Five Antique Pieces Worth Investing In

Some antique pieces are always popular, whereas others fall out of favour. It's important to invest in types of antiques that actually interest you and that are always going to be popular in order to make them sound investments for the future. Here we look at five types of antiques that could be considered safer opportunities.

Precious Metals

Gold and silver have been popular since ancient times and there seems no likelihood that this will change. Indeed, with the current financial crisis gripping many of the world's economies, investing in gold and silver is a better option than stocks and shares. There are many different types of silver items to buy, particularly from jewellery to cutlery, but for gold, jewellery is the outright winner.

Coins

Collecting antique coins is a good investment, as they just never decrease in value - unless the condition of the coins deteriorate greatly. Unlike fragile china, for instance, there is no risk of the item being irrevocably damaged. Insuring coins won't be difficult and they are one of the most interesting type of antique to collect. Collections can be made up from different periods in history, or from different countries.

Furniture

Furniture is another type of antique that can reap dividends for an investor. It can be expensive to purchase and a some knowledge of the most respected furniture makers is a must. Space will be a major consideration for anyone hoping to build up a collection of antique furniture. To keep its value, the furniture cannot be just dumped in the garage.

Fine Art

Investing in art antiques is one of the best options on all, especially for someone with a good knowledge of art. Bargains can be picked up at various types of sales, especially car boot and garage sales. Many people will sell paintings for ridiculously low prices, because they have no real knowledge of either the artist, or the value of the work itself. Any art that is purchased will need to be carefully looked after and never put on display where sunlight can affect its colour.

Nostalgia

Children's toys are antiques that not only appeal to adults, who will buy such items for their nostalgic appeal, but they are of historic value also. Many people are fascinated by toys that were made in Victorian times and by earlier versions of toys that are still popular. Toys that are unopened are valued highly by antique collectors.

When thinking of investing in antiques such as coins or silver antiques, also think about insurance costs. It's sensible to both invest and protect and insurance will help to give peace of mind.

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What Christmas Shoppers and Retailers Might Expect

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With the holiday season just around the corner, retailers in the United states are getting ready for a shopping season that is filled with uncertainty due to conflicting consumer financial reports and the changing patterns of American shoppers.

Recent reports from the National Retail Federation aren't exactly encouraging. While there will likely be an increase in holiday sales compared to last year's season, the increase will only be around 2.8 percent. Last year's holiday shopping season managed to produce a respectable and surprising 5.2 percent from the year before. Retailers that expected a similar performance this year may be in for a disappointment.

To make matters worse, holiday shoppers may also get a bit of a “sticker shock” this year. In 2008 and 2009, shoppers were treated to great prices due to high inventories once carried by hopeful retailers. During the last couple of years, stores have been forced to sell off large portions of their inventories at sharply reduced prices. Retailers have learned the lessons of the Great Recession, and they are now keeping lean inventories.

The lackluster American economy is also to blame for the grim forecast. The high unemployment and the weak demand from employers to hire new workers are two factors exacerbating the situation. A weak US dollar could also bring pain to clothing retailers this year, as expensive textiles may cause fashion stores to push their prices higher just in time for the holidays.

An annual consumer holiday shopping study released by Accenture, a respected global consulting firm, indicates that some consumers will be in a better position this year. High income shoppers will be the most benefited as stores are forced to reduce prices on high-ticket items.

Discount stores will now have to compete against traditional retailers in terms of pricing. Department stores have mostly refrained from offering price promotions this year, as many are waiting for the holiday shopping season to begin.

This year shoppers are expected to be more careful, controlled and fastidious over their holiday purchases. Shoppers are now more inclined to significantly research their potential purchases before heading off to the shopping malls or placing their online orders. Accenture believes that more shoppers are planning to use their smartphones to do price research and comparison shopping while physically at the stores.

As expected, the number of shoppers who plan to make more than half of their holiday purchases online has increased. After all, online social media platforms are already getting busy with pre-holiday season buzz. But the Accenture survey report has also uncovered an interesting fact surrounding holiday shopping: Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, may be losing its charm.

The predawn madness at American shopping malls and big-box retailers has become a staple of consumer culture. But as much as customers want to save money, they may be growing weary of the theatrics that tend to go hand-in-hand with Black Friday. Less than half of the shoppers surveyed by Accenture plan to leave their homes at midnight to go shopping fore a large flat-screen television this year. Shoppers are now more likely to find bargains and free delivery offers than in previous years.

Post by Holly Adams, a writer for CouponCroc.co.uk, the best place to find discounts and savings on all of your online holiday shopping this year.

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Collecting Medals as an Investment

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If you are a keen amateur military historian and you are looking for a good way to invest money, medal collecting might be an ideal place to start. Think for a moment about the economics of it; most of us will never win, let alone own a Victoria Cross, only 1356 have ever been awarded.

This means scarcity, Victoria Crosses, George Crosses, Burma Stars and Military Crosses are rare, they weren't handed out during wartime for anything other than acts of supreme courage and sacrifice, and their rarity is the key to their value. If you add this to the fact that many of the medals tell a story of their own, this is another reason they are sought after. A medal can often tell a piece of history and if the details of who it was awarded to and why are known it becomes more valuable.

How does one become a medal collector? Well firstly make sure you know all about the campaign it was awarded in, you might want to focus on a particular part of military history such as the Italian Campaign during World War Two. The more you know, the more likely you will be to spot a potential fake, and to be able to judge the medal's worth.

The HM Stationary Office has published a guide to medals, stars and crosses, and in fairness the different medals, clasps and ribbons that are awarded are quite complex. Getting hold of this guide is a very important place to start, you will not stand a chance of profiting from collecting unless you are absolutely clear about what you are buying.

The next thing to look at is finding a place to buy medals from. There are registered dealers of militaria, normally based in London but sometimes also in large army towns as well. The internet is a good place to look as well, however be careful to make sure you can verify what you are buying, EBay might be a convenient marketplace but there is nothing to stop anyone from selling counterfeit or stolen medals.

There are medals fairs that take place across the country, you can find out about them in medal collecting magazines and on medal collecting websites online, you are more likely to find reputable dealers at such events, but the following precautions should prevent you from being hoodwinked.

If you can make sure you can look at the medal in person before you pay for it. On the rim should be the name and service number of the man who it was awarded to. The National Archives has a register of medals and you can cross check the medal and the service number which should tell you whether you have a fake or not, and what the story of the medal is.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Orders, Medals and Research Society and the National Archives are all excellent places to start your research, many collectors limit their enquiries to one particular regiment or division, once again, to build up a degree of expertise. Membership of the British Medal Society is also a good idea, you will have access to a wealth of expertise and knowledge and once again be able to access reputable dealers.

If you buy a medal and you find out who it was issued to and why this will affect the price. Medals given to officers are generally more valuable than ones awarded to private soldiers. Equally medals given to front line regiments have more value than those issued to corps regiments. Being as thorough as possible will add significantly to the value of your investment.

In some instances the service records and service histories of medal recipients has been more valuable to museums and to collectors than the medals themselves, so a little investigative work could indeed go a long way, which is the best kind of investment of all; there is nothing quite as satisfying as adding value to an asset through your own efforts and hard work.

James McHeggins is the content writer at JustRemortgages.com a UK website which tracks down all the latest remortgage rates and remortgage deals so our customers don't have to.

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