Collectible Insights - The Attic Capital Newsletter Vol. 27
Discovering Value
Thanks for reading The Attic Update - weekly insights from the world of rare coins, sports cards, collector cars, vintage watches, and more -
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The Attic Top 5 -
1 - Rare Coins -
News of the Week - A gold coin from 42 B.C. worth $4.2 million is returned to Greece by the Manhattan district Antiquities Trafficking Unit. An American billionaire purchased the coin in 2020 from a British dealer who was arrested earlier this year. The coin celebrates the assassination of Julius Caesar and was minted 2 years after his death. The coin was looted from a field in current-day Greece.
Favorite Video of the Week - Check out this inside look at the Money Museum in Rome, Italy. The museum holds the history of money over the last 5,000 years and showcases an amazing collection of rare coins and notes.
Deal of the Week - If you're just getting started in your coin collecting journey, here's a great place to start. The 1972-S Eisenhower Silver Dollar Proof coin. I found one selling for $22 on Etsy, which is a great deal. Check it out!
Random Thought of the Week - The ancient Roman gold coin returned to Greece has me thinking about discoveries. Namely, finding a rare ancient gold coin in a field, which is where the $4 million dollar Roman gold coin was found. There's something called the "Finders-Keepers" law, but I don't think it applies internationally. Here's a good primer on what happens when you find a treasure.
Featured Company - Silverback Precious Metals - I stumbled on their Twitter feed, and Silverback is not playing around. They are serious about stacking silver and have their own branded products - ready to ship. Take a look at the "Silverback Slices." Pretty awesome!
2 - Sports Cards -
News of the Week - When Bill Ackman tweets about trading cards, we need to talk about it. As CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square, Ackman runs over $18 billion of AUM from his perch in New York City. But on Thursday, Bill Ackman tweeted a link from the Max Verstappen Formula 1 card sale, which sold for over $300,000. He added, "Trading cards can be good investments." For all you card junkies, there's a pretty nice tip of the cap from a Wall Street mogul.
Favorite Video of the Week - It’s not out yet, but it's in my queue. King of Collectibles, The Goldin Touch. A new Netflix Series featuring Ken Goldin and his team of auction wizards. Also, check out the sports card marketplace at Goldin.co, it appears there are over 11,000 single cards for sale right now.
Deal of the Week - Have you dreamt about owning a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card? Here's your chance. I'm not sure how much of a bargain this is, but it's for sale right now on eBay. The 1952 Topps Mantle card - in BVG (Beckett) graded 4.5 condition. Current asking price is $199,999.
Random Thought of the Week - What is the real, legitimate, official Shohei Ohtani rookie card? I've heard it's the 2013 BBM Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters card. But the 2018 Topps Transcendent Auto Ohtani also claims to be the "rookie card." So what's the most valuable Ohtani card at the moment? A 2018 Topps Dynasty Logo Patch Auto card just sold on eBay yesterday for $25,000.
Featured Company - CheapFunBreaks - YouTube channel featuring "Houdini." They have 20,000 subscribers and over 10 years of card-break videos. Check out the 1979/1980 Topps hockey break with a possible Wayne Gretzky rookie card pull. (potentially)
3 - Collector Cars -
News of the Week - Results are in for the Hagerty Market Rating for March, and the index has dropped again for the 6th month in a row. Every metric decreased and was the largest monthly drop since April 2020.
Favorite Video of the Week - If you're wondering what happens when you take a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa for a drive on a frozen lake, here ya go. Needless to say, there was some drifting going on in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Deal of the Week - This LS3-Powered Arkonik 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 sold for $207,000 this week on BringATrailer. Two days later, another Land Rover Defender 110 from 1992 sold for $81,000. These rigs are amazing. Flip through the BAT photos for a few listings - so cool. Two more Defenders are ending auctions in the next two days, both sitting at $50,00 at the moment.
Random Thought of the Week - It's been two weeks, and I'm still thinking about this. I'm still thinking about the Ferrari V12 wood scale model engine that sold on Bring A Trailer for $19,500. It's amazing. From reading the comments in the auction listing, the sculptor is Michael Cooper, who does some of the most mind-boggling sculptures/creations you could ever imagine. Wow.
Featured Company - Do you want a personal tour of the most incredible new cars in the world without leaving your chair? RoCars produces the most incredible car videos out there, complete with ultra close-up views in stunning HD. Not only that, but they feature the most insane, extreme, and luxurious autos in the world. They only do modern vehicles from what I can tell, but if they started doing the classics, I think my brain would melt down. Take a look for yourself.
4 - Vintage Watches -
News of the Week - Here's yet another luxury watch price index. WatchCharts tracks 60 watches with daily updated index values. Over the last 12 months, the index has steadily decreased, but still not even close to March 2020 levels. By brand, AP leads the decline with a -11.6% drop, Patek -10.1%, and Rolex -6.2%.
Favorite Video of the Week - We have a good idea why Rolex watches are so expensive. Here's a Rolex marketing video on the brand putting each watch through extreme testing. But I want to actually see a watch go through extreme testing, not just hear dramatic Rolex music. Here ya go - from the 'Crazy Hydraulic Press' YouTube channel, testing original Vs. fake shockproof watches. Enjoy!
Deal of the Week - I love vintage pocket watches; it's no secret. Here's a Bulova beauty, 42 mm, gold plated, 17 jewels with Arabic numerals for $780 on eBay.
Random Thought of the Week - What's the biggest watch brand by annual revenue? You might have guessed it - Rolex, with $8.8 billion in sales. Second place? Cartier, with $2.6 billion. Followed by Omega ($2.4 billion) and Audemars Piguet. ($1.7 billion)
Featured Company - Here are two brothers from Germany trading vintage watches and sharing all they have learned. Goldammer Vintage Watches features one watch a week while they search for the next great find. They also have a great Vintage Watch Buying Guide with a few simple rules. Very helpful. "Vintage Watches with a soul." I like it.
5 - Memorabilia & Collectibles
News of the Week - A worn out copy of 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway sold for $10,000, and the author wasn't the only reason for the high sale price. The book once belonged to Kobe Bryant, who apparently signed the book when he was in high school.
Favorite Video of the Week - We all talk about auctions, but what about the Auctioneer? Did you know there's an Auctioneer Champion? Check out these speed talkers, and get a few pointers for your next sale.
Deal of the Week - Carter Vintage Exchange features a ton of old Gibson guitars for sale. Here's a 1950s J-45 Gibson Sunburst, nicely worn for $2,500.
Random Thought of the Week - Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel, and inventor of Moore's Law, passed away this week. He was one of the fathers of the transistor and integrated circuit that would change the world forever. In 2017, the first-ever microchip built by Jack Kilby sold for $600,000.
Featured Company - I love Unbreakable Kicks. It's all about Jordans, GOAT, StockX, and all things sneakers. check out Unbreakable's personal collection!
Featured Article -
50 Most Valuable Dimes of All-Time -
The most valuable dimes have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. It pays to know what dimes are worth money and which dimes are pocket change.
Question for You -
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Thanks for reading, and have a great week!