may also give a helping hand to the market for his artefacts.

14. Punk

1977 was the year of punk. Look for big Sex Pistols sales next year.

15. Film centenaries

We’ll celebrate 100 years of The Jazz Singer, the landmark 1927 talking picture, and Metropolis, whose original poster sold for a record $1.2 million.

The '7 Truths' about collecting you won’t read anywhere else 

1. Stamp collecting is a dying hobby

Do you know anyone under the age of 30 who collects stamps? Give it a generation and the weekly stamp club meetings will be a thing of the past, charity shops will be awash with life-long collections, and prices for commonplace vintage stamps will have reached rock bottom. But all is not lost. The scarcest, most desirable, most prestigious stamps will continue to be trophy assets for investors. Miniature works of art. That’s where the stamp money will be going.

2. One generation is all you have

Do you know the 30-year rule? That’s how long it takes for nostalgia for their childhood to kick in for most people. That’s one reason why Oasis and Harry Potter memorabilia are so big at the moment. But for all but the most enduring celebrities, demand for their memorabilia does not endure for more than one generation. Most pop culture collectibles have short-lived appeal.

3. Fakes are more of a problem than anyone admits

No corner of the collectibles market is immune to fraudsters attempting to pass off the fake as genuine. The majority of autographs we are offered at Paul Fraser Collectibles are fake or highly dubious. An FBI report found that over 90% of sports memorabilia sold on eBay was not legitimate. The answer is to buy from a reputable dealer you trust.

4. A certificate of authenticity means nothing

Or, to be more accurate: it’s only worth the value of the company that issues it. And even the most well-known third-party authentication companies can and do make honest mistakes.

5. Rare doesn’t always mean valuable

I could draw five artworks right now. They would be rare, but they wouldn’t be worth anything, because no one would want to buy them. But if Picasso did the same, each of the five would be worth a great deal. And that’s because people would want them. There’s a big difference between rarity – how many of a thing there are – and scarcity – how many of a thing there are vs. how many people want to own it. So don’t be overly impressed by claims of rarity.

6. Read beyond the headlines

The auction industry is wonderful at self-promotion – the big houses only release the good news to the press. Read beyond the headlines, and scour the auction catalogue results to see how the whole auction fared.

7. Beware chandelier bidding

Not sure who you’re bidding against in the auction room? Beware crafty auctioneers on the rostrum, who are known to “take one off the ceiling”, or “the wall”, to keep or get the bidding momentum going. Remarkably, this practice is legal up to the reserve price.

The five golden rules

When determining the collectibles to select for your collection or portfolio.

1 Rarity

We focus our attention on rare collectibles where there are a relatively small number of surviving examples available. Limited, inherently declining supply is the classic economic principle which creates price pressure and drives growth in prices. You don’t need a large market for prices to rise; you only need two people bidding at an auction for the realisation to exceed expectations.

2 Condition

We only include collectibles of premium quality condition, which more often sell above estimate at auction. Collectors are highly conscious of condition. The result is that they’re all searching for the same holy grail in terms of quality, pushing up prices for the finest available examples.

3 Authenticity

We favour collectibles with a well-documented history and provenance. Most items come with independent certification of authenticity from trusted professional experts in their field. Everything you purchase from us comes with a lifetime money-back guarantee of authenticity. We cannot stress enough the importance of buying collectibles through trusted sources, or where you’re able to independently prove authenticity and provenance.

4 Liquidity

Most of the collectibles we include for investment portfolios are in areas of the market with a large number of active collectors. Some rare collectibles are simply too specialised to be suitable for investment. These categories have fewer active collectors, increasing the risk of low liquidity on exit.

5 Price

The most important investment rule of all is this: don’t overpay. The aim is to buy quality pieces at below fair value, giving a margin of safety. This is the primary service we offer our clients. We use our buying expertise together with our global network to secure rarities at discounts to market value.

Factors influencing prices of rare collectibles

Rarity

Rarity is the key principle upon which the entire collectibles market is based. The difficulty in obtaining these items is what drives collectors to own them. It’s a combination of human nature, and the law of supply and demand.

They are predominantly items of considerable age, which have survived due to good fortune and careful preservation. They can range from unique personal items owned by historic figures, to mass-produced items which now exist in low numbers, like vintage baseball cards.

There is a natural cap on the market for all historic collectibles. The number of Napoleon signatures or Ancient Roman coins in existence can never increase; it can only decrease, as these pieces are lost to time.

So the supply of these items will always be outweighed by the demand from collectors, which in turn maintains a healthy, steadily growing market.

Rarity alone is sometimes not enough to make an item worthy of investment. We focus on scarcity. This occurs only where there is a higher demand than there is market supply.

Condition

The value of an item is also greatly determined by its condition. Generally, only items in the finest condition can be regarded as ‘investment-grade’. These are the pieces collectors strive to own – and are therefore the most likely to increase in value over time.

For example, a Penny Black – the world’s first postage stamp, issued in 1840 – can be acquired for as little as £40 in poor to reasonable condition. But a mint-condition unused example with its original gum can be valued at more than £50,000.

Some categories within the collectibles market have their own specific grading systems, which are vital to understand when selecting pieces for your portfolio. These are provided by professional grading companies, and in many cases have become the industry-standard method for determining the value of an item.

So, although there are 1,800 examples of the 1952 Mickey Mantle Topps Rookie Baseball Card in existence, only one survives in mint condition, graded SGC 9.5. It originally sold in 1991 for $50,000. And in 2022 it sold again – this time for $12.6 million.

‘Eye appeal’ is also important as visually attractive, display-worthy pieces will always command the highest prices. Variables can include:

• The size and placement of an autograph
• The even margins and centring of a postage stamp
• The lustre of a rare coin
• The particular portrait of a signed photograph

Items with visible damage, such as tears, stains, smudging, creasing and paper loss, are all still considered collectible. Often these are unavoidable effects caused by centuries of history and handling.

But when selecting pieces for your portfolio, collectibles in anything less than premium condition should be avoided to ensure their saleability in the future.

History & provenance

Items with fully documented histories and provenance will traditionally achieve the highest prices, as collectors can purchase them safe in the knowledge they are genuine.

Whether the item is fresh to the market from the original owner, or has previously passed through several collections, knowing the background is key to ensuring its authenticity.

Collectors will often pay a premium for the prestige of being the first person to own an item, or owning a piece once part of a world-renowned collection.

Collectors can also attach higher value to items with fascinating back stories. And in some cases, the value of a piece can be predominantly in the story that comes with it.

We thoroughly research the history and provenance of every piece we offer, to guarantee their authenticity and give you complete peace of mind. In some cases our research even uncovers new information, which adds further value to pieces in our clients’ collections.

Increasing values in other collectible areas

As prices increase in certain areas of the collectibles market, it can have a beneficial effect on others. 

When collectors find themselves priced out of a particular market, or unable to obtain the items they seek due to rising demand and competition, they will often refocus their attention on another related area.

A good recent example of this can be found in the sports memorabilia market. The soaring values of rare sports cards have led some collectors into the alternative field of sports tickets, where the finest examples remain more affordable. This increase in popularity and demand has now turned a once niche area into a major collecting category in its own right.

This same pattern can be seen across every category in collecting. And by watching the market closely it can be possible to anticipate changing trends, invest earlier in a particular area and benefit from the subsequent price increase.

We will always keep you informed and up to date with the latest market trends.

10 benefits of investing in rare collectibles

1 Historical returns

Rare collectibles such as stamps and coins have proven a good investment over the very long term (i.e. 70 years+).

Salomon Brothers rated rare stamps among the top four investments of the 20th Century, giving an average annual return of 10%.

Many economic commentators expect a lengthy period of high inflation.

Historically, rare collectibles have always performed the best during periods of high inflation.

For example, during the last time of high inflation (between 1975-1980), rare stamps soared in value by 600%.

2 Diversification

Throughout history, financial wealth has been destroyed when there’s a stock market or housing market price crash, as most investors are overexposed in these areas.

Investing in rare tangible assets provides a means of broadening your investment profile, as part of sensible wealth management and retirement planning.

The UBS/Campden Wealth Global Family Office Wealth Report states that the average family office puts only around 30% of their wealth into stocks.

The uber-wealthy place more than 35% of their net worth into “other” investments including fine art, coins and rare stamps.

A recent Barclays report revealed the world’s high-net-worth individuals currently store 10% of their capital in collectibles.

Historically, the market for rare tangible assets performs favourably when the stock market performs badly.

Rare collectibles generally experience less volatility than most other asset classes. This stability can be a comfort in the most challenging of times.

3 Low correlation with traditional investments

Investments in collectible tangible assets have, historically, been broadly unaffected by political and economic vagaries and therefore can offer a form of protection and insulation to an element of your net worth.

Market prices are led primarily by the activities of collectors, not investors, leading to low volatility.

The rare collectibles market actually benefited from lockdowns during the pandemic, bringing an increase in new collectors.

Collectors focused on their hobbies during this time, resulting in a visible and material increase in demand across the whole collectibles market, which has continued post-pandemic.

4 Limited supply

Rare collectibles are inherently scarce and have an ever-diminishing supply, with loss through damage, destruction and donations to museums.

This diminishing supply against increasing demand causes pricing pressure, leading to rising prices.

5 Rising global demand

Baby boomers now own 80% of the world’s wealth. As they enter retirement, they’re returning to hobbies of their youth and investing some of their disposable wealth in rare collectibles.

By 2030, Goldman Sachs predicts 2 billion extra people will be in the middle-class bracket. This demographic produces the majority of investment-grade collectors.

This increased demand from investors means scarce assets become even scarcer as some are held, often for the long term, by investors as a store of wealth.

6 Pride of ownership

Excellent long-term investment returns are complemented by the wonderful feeling of pride from owning important pieces of history.

Some of our investors develop their portfolios into award-winning international collections, which gives added interest, provenance and value to their items.

7 Tax benefits

Rare collectibles are a tangible asset and investment returns represent a capital gain, providing distinct tax planning advantages.

8 Highly portable

Many collectibles benefit from being highly portable and can be internationally traded in all currencies, with prices largely constant wherever you sell them.

As a portable tangible asset, rare collectibles can be used as an alternative currency, and provide protection against exchange-rate risk.

9 Liquidity

The total annual sales value of the collectibles market is currently estimated at £100 billion.

The internet has created true globalisation in the market. eBay is the largest online seller with approximately £4.5 billion sales of collectibles per annum.

Excluding eBay, the value of the online collectibles market is estimated at £10 billion per annum.

This is forecast to increase to £20 billion over the next three years based on recent growth rates as the market becomes more comfortable trading online.

Lockdown restrictions in the past few years forced an acceleration of this major transition to online sales.

The online market provides better transparency of pricing and quality. It also creates global liquidity within the market.

10 Family heirlooms

Rare collectibles represent family heirlooms, which can be passed down through the generations as a secure means of protecting and growing wealth over the very long term.