Unusual objects for investment
Collectors like to collect rare items that can be highly valued in the future, bringing a significant profit. The most popular are art objects, things celebrities own, and jewelry.
Retro cars
Ordinary mass-produced cars become cheaper over time, but rare vintage examples in good condition after a quality restoration can cost even more than new ones at today's exchange rate.
For example, a 1995 McLaren F1 was sold at auction for $20.46 million — about the same price as a luxury apartment in the center of New York. Of course, not every retro car will make a big profit and be worth millions of dollars, but many will increase in value over time, especially low-mileage ones. The only problem is that such rare cars are expensive initially, and if you take inexpensive mass-produced vehicles, they may not become valuable until 10-20 years from now.
Branded collectibles
Designers of world-famous companies such as Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, and others often release limited branded collections. As a rule, such things are quickly bought up and almost immediately sold on the secondary market with a hefty markup, but this does not prevent them from selling well, as the demand remains high. Over time, these collections become even smaller and more valuable as some items become used.
For example, the Diamond Sac Bijou Birkins bag from the Haute Bijouterie collection, re-released in 2019 from Hermes, sold at auction for $2 million. The bag is made of rose gold and encrusted with 2,712 diamonds. There are only 3 such pieces worldwide, making the handbag very valuable and expensive.
Baseball ņards
Baseball fans around the world highly prize these collectables, but you don't have to be one to invest in the cards and earn a possible income in the future.
In perfect condition, old baseball cards can be worth a lot. A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card went for $5.2 million at auction in November 2020. Of course, if such a collectable was in poor condition, it's unlikely that it could have been sold at that price or that there was any demand for it.
By the way, baseball cards are already being issued even in the form of non-replaceable tokens (NTF) and sold on marketplaces. The most expensive NFT card of the famous Chicago Bulls player Derrick Rose was sold at auction for $1 million. And this is even though the NFT market is still in its infancy. Imagine how much such NFTs could be worth in 5, 10, 20 years?
Watches
Even though the need to wear a watch has disappeared with the advent of digital gadgets, including fitness bracelets, this attribute is still in demand. Watches play the role of a kind of status accessory, and collectors highly prize rare luxury and vintage wristwatches.
The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 was sold at the Only Watch auction for $34.2 million in 2019, a record amount for such accessories. This watch is the only one of its kind worldwide and has a unique patented movement.
Like retro cars, exclusive new or vintage watches are not cheap. However, such pieces can be worth many times more in the future, provided they are kept in good condition.
Virtual game currencies and items
Yes, you heard right: in-game money can also have real value. The popular game Second Life uses virtual dollars called Linden Dollars, which can now be bought and sold on eBay. This in-game currency has gained value as the game has grown in popularity, which was greatly helped by the famous sitcom "The Office": the show's hero, Dwight Schrute, played in Second Life in one of the episodes.
In addition to in-game money, you can also invest in in-game items. CS GO skins are sold on OTC markets. One of the most expensive CS GO skins ever sold is the AK-47 Case Hardened: this game item was bought on Steam for $150,000. Its value became so high because it was one of the first skins to fall out of the game's cases. CS GO players can buy cases and get rare items from them, the value of which, in addition, can grow over time. However, not everyone is so lucky.
You can also buy virtual real estate or even entire planets in metaverses, which are still gaining popularity. Even ordinary virtual plots of land in the popular blockchain game The Sandbox are being sold on the NFT marketplace OpenSea for a few hundred US dollars. In 2023, the Metaviews market size reached $47.5 billion, and experts predict it could grow to $5.8 trillion by 2030.
Rare books
Like art objects like paintings, first book editions of authors are not particularly sought after until they become world-famous and reputable. But once that happens, collectors hunt for exclusive editions of newly minted stars.
When Ernest Hemingway only wrote his famous work "And the Sun Rises" for publishers, it was just another book of the novice author. Later, the novel "And the Sun Rises" was recognized by critics as Hemingway's most significant work, and the author himself won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1954.
The novel was published in a limited edition, and one of the original copies was sold in 2004 at a New York Sotheby's auction for a record $366,400. This copy is preserved and has the author's signature, which is why it is so expensive.
Above all, valued first or scarce editions of books, unpublished works, and sometimes even drafts. If you get a work containing the author's autograph or any other inscriptions, you can consider that you have hit the jackpot. The only problem is that you need to understand literature to recognize a promising author, but you can also buy books by authors who are just beginning to gain popularity.
