Antiques & Collectibles of the Future

When buying ceramics, hand thrown pots, made by a skilled potter and beautifully finished, no matter how innovative the design, are also likely to gain in value over years unless, of course, they are unbelievably ugly!

If they are one-off designs, even better. To have the best chance of buying pottery or porcelain that holds or increases its value, don't buy mass produced items. For example, nowadays most commemorative ware, like that made for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002, is made in millions. The chances that any of these pieces will ever become rare or desirable are small.

Don't think that just because something is now popular that it will be popular and valuable in 50 or 100 years time. The more popular it is now, the more likely it has been mass produced as cheaply as possible and bought by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. Another example that springs to mind is the Princess Diana commemorative ware that was produced after her tragic death. You might think that a piece with a facsimile of her signature would increase the value - not true. It would be different if you had something that had been signed by the Princess and could be proved to be a genuine signature, not just a reproduction of it.

Take a look at the pictures above and below. Both were taken at the same craft fair as the quirky furniture. Would you consider investing in either type? Again, my instinct is to choose the more unusual pieces shown above. I've seen very few pieces of pottery like these whereas there are thousands of the more traditional pieces shown below from many different manufacturers and individual potters.

You have probably seen advertisements in magazines for limited edition plates, dolls, prints, etc. Often the advertising copy suggests that they might appreciate in value.

If you have a print by a well known and collectable artist and the edition is limited to something like 50 or 100 numbered prints, these might well gain in value because they are rare. However, these are seldom, if ever, advertised in popular magazines. A limited edition of many thousands is unlikely ever to be rare and desirable especially if it is mass produced with no intrinsic or artistic merit.

Instead, consider buying a painting just because you love it. If you love it and enjoy looking at it hanging on your wall then the chances are that other people will like it too. It might never reach the dizzy heights of a piece by Damien Hirst but more people might like it and perhaps Hirst's work will go out of fashion.

In my opinion, these are the golden rules of collecting for possible investment.

• Buy only what you like yourself


• Buy the best quality possible


• Concentrate on individual craftsman produced articles


• Look for rarity and desirability


• Avoid mass produced items


• Avoid 'limited' editions when they are limited to many thousands


• Avoid commemorative ware when it is mass produced.

Picture: Hand-turned wooden mushrooms.