Having decided to increase their own profits, investors begin to consider various options investing money. It could be others precious stones, securities, investing funds in a developing company, etc. Quite interesting is the opportunity to invest money in antiques - all kinds of old things with special cultural, historical or religious value.

Antique items may be associated with some famous historical figure or a high-profile event. The age of such things can start from ten years, and antiques are often closely associated with collecting, so investors should acquire contacts of experienced collectors.

The basic starting capital for investment is from 10 thousand dollars, although real historical masterpieces cost many times more.

Highlights

Having decided to invest in antiques, you need to prepare for possible difficulties and difficulties. To be able to make a decent profit, you will need to have special antique knowledge and acquire connections in certain circles. This will help you understand which things really have the potential to increase income, and which ones will not be in demand.

When investing in this area, many investors use the help of consultants in the field of antiques - these people help make smart investments in truly standing objects. However, quite often consultants prefer to work with antique samples, the price of which is above ten thousand dollars, and they will need to pay a commission of 1-2%. If an examination is required to evaluate the antique, the commission may rise to 5% of the cost.

It is also necessary to first familiarize yourself with the legislation in this area, since there are many legal requirements and restrictions for the acquisition or import/export of antiques abroad.

How to organize such an investment

When you start investing in antiques, you don’t have to have huge amounts of money. You can start with relatively young paintings or sculptures that attract the attention of collectors. You can purchase antiques in a variety of places, from buying old icons from pensioners to various exhibitions and antique shops.

It is safer to buy things in stores or at special auctions, because such organizations carry out examinations and do not allow counterfeits for sale.

You can also invest money in antiques through investment funds or banking programs. They carefully analyze the market situation, carry out a variety of transactions with antiques on behalf of the client, and select the most profitable objects for investment. The main advantage of this method is that the investor does not have to independently understand the supply and demand on the market, as well as store or restore purchased antiques.

Since big money is always associated with big risks, you should not try to distinguish antiques from fakes on your own without decent knowledge in this area. You can also end up buying stolen antiques, which will also bring a lot of problems. Lost money in case of an error is unlikely to be returned, so you will still need to enlist the help of consultants or specialists.

You can invest in antique books, paintings, icons, furniture and household items. The list is quite wide, so it will not be difficult to find relevant collectors who will help you understand the value of each item.

Some investors wonder whether they should buy an entire collection of a particular antique or start with individual pieces. Such a competent collection will cost more than single copies; they do not offer discounts in this area. It is also worth remembering the principle: the fewer such antiques on the market, the more expensive they will be. Investors are also sometimes intimidated when they are offered antique coins or misspelled items. Contrary to misconceptions, such antiques are many times more expensive precisely because of a printing error.

Main obstacles and dangers

Possible problems with investing in antiques include:

• there is a risk of purchasing a fake under the guise of an antique;
• there are high duties and taxes on the import or export of certain things across the border;
• When storing independently, there is a risk of damage, theft or loss of an antique item.

In the field of antiques, trends and preferences often change, so it is quite difficult to predict the situation on the market. Of course, there are internationally recognized values ​​that will never cease to be in demand, but their cost most often starts at $50,000.

It should be noted that investing in antiques is a long-term investment. Even if some items gain up to 30% in value annually, the real increase in price will only show itself 5-7 years after purchase. Therefore, there is no point in selling the purchased item in a year, since its price will not change in such a short period of time. However, during this period, owners of antiques will be able to receive aesthetic pleasure and, at the same time, search for suitable buyers for the existing rarity.

It is also worth mentioning the most promising areas of investment in the field of antiques at the moment:

• ancient weapons;
• painting;
• antique furniture or utensils;
• lacquer miniatures, dishes, souvenir items, watches.

Investing in antiques is always interesting and exciting activity, with the right approach, allowing you to receive a stable and guaranteed profit. If you first study the market, gain basic knowledge about antiques and acquire reliable partners in this area, you can quickly get comfortable and begin to receive not only pleasure from investments, but also a significant increase in your existing capital.

Good day. Investing in antiques is the topic of today's article. Surely you have heard about this way of earning money at least once. I emphasize earnings, and not investment income, then you will understand what we are talking about. Many news sites talk about the ultra-high returns of this type of investment. Is this really true? Let's figure it out.

Investing in antiques?

You see how I posed the question. Not what is an investment in antiques, but is antique an investment? Let's go in order.

First you need to find out what antiques are.

Quite a lot of different things fall under this definition: works of art all forms and techniques, as well as household items, jewelry and securities, banknotes, coins, bills and bonds (paper), medals, dishes, watches, furniture and much more.”

It is incorrect to call purchasing antiques an investment. Investments, as you already know, are investments in business. Any material goods- this is not a business (no matter precious metals, luxury goods or high art), they cannot generate profit, become old and deteriorate over time, and therefore require expenses to maintain in good condition. The antiques market rests solely on the belief of participants that the value of rare items will rise in price over time.

In short, investing in antiques is speculation with all the ensuing consequences. For a reasonable investor, this is enough to avoid this market. But I think few people will be convinced by just this theoretical fact. That is why let's analyze all the features of this type of speculation.

What is art speculation? A speculator selects an antique object with interesting characteristics and buys it in the hope that its value will increase in the future.

Let me remind you what this is classic version behavior of a speculator, but an investor thinks completely differently. The true goal of an investor is to own a diversified portfolio consisting of various assets for a long time (until retirement, ideally, of course, to pass the investment portfolio from generation to generation).

The main reason for rising prices for antiques in general, according to experts, is limited supply. That is, the quantity outstanding artists, metal craftsmen, wood craftsmen, sculptors, as well as other fields, is not so great.

Risks of art speculation

Now let's go over the risks of “investing” in antiques.

I have identified the following risks of art speculation:

• High volatility
• Low liquidity
• The risk of dishonesty of an antiques seller
• The need to constantly be on the pulse of the market
• High intermediary costs

High volatility

The antique market, as we found out earlier, is a speculative market, and a specific one at that. In this market, fashion trends spur participants' interest in purchasing certain items. But the problem is that fashion is a fickle thing, so having purchased an antique, it is not a fact that the demand for it will decrease significantly simply because it does not fit into the fashion trend.

Low liquidity

And here the scales are not on the side of art speculators. The fact is that, unlike financial assets, for example, selling antiques in short terms not so simple, this is especially true during an economic crisis.

The risk of dishonesty of an antiques seller

An important point, because the seller may be dishonest and deceive an art speculator or simply a connoisseur of antiques. What could the deception be? Yes, just a banal counterfeit of antiques.

In order to avoid such excesses, you need to either be an expert in this field yourself, or seek the services of such experts.

Moreover, more often cases of fraud occur with transactions made without intermediaries (auction houses).

The need to constantly be on the pulse of the market

As you understand, speculative activity is special in that it is necessary to always be aware of all the smallest changes in the market, in this case the antiques market. For most, this is simply unacceptable, for two reasons: there is no time and ability to predict those products that will increase in price.

High intermediary costs

As I said earlier, when making transactions for the purchase and sale of antiques with the help of an intermediary, the risk of fraudulent actions is reduced.

What kind of intermediaries are these? Auction houses.

The transaction price at auctions can be determined in two ways:

Auctions with increasing prices

Auctions with price reduction

For their services, auction houses charge a commission from each transaction; the amount varies from 15% to 30% of the cost of the sold lot. So high-frequency speculation in the antiques market is simply economically inappropriate.

In addition, we must not forget that in addition to the technical part (concluding a deal), there are also related procedures that also cost a lot of money. This includes transportation, insurance and storage of antiques in protected depositories with the necessary temperature conditions.

The complex of the above services is called art banking. As you understand, it greatly simplifies the entire cycle of buying, storing and selling antiques.

Many people, when assessing profitability, forget to take into account the costs of art banking, and accordingly, the real effectiveness of art speculation is lost sight of. At first glance, antiques can really compete with investment assets and everything is fine, but when you start to dig deeper, a “bunch” of pitfalls appear.

Profitability

According to various estimates, antiques, depending on the type, rise in price annually by 15-30%.

Many people are intoxicated by the fabulous profits that can be “calmly” made on antiques. Now you are convinced that this is not entirely true.

As can be seen in the graph in total The antiques index outperformed the S&P500 index for only a few years. And as a result, the profitability growth of the S&P500 index exceeded the MEI MOSES ANNUAL ALL ART INDEX by almost 10 times. Moreover, when constructing the schedule, commission expenses were not taken into account. I note that the cost of antiques is much higher than the commission and tax costs of investing in low-cost index funds.

What is the situation with luxury goods in Russia? Much worse than in the west, by at least Bye…
Here are the Artimx-rus art price indices:

Let's take a closer look at the taxation regime for antiques.

Taxation

In accordance with Article 34.2 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation:

If the taxpayer owned the antique for less than 3 years, then it is necessary to pay income tax. It is possible to receive a tax deduction. Maximum amount deduction – 120,000 rubles. The declaration must be submitted independently, even if no profit was made from the sale of antiques.

If the taxpayer owned the antiques for more than 3 years, then there is no need to pay personal income tax, or submit a 3rd personal income tax return to the tax office.

Conclusions for smart investors

So, if we summarize all of the above, this is what we get.

Many enthusiastic estimates of the extreme returns on art investments are greatly exaggerated. This becomes obvious when comparing stock market returns with the growth in antique prices in long term(120 years can be considered a long-term perspective?), and not in a year or two. The lag of the antiques market index from the S&P500 index confirms that art speculators are losing to reasonable investors who invest money in investment assets (in this example, shares), even without taking into account the costs of art banking.

I suspect that such a rush to invest in antiques (mainly in the Internet community, of course) is tied to people’s psychology. The whole point is that “advanced investments” (no matter we're talking about about the antiques market precious metals or about anything else) always sound very exciting among the “wealthy crowd”. It is unlikely that anyone will listen enthusiastically about how you own mutual fund units and ETF shares, how well your investment portfolio is diversified, and how your individual investment plan is drawn up. Therefore, reasonable investors most often cannot boast of any super successful transactions and will be boring for speculators and active investors. But smart (index?) investors don't need to do this, because ultimately the success of an investment activity is expressed in the size of the fortune.

So, in my opinion, antiques should be considered only as an object that decorates everyday life, that is, only from an aesthetic point of view and nothing more.

That's all I have for now. Good luck!

In this article I want to look at Antiques, art and collectibles as investments and think about whether it is worth investing personal capital in such things for investment purposes, how profitable it is, what risks are present, etc.

Let me start with the fact that collecting has always been and is one of the fairly common human hobbies (and, as you know, you can always try it if you wish).

Collecting: investment or hobby?

What is the essence of collecting? In the collection and storage of certain items, most often those of some value. Rich people tend to collect very expensive items, while poor people collect inexpensive ones, sometimes even having no value at all.

The following are common collectibles:

– antiques (antique household items);

– objects of art (both antique and modern);

– coins (antique, anniversary, investment);

– products made of precious metals (antique and modern).

By and large, anything can be a collectible (badges, postage stamps, beer cans, bottle caps, postcards, records, etc.), but not all collectibles can be considered an investment.

Investments in art, antiques, and collectibles are most often made with the first goal: to purchase an asset that will increase in value over time, and then resell it and make money on it. However, in rare cases, there may be a second option: for example, objects of art or antiques can be rented to a museum, exhibition or some elite institution and receive constant passive income for this.

In any case, it is important to understand the following: if you purchase art and collectibles, antiques for the purpose of simply collecting and storing for yourself, this will no longer constitute an investment. Investments involve making a profit, but here it will not come from anywhere. This option can only be considered as a way to preserve savings, replenish assets of a personal or family budget, but not as an investment.

A lot of people collect for fun, and that’s okay too—it’s their choice. The main thing is not to confuse such collecting with investments, but to call a spade a spade.

Let's put these options aside and consider antiques, art and collectibles as investments. In this regard, all this is very significantly different from other various investment assets. Let's highlight these differences.

Features of investing in antiques and art objects.

1. Small quantity or uniqueness. The number of collectibles and antiques is often very limited, even on a global scale, and art objects are generally unique, which significantly increases their value.

2. Limited demand, low liquidity. However, on the other hand, the demand for such goods is also very limited, especially when it comes to selling them at a real market price (all kinds of antique shops, of course, will be happy to buy art and collectibles at a price reduced several times). This makes it very difficult to sell antiques and other collectibles quickly.

3. The price depends only on demand, supply and time. The value of other investment assets is influenced by many different factors, but with art and collectibles things are much simpler: their prices are regulated only by supply and demand.

There is another important feature: art and antiques, as a rule, increase in price over time: the older they are, the more expensive they are. This feature can be perfectly used for investment purposes.

At the same time, it is never possible to determine exactly at what point in time the next increase in price for a particular object of art or antiquity will occur. Engaging in such forecasting is many times more difficult than forecasting exchange rates, real estate prices or stock quotes, to an ordinary person This is not possible at all.

Prices for art and antiques are determined by a certain circle of people involved in collecting and investing of this kind: only they create supply and demand, which, in turn, “move” the price. This single factor is almost impossible to predict.

4. Long investment period. Based on what is described above, important feature investment in art and collectibles, antiques are also very long period investment - as a rule, this is at least several years. Not every investor will want to invest capital for such a period, given the fact that there are many investment options for shorter periods, which may turn out to be more profitable.

5. High capital intensity. Truly valuable collectibles, art and antiques are not just expensive, but very expensive. Therefore, only very rich people can invest in them. Of course, there are less expensive items, but they don't always provide the same investment value as their more expensive counterparts.

6. The need for an expert level of knowledge. To invest in art, collectibles, and antiques, you must have an expert level of knowledge in the field of those assets that will be selected for investment. That is, it is necessary to be able to give them an accurate assessment, to be able to distinguish a collectible that represents true value, from counterfeiting, and in general, as they say, “to be in the know.” Without this, they increase several times and, in my opinion, investing is not advisable at all. Of course, as an option, you can enlist the help of an expert in these matters, but this will cost serious additional expenses, which may not be profitable from an investment point of view.

7. The need for proper care and storage. After purchasing an antique or piece of art, it must be long time store and care for it carefully. Such care can be quite expensive, as can ensuring safe storage. In addition, many antiques (for example, furniture) can be quite large in size and require a certain area to accommodate them. The investor must provide for all this.

Where to buy and sell art and collectibles, antiques?

If all these features of investing in art and collectibles, antiques do not scare you, and you decide to try yourself in this direction of making money, you need to find the optimal answer to the question: where to buy the items in which you are planning to invest money, and where you can then find them sell? There are several options here:

1. Internet auctions. Very often, collectibles, art, and antiques can be found at online auctions. Moreover, there is always a chance to find a seller who has little understanding of the value of a particular item and make a very profitable (cheap) purchase. Online auctions can also be used to sell a previously purchased item and are a great way to advertise your product offering to the world.

2. Private collectors. The easiest way to find the desired antiques and art objects is in private collections. Many collectors publicly display their collections; their composition and additions can be monitored via the Internet. However, they will not always want to sell the item you want to buy. Moreover, it is profitable to sell. When you want to sell your asset, you can also offer it to private collectors, and here you will have every chance to make a profitable deal.

3. Antique shops. Large selection Antiques and collectibles are always available in antique shops, which make money by reselling them. But the price there always “bites”; such stores always use a very large margin: they want to buy very cheaply and sell very expensively. Therefore, experienced investors and collectors rarely consider this option.

4. Black market. It is impossible not to consider this option for purchasing antiques and collectibles, because there are a lot of them in circulation there. However, in this case, the risks of buying an item with a criminal past greatly increase, for which you can not only subsequently lose this item (for example, if it was stolen, it will be returned to its rightful owner), but also become involved in a criminal case.

In any case, when buying and selling antiques, art and collectibles, there is a very high risk of becoming a victim of scammers. Therefore, under no circumstances should you let your guard down!

Here are, perhaps, all the main points that should be considered when investing in art and collectibles.

We can conclude that investing in antiques and collectibles in the long run it can bring very good income. But to do this you need to be an expert in this field, have a lot of free capital and beware of scammers. The risks of investing in art and collectibles are also very high!

That's all. I wish you successful investments! See you again at !

What are antiques are antiques with cultural, religious or historical value. This includes paintings, decorative items, furniture, weapons, books, coins and banknotes, and icons. Antique items are one of the most profitable investment options.

The benefit of investing in antiques is that they only become more valuable over time. At the same time, you also satisfy your aesthetic needs.

The disadvantage of this type of investment is that you will not be able to determine the purchase price unless you are an expert. High-quality work by an appraiser is quite expensive.

Another disadvantage is storage conditions and safety. Antiques require special care, and the protection must be such that the condition will one day disappear without a trace. Organizing special storage facilities is an expensive undertaking.

It would be a completely reasonable option.

However, many people do it easier - they buy antiques and use them for household purposes - furniture, dishes. After a while you can sell it, although items deteriorate from use, sometimes deteriorate and lose value. This approach is definitely unacceptable for a serious investor.

Investing in antiques can bring big income. But this requires the acquisition of special knowledge and connections. In the field of antiques, consultants work who are ready to offer their services to determine the true potential of an antique item. But their work involves expensive items; the consultation fee is up to 5% of the price of the product.

Where to start?

A novice investor can or works of art that will increase in value over time.

• A collection of antiques will always cost much more than an individual piece.
• One of the most profitable options for investing in antiques is precious coins.
• During the purchase of paintings young artists their creative perspectives must be taken into account.

For an examination of the authenticity and value of an item, it is best to contact professionals. For example, the sale of verified antiques is guaranteed by the famous auctions Christie's and Sotheby's.

Specialized investment funds and banking programs also provide the opportunity to invest money in antiques. They analyze the market and select the best options.

There are certain risks when investing in antiques. An ordinary trinket or a fake can be sold under the guise of an antique item. When purchasing a valuable item abroad, onerous duties and taxes are imposed on the transportation of the items. Storing antiques yourself may result in theft or loss.

There are funds that allow you to invest money in antiques, starting with small amounts, and guaranteeing investments at the expense of experienced experts. Typically, in such cases, antiques are kept in special warehouses under guard, and all associated costs are included in the management company’s commission.

The rapid increase in value is what attracts investors to invest in antiques. Every year the value of a valuable antique item increases by 20-30%. And, if you have enough patience, you can buy an item for less and sell it for much more.

In this case, initial capital- is far from the only thing that is required of you. It is also important to take into account market characteristics and changing trends. Such people are described as collectors with a “nose” for profitable art objects. Do you have such a sense of smell? Even if not, in the modern market, antique investment consultants sell their services and help assess the possible profitability of a lot.

Where can you buy antiques?

This market is complicated because most antiques are in private collections, so it is impossible to buy them at a low price. Even if it appears at auction antique painting, vase, etc., then it will cost you a fortune. If you are a beginner, start with less expensive and valuable works, like bank stocks, for example.

The best places to buy are Sotheby's and Christie's auctions. These names are always associated with lots of exorbitant prices. It is quite difficult for a non-specialist to understand why things without aesthetic value are so expensive. The fact is that this is the main buying rule: buy only at Sotheby’s and Christie’s and only for big money. In the future, you will be able to sell any item purchased at such an auction for several times more expensive, even during a crisis.

If you are a beginner (small) investor, no one will stop you from investing, but only those who have spent considerable sums will be able to earn money in the future.

Painting

Today there is a great demand for work famous artists. Painting has never lacked attention. If you have significant capital, you can purchase paintings by famous artists different eras. If you have a small budget, look for the works of your contemporaries; as practice shows, after just a few years such an investment brings up to 100% return on investment. If you are patient and wait longer, your profits will increase.

Weapon

This is exactly what we're talking about ancient weapons. Such an investment provides significant and stable profits. The following are in great demand:

• Sabers;
• swords;
• daggers;
• swords;
• inlaid stilettos.

Next to knives, firearms are becoming increasingly popular. These can be either light pistols or their heavier variations. Every year, such antiques become more expensive, which is why your collection should be replenished with similar lots.

Vintage photos

This is a fairly new direction. But, in the era of digital images, photos are increasingly becoming a relic if we are talking about old photos. On initial stage Such an investment in antiques does not require large finances. You can purchase old photographs of famous people, popular people or clergy, captured footage of events from the era of the development of photography or scenes from the Civil War.

Furniture

This is probably the most expensive investment. Since truly old furniture is quite rare. This requires not only a large budget, but also a large area for careful and proper storage of exhibits.

What to invest in: into individual exhibits or collections? The fact is that the collection will cost several times more than individual exhibits only if all the items are selected correctly. If you are dealing with extremely expensive/unique items, then you can sell them separately, earning huge sums of money.

One more thing unspoken rule sounds like this: the fewer individual items on the market, the higher their value, i.e. here everything also depends on their uniqueness.

The most liquid type of antiques can be called money. The fact is that the ancient coins themselves are made of silver and gold, so they are valuable not only as antiques, but also as metal. If the coins were issued in small quantities, their price will increase from year to year. An example would be coins of rulers who remained in power for a short time, or anniversary editions.

By the way, if you come across paper money with a spelling error or typo, keep it, such money is also valuable.

How profitable is such an investment?

The main benefit is that profitability increases from year to year while an expensive item is simply in your possession. In principle, you don’t need to do anything: you buy an item (invest money in it), and then simply store it until it can be sold several times more expensive, making money on the purchase and sale.

Do not expect profit in the short term because this is a long-term investment. The exception may be completely random speculative transactions.

Having bought a unique item, you already know in advance that no one else has it, which means that by storing it for years, you provoke an increase in its value by thousands and tens of thousands of dollars. That is why such an investment is considered the most profitable.

Investment risks