Yahoo Finance Collectible Investing: Is the Collectibles Market a Smart Place To Put Your Money?
Investing isn’t just for stocks and bonds — you can also invest your money in other things that could be valuable in the future.
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Surely, you’ve heard of people who collected items such as records, toys, comic books and stamps simply because they enjoyed doing so, only to discover years later that they had a goldmine on their hands.
That could be you — you just have to find the right items to collect. While nothing is guaranteed, here are six things to consider collecting now that could be worth a pile of cash later.
Wine
In case you didn’t know, wine is a collectible. In fact, according to Vinovest, a wine investment platform, fine wine has achieved 10.6% annualized returns over the past 30 years. You have to know what to look for, though.
Although you can find bottles of investment-worthy wine at the grocery store, they are few and far between. Only about 1% of the wine lining the shelves of your grocer is considered investment-grade wine.
NFTs
“One of the most promising items you can collect now that could potentially be worth a lot in the future is digital art in the form of unique 1-of-1 NFTs, created by independent artists,” said Laura El, a digital illustrator based in New York City. “NFTs are really just a new medium for artists, allowing them to create in a digital format. A digital format allows artists to add movement and sound to their canvas.”
El continued, “Right now we are in a digital art renaissance, and it’s just getting started. Sotheby’s has started selling artists’ digital art NFTs and some museums are even starting to acquire pieces. Like any collectible, there’s no guarantee it will be worth anything in the future, so you need to do your own research. When you collect 1/1 digital art NFTs, you are making a bet on the artist themselves. Successful artists oftentimes have a combination of great artistic talent combined with marketing skills. Collect art you love and from artists you believe in. We’re early in the digital art renaissance, which means there could be opportunities to pick up work from an artist that could one day be a household name.”
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Sports Cards
“For my portfolio, investing in sports cards is my best bet, year over year!” said Rob Eisenstein of CardboardandCoins.com.
“As far as tips, there are so many that I could discuss with you … for example, when collecting baseball cards, it’s always most lucrative to focus on rookie cards (which are the first cards ever issued of a specific player). I also invest a substantial amount in PSA-graded cards. PSA is an industry-respected third-party grading service company that vouches for the condition of your card by assigning it a numerical grade, and encasing it in a plastic holder, with all of the card details noted on the case. Investing in PSA-graded cards is a smart money play, due to the respect that these graded cards have in the industry, and the stability of their base value, with unlimited upside.”
Nintendo DS Consoles
“The Nintendo DS collectibles industry is anticipated to become incredibly profitable,” said Joe Troyer, CEO and head of growth of DigitalTriggers.
“New Nintendo DS consoles are still available for roughly $100 online. As we have learned from video game technologies, what is inexpensive today may be worth a lot in the future. As newer models replace older systems, they become increasingly rare. People will always be willing to pay to relive their youth. Original Atari sets are valued between hundreds and thousands of dollars.”
Sneakers
“Today’s shoes are tomorrow’s riches,” said Troyer. “First-edition or limited-release footwear is in high demand. Like a fine wine, new or gently used shoes often gain value over time — specifically Nike or Adidas limited-edition models. A used pair of 1985 Nike Air Jordan 1s may sell for more than $1,500, while a pair in pristine condition with the box recently sold for more than $4,000. [They were] approximately $65 initially.”
Cross-Promotional Materials
“Cross-promotional materials are ripe for collecting,” said Nick Valentino, vice president of market operations at Bellhop.
“Themed Happy Meals or LEGO sets, products tied into movie releases and other similar products are especially collectible because they have the potential to appeal to multiple collectors’ markets. If you have a full set of, say, Star Wars Happy Meal toys, you have potential buyers in both those who collect Happy Meal toys and those who collect Star Wars memorabilia.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Collectible Investing: Is the Collectibles Market a Smart Place To Put Your Money?
