Alternative Investing
Antiques
Though the recession took a toll on antique prices and trading volume is down, rare, high-quality items have held their own. “While you still may be able to get a few deals on some good pieces, the period of time where you can get cheap antiques is coming to a close,” says one dealer.
Antique weapons, once indispensable tools for self-preservation, have become lucrative vehicles for wealth preservation. And one needn’t pay an emperor’s ransom to buy in.
Even as the tech crash has cooled many investment markets, the trade in modern furniture rolls on, helped by interest from celebrities and wealthy Silicon Valley professionals.
Art Deco is a style of fine jewelry whose worth remains solid whether or not the economy is dipping or climbing. Naturally, its prices rise when times are flush.
When is a lamp worth a fortune? When it’s made by Tiffany Studios. Check out other pricey Tiffany lamps up for auction at Christie's on December 10.
Porcelain figurines, palace furniture and royal pianos are just a few examples of the antiques that make investing in the past profitable. Click to learn more.
A prominent expert on Chinese works of art has expressed doubts as to the authenticity of an antique Chinese vase sold last month at a London auction for 51.6 million pounds ($83.2 million)—an auction record for Chinese works of art.
It's a vast, valuable and diverse category of art , and taking a narrow religious view could hurt you as an investor.
About Antiques
- Whether from a place long ago and far away or more recent but from the bottom of the sea, these objects are a piece of history and civilization.
