02-16-2006, 02:33 PM
I don't think the prices will ever fall to the bottom of the price dip that we saw about 4-5 years ago, but I think there is potential for the prices to dip. People's investment in collectibles comes in cycles. When things are stable, they tend to spend money elsewhere, but when financial situations are slightly unstable (like the value of the dollar dropping, September 11th, etc.) they invest in "things". At some point those "things" get sold off and the market dips back down.
My dad is a model train collector and has been collecting them for over 50 years now. Granted, model trains are different than international military awards, but they are similar in that there is a finite amount of them produced. Talking to him, he's seen the market go all over the place over the years, normally in response to overall global financial trends. People like to put their money into things that they can see and feel, rather than investing them in a questionable market, and thus they collect. After a while though, things right themselves and people sell off what they collected, causing a dip in the market.
So, will the prices dip again? I think they will. It might not be next year, or even the year after... It might be ten or even fifteen years from now. Could be that the prices won't dip, but perhaps stabilize and not increse with inflation, thus making things a better deal down the road... we just never know. Also consider too that the "face" of the collecting community tends to change each decade as well. People find other hobbies, die off, have other priorites, etc., and then other collectors take their places. There are very very few "life long" collectors out there, and that too causes fuctuations in the market as well.
Just my three cents!
Dave
My dad is a model train collector and has been collecting them for over 50 years now. Granted, model trains are different than international military awards, but they are similar in that there is a finite amount of them produced. Talking to him, he's seen the market go all over the place over the years, normally in response to overall global financial trends. People like to put their money into things that they can see and feel, rather than investing them in a questionable market, and thus they collect. After a while though, things right themselves and people sell off what they collected, causing a dip in the market.
So, will the prices dip again? I think they will. It might not be next year, or even the year after... It might be ten or even fifteen years from now. Could be that the prices won't dip, but perhaps stabilize and not increse with inflation, thus making things a better deal down the road... we just never know. Also consider too that the "face" of the collecting community tends to change each decade as well. People find other hobbies, die off, have other priorites, etc., and then other collectors take their places. There are very very few "life long" collectors out there, and that too causes fuctuations in the market as well.
Just my three cents!
Dave
