What (if anything) may be collectables in the future (i.e 10-20 years out)

[gstillson]

Pinball machines hold their value or go up quite a bit. Kind of large but at least you can play with it as it grows in value.

WWII Enigma machines have gone way up and continue to go up. I would buy one if I could afford it as I expect they will continue to climb in price but they are many tens of thousands of dollars now.

 

[tb001]

And as others have said, the younger generations don't have any desire for old crap to set around the house. When I handled DF's estate last year I couldn't get any of the grandkids to show any interest in the china, silver, coin collection, antique furniture, etc. no matter how hard I pleaded.

I actually disagree. There is plenty that is still very collectible, but it’s different than what the generation before valued. This has always been cyclical. Mid century modern furniture is very desirable. That 50s/60s vinyl and metal farmhouse table many of us had in our homes growing up is also collectible. Atari, early macs also. What’s collectible follows aesthetics/style trends and nostalgia, IMO. Right now sleek and minimalist is in, so doesn’t lend itself to collecting trinkets to set on a table. I would bet 10 years from now people will be stripping the chalk paint off of the heavy 60s Spanish style furniture and trying to restore it. I remember my mom doing something similar with the almost antique furniture the generation before her deemed ugly.

I do think eBay has changed the whole experience of collecting ‘collectibles’ like China, etc... Part of the fun was the discovery of ‘that missing piece’ in some little antique or thrift store. If you can just buy it now on eBay it loses something.

I’m of the generation that dreads dealing with my parents stuff. Our new house is bigger and a style where we could actually use some of it, but most was very expensive when purchased and the market is just gone. Lots of lladro and royal dux statues, antique clocks and furniture. They love it, so I’m glad they’ve held on to it, but ugh!

 

[SpinDr]

I owned two cars, now sold, that as usual with my perfect timing, started to increase in value after they were sold. One was a mint condition 1989 Mercedes Benz 560 SL that I bought used for a great price which started to see appreciation after being sold in 2016. The other was a 2004 Honda S2000 in perfect shape that I sold in 2014. Both beautiful cars that are starting to see prices increase once again. Loved both cars, but with two kids in college it did not seem, at the time, to make sense to hold onto them.

 

[travelover]

From watching Antiques Road Show, it seems like Chinese art is appreciating fast, which makes sense, given China's increasing affluence.

 

[Souschef]

From watching Antiques Road Show, it seems like Chinese art is appreciating fast, which makes sense, given China's increasing affluence.

WOW! Does that mean the painting I bought in Chunking in 2005 for $20 and spent $100 have it double matted and framed is going to be worth a lot?

 

[aja8888]

WOW! Does that mean the painting I bought in Chunking in 2005 for $20 and spent $100 have it double matted and framed is going to be worth a lot?

Only if it was painted and signed by Zhang Xiaogang!

 

[travelover]

WOW! Does that mean the painting I bought in Chunking in 2005 for $20 and spent $100 have it double matted and framed is going to be worth a lot?

Well, maybe not a lot but more than that Elvis painting on velvet that you bought at a gas station in Tucson.

 

[NW-Bound]

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to liquidate their entire portfolio and go 'All in' on Beanie Babies?

Just asking for a Friend.

You can display Beanies on a shelf. Much better than Bitcoins. How do people see Bitcoins stored in a USB dongle?

 

[yakers]

Baseball cards? I have a box of them.

 

[brucethebroker]

Baseball cards? I have a box of them.

Only if pre-1970's for the most part. Mid 80's and later? Burn 'em.

I know from sad experience...........

 

[traineeinvestor]

Collecting wine, but stock shrinkage is a recurring issue

 

[traineeinvestor]

From watching Antiques Road Show, it seems like Chinese art is appreciating fast, which makes sense, given China's increasing affluence.

There is a lot of amazing Chinese art out there and some artists have appreciated by staggering amounts but with great opportunity comes great risk (of fraud):

https://www.complaintsboard.com/com...t-buy-lease-scam-c843856.html?page=2#comments

 

[John Galt III]

VHS (VCR) movie tapes? My recently departed GF left me hundreds of them. I tried to look them up on Ebay to see if any had any value. Ebay does have some tapes for sale but it was impossible to see what they sold for, some reason. My guess is that there is zero interest in old VHS tapes (1980? through 2010). I make myself donate a few of them to the Good Will store every so often, telling myself they are not worth anything. Oh, and I actually took the trouble to photograph them and list them by title on Craigslist with a price of 25 cents each. Got zero response. Guess that says it all. If they look interesting, I'll actually play them on my VCR, then donate them. Last one I watched was 'Message in a Bottle', a love story with Kevin Costner. Not bad.

 

[ERD50]

Does anyone think it would be a good idea to liquidate their entire portfolio and go 'All in' on Beanie Babies?


Just asking for a Friend.

You gotta think BIG!

Options on Beanie Baby futures. Bought on margin.

That's the ticket!

-ERD50

 

[Car-Guy]

I been collecting things like coins, guns and cars most of my adult life. I have given up on collectable cars in just the past year or so as my age is catching up with me and I just can't maintain them all like I want. I still like ultra high performance cars but now (and my future plans) are to just buy them new every year or two.

I never got into any of these things for the money, and there's no doubt that I have lost a lot of money on all my other hobbies combined (easily-1m in the past ~15 years that I've been keeping track) but I enjoyed them all immensely. Still do.

Will they still be collectable in 10 to 20 years? They will be to me.

 

[Jerry1]

VHS (VCR) movie tapes? My recently departed GF left me hundreds of them. I tried to look them up on Ebay to see if any had any value. Ebay does have some tapes for sale but it was impossible to see what they sold for, some reason. My guess is that there is zero interest in old VHS tapes (1980? through 2010). I make myself donate a few of them to the Good Will store every so often, telling myself they are not worth anything. Oh, and I actually took the trouble to photograph them and list them by title on Craigslist with a price of 25 cents each. Got zero response. Guess that says it all. If they look interesting, I'll actually play them on my VCR, then donate them. Last one I watched was 'Message in a Bottle', a love story with Kevin Costner. Not bad.

I don’t know. Try listing them for free (porch pick up) and see if anyone takes them. DW looked into properly recycling them and it was more trouble than it was worth so I threw them in the garbage.

 

[imoldernu]

Too much old stuff that "was" collectible... several Hummels, some Wedgewood, Delft tiles and Postage stamps, that used to be considered expensive will just sit here and go to the kids, who may have the energy to try them on EBay. I think our small collection of John Perry sculptures will have at least the original sell value, but they'll be the last to go, as we like them too much.

Oldest computer games etc... Pong, Atari, Coleco Adam... not so much anymore. Couldn't even sell at a yard sale for $2.

The only possibility might be another look at the coin collection that was handed down. A few double strikes and some semi rare 1800's coins. A collector checked them all out about 30 years ago, and put them in sealed coin holders with an estimated value on the outside. The only ones I think may have some substantial value are some quarters. This is a reminder to check out the boxful tucked away in a closet.

 

[sengsational]

I do think eBay has changed the whole experience of collecting ‘collectibles’ like China, etc... Part of the fun was the discovery of ‘that missing piece’ in some little antique or thrift store. If you can just buy it now on eBay it loses something.

I never thought about it quite like that, but I think you're on to something.



The first guy puts it on eBay, gets lots of money and that draws out all of these supposedly "rare" objects. When the rest of those are offered for sale, the price plummets. That, as opposed to toddling through dusty antique shops where you might find one or might not. Then if you did find one you'd pay the big mark-up to the store owner. Same number of objects in the world, but reduced perceived rarity due to the technology getting them to market.


As to the original question of the thread, I'd say generally there will be fewer collectables, and fewer collectors. Anything mass manufactured will NOT become a collectable that appreciates. The most likely will be an item that, at the time of original sale, seems overly extravagant (very high priced), so fewer are produced and sold. I'm thinking the first year Tesla or something, although I don't know how small that quantity is.


Certainly, if it says "collectable" on it, it won't be worth anything

 

[Katiek]

I just helped liquidate houses for two elderly relatives. Based on that limited experience, high quality Asian rugs and some artwork brought more than we expected. A few nice quality antiques, especially things that could stand alone and weren't part of a set, also did well. China, other furniture and crystal didn't raise much interest. We couldn't give some of the china away.


But many of the pieces that didn't have resale value brought a lot of happiness to the relatives that used them everyday, and that's ultimately the best value they could have.

 

[COcheesehead]

VHS (VCR) movie tapes? My recently departed GF left me hundreds of them. I tried to look them up on Ebay to see if any had any value. Ebay does have some tapes for sale but it was impossible to see what they sold for, some reason. My guess is that there is zero interest in old VHS tapes (1980? through 2010). I make myself donate a few of them to the Good Will store every so often, telling myself they are not worth anything. Oh, and I actually took the trouble to photograph them and list them by title on Craigslist with a price of 25 cents each. Got zero response. Guess that says it all. If they look interesting, I'll actually play them on my VCR, then donate them. Last one I watched was 'Message in a Bottle', a love story with Kevin Costner. Not bad.

Nobody has the players anymore. I tried a few times on eBay. Nadda, they are worthless. Like selling 8 track tapes. The technology is too old.

 

[John Galt III]

Nobody has the players anymore. I tried a few times on eBay. Nadda, they are worthless. Like selling 8 track tapes. The technology is too old.

Interesting. I still have 2 VCR players that work. Once in a while I see one in the Good Will store for sale for cheap. When I looked 3 months ago Ebay had VCR players for prices ranging from $25 to $500 (who knows why the variation?) The Good Will store sells VCR tapes for a buck each. Never see a VCR player on Craigslist, though. 8-track tapes I have zero of, Thank God! Less to worry about.

 

[COcheesehead]

Interesting. I still have 2 VCR players that work. Once in a while I see one in the Good Will store for sale for cheap. When I looked 3 months ago Ebay had VCR players for prices ranging from $25 to $500 (who knows why the variation?) The Good Will store sells VCR tapes for a buck each. Never see a VCR player on Craigslist, though. 8-track tapes I have zero of, Thank God! Less to worry about.

I was referencing the value of the tapes. They are worthless because so few folks still have players. I tried selling our DVD player recently when we moved. Zero interest. With streaming now being so cheap or in some cases free, tapes and disks have little value.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I was referencing the value of the tapes. They are worthless because so few folks still have players. I tried selling our DVD player recently when we moved. Zero interest. With streaming now being so cheap or in some cases free, tapes and disks have little value.

Think film for Cameras..... Even digital point and shoot cameras have taken a big hit with the improved quality of Phone Cameras...

 

[catii]

If you're willing to put in the time to understand them, collecting Nihonto (traditionally-made Japanese swords) have a very-good chance of appreciating over the decades. But it's not a blind crap-shoot! You really have to put in the time to recognize why a 200-year-old blade may be worth more than one made 650 years ago. Plus, it's a hobby that you can really enjoy just looking at the art of the Japanese soul.

 

[Pointby2]

High quality Art. Plus, you can enjoy it in the meantime.

Although I agree, even art taste changes over time. I follow some of the online art auctions and there's a lot of art out there that just isn't relevant anymore.