Phone: These have been very exciting and, sometimes, harrowing times as well. The awful terrorist attacks and the dreadful Grenfell Towers disaster, plus all the fallout from that has led us all to feel a little nervous as we look to the future. We have not been helped, by having a very uncertain political situation, and the start of the Brexit negotiations; when Confucius wished his enemies interesting times, it was not just with irony!
Despite all of the above, having shed our tears, having helped, where we can, we have to try to live a life with some semblance of normality, and here is where it can get very difficult. We have just released catalogue number 127 (the late Summer edition), and it really is by far and away our most extensive list. Now we are not soothsayers or predictors of future trends. We can be certain of very little at the moment, all we can do is to look at the past to try to gain some indicator for the future. So what is likely given the crazy state of the world in mid 2017:
Gold to increase in value is a fair bet. In the last 2,500 years people and institutions have always turned to Gold when they didn’t know what to do.
Interest rates will rise. That is fairly obvious given they have been so low for so long. With inflation nudging 3% that is just a matter of time.
With antiques, in times of squeeze, people tend to buy the rare stuff. The stuff that we are unlikely to turn up a whole new source of, so expect the current rise in pre 1927 proof sets, the increase in the value of Gothic crowns and the huge demand for Maundy sets to continue.
We always say though when people ask us, what they should buy, you should buy what you like. It’s all very well buying as an investment, but if you don’t really like what you are buying, at some point you will sell and go for what you do like, and that can be expensive. So whatever you do, make sure you are buying what you like. And let’s be fair these increasingly valuable items are lovely. Who would not enjoy a Maundy set from any period, a top grade Gothic crown is a superb example of the majestic Gothic architecture, and the old proof sets are lovely to look at.
So enjoy our new list, do let us know what you think, and whatever else you do, make sure you enjoy your family, while you can; for none of us know what lies round the corner.