An Insight Into the World of Automobilia

Automobilia is a vast global market catering for the most avid and discerning collector with many collectors pursuing individual items to add to their own private collections. Strangely enough the market is actually very niche and quite small in comparison to other memorabilia pursuits. However it has one common thread - passion - coupled with an in-depth, educated knowledge of the subject matter. Most collectors know their chosen subject inside out where as they are major global suppliers to the discerning collector. They have to have an in-depth knowledge of all subject matter to allow them to spot that bargain and to confidently guide the novice enthusiast. Most Automobilia collectors are walking encyclopedias with expert working knowledge to assist the novice collector and enthusiast.

For sure, a collector will invest, he will not buy, there is a big difference. Especially relevant, in the current global fiscal meltdown we are experiencing, is the return to 'tangible assets'. Money and interest are not performing presently. Gold has risen and so too has Automobilia. Collectors will regularly check the auction results and other data sources for further 'assets' to adorn their collections. It is evident that the collection of Automobilia, across the board, has risen significantly which itself makes for a secure asset.

When collectors are hunting for their next acquisition, condition is of paramount significance together with providence. If you are lucky a sound investor will probably know the correct market value for an item at any one given time and if it's rare or impossible to find when they fortuitously stumble across an item of merit they will usually pay a premium for it. To use one of the industries well known sayings "if it's good - it's gone". How many times have you been to a show and spotted something, pondered on it for a while and returned to find that it has been sold? Be warned. Back your judgment.

An example of such an opportunity is a rare item I stumbled upon once. I by chance fell upon Prince Bira's racing goggles together with authentic providence. I knew instantly that except perhaps for a Motor Sport Museum, I would be hard pushed to find another pair like these anywhere else in the world. I knew that this item would make for a perfect gift to a collector of Bira memorabilia. I purchased them on the spot.

Here's another tip too. At auctions, and be warned they are not for amateurs or the faint hearted, it's a gladiators arena in there. You may see 5 boxes of books and your only interested in say 20 items. Best approach to these is to cost them out and place a bid. Take the books relevant to you out and keep them, then put the remaining books into a different auction and get some money back on your original stake. A result, but you have to know what your doing. Confidence is King.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people have such diverse interests in Automobilia. They collect the most obscure of items. So it proves that there's always a collector out there for some kit you would normally dismiss. As I say, it is a very wide and diverse subject matter.

A word of caution though. In this modern World that we live in, be warned, the market is flooded with fake items and they are often of very good quality. You really have to know your subject to ensure you're not buying a two week old item passing off as a pucker 1920's item. That's why it's strongly advisable to deal with a quality supplier like myself. As a rule I never will purchase fakes and sell them on our site. We only deal in the genuine article.

So there you have it, Automobilia is a wide, varied and fascinating past-time. A final thought to ponder though, all genuine Automobilia and motor sport memorabilia of the past is pre-determined by supply, i.e. a petrol can made in the 1930's. There were only so many made so it's supply and demand. Soon we will not even be able to run our vintage cars as there will be no petrol and in the year 3000, today's modern car, vulgar as they are, will be the collectible memorabilia of the future.

Good hunting to you all.

This article was written by Tony Barclay Walker, owner of http://www.automobiliaplanet.com

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