# What would be most valuable today ?



## sags (May 15, 2010)

It occurred to me recently that a lot of things people simply bought and stuffed away for 50 or more years is worth a lot today.

What would have been the purchase with the greatest increase in value..............do you guess ?

1) Gold

2) Real estate

3) Stocks

4) Old cars

5) Fine art

6) Collectibles

7) Internet domain names

I am guessing there are other categories, but out of the ones I listed, I would guess that fine art might top the list.


----------



## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Perhaps carbon credits?


----------



## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

1965 Coke bottle: https://www.etsy.com/listing/220306671/1965-coke-bottle-vintage-coca-cola

Probably cost 10 cents in 1965, so that's a 100x increase in value.


----------



## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^^^ Hmmm...things, stuffs bought ... the collectibles category is pretty big - how about the first edition comics book? Action Comics No. 1 $1,500,000? 

Actually, these teddy bears are pretty pricey: http://www.bornrich.com/worlds-expensive-teddy-bears.html 1. Steiff’s Louis Vuitton Bear is yours for the price of $2,100,000. :smile:


On the special collection category -* how about the Zagami meteorite?* Estimated value $2,000,000 in 2003 price, sold on eBay.

*Most Expensive Meteorite to Be Sold on eBay* http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y03/m08/i18/s03


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

Some interesting values there..........but I am thinking Pablo Picasso paintings may have increased in value the most of anything since he painted them in the 1930s.

The record price for a painting sold at auction was a Picasso that sold in 8 minutes for $179,400,000.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment...d-after-selling-for-179m-at-auction-1.2368568

Oddly, Picasso paintings dominate the top 10 auction prices for fine art.............but many of the other artists are in museums and will never come to auction.

They say the Mona Lisa is priceless.


----------



## marina628 (Dec 14, 2010)

I have to say internet domains only because I have sold a few in the $xx,xxx range that i paid 10 bux for lol


----------



## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

It's stocks obviously.


----------



## Guban (Jul 5, 2011)

I'm going to have to throw in with stocks too. The question sounds like it is posed for a general purchase in a category, so it is a bit unfair to look at the most valuable piece of art, say, and only take a look at how much it has appreciated. Can you imagine how many more pieces are worthless? Same for cars, or domain names, or any of the other groups. As a category, I am guessing that stocks have increased in value the most overall, while paying passive dividends along the way too.


----------



## gardner (Feb 13, 2014)

All of the options are flawed in some way. Even the gold option, over 50 years, intersects the American "Gold Reserve Act." which would have wiped you out before you even got started.

Domain names and such didn't exist 50 years ago, of course.

The expected value of random cars, comic books, paintings, stamps and such, is basically zero, since most examples lose all of their value and only a very few specific ones retain or grow in value. You'd have to be extraordinarily prescient to guess just the exact examples that would really grow in value.

Real-estate and cars have non-zero costs to store/maintain and could have negative value over time. Vacant land, especially, could have its value eaten away by property taxes.

Stocks can go to zero too. A random basket of stocks might have one or two Bre-Xs and Nortels in it, but should have a share of CNs RYs and so forth too. My vote is stocks.


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

Valid points and hard to quantify in general terms.


----------



## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

Cannot remember the link -


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

Wish my dad had bought a sunburst Gibson Les Paul in 1959 and stuck it in a closet...

They cost about $300 in 1959, flirting with a half a million today for a prime specimen. I could have bought one for $1,100 in Hollywood in 1983, but who knew??


----------



## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

If you look into any of these things you will find dealers and speculators who bought them and took small profits as soon as they went up, then watched them soar into the stratosphere in succeeding years.

The ones who made the big bucks were the ones who bought them to use, or because they loved them, and had no idea of selling no matter how much they went up, because they weren't interested in the money.

You can also find millions of people who invested in beanie babies, commemorative plates, 1976 Cadillac convertibles, cases of sports cards and the like, and will never get their money back.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

A stock *index*, if you could stuff that away for 50 years, would be really spectacular.

Individual stocks -- much more of a wildcard. People's attics are full of stock certificates of companies that became worthless.

There's another important point here regarding stocks. Very few people actually have a 50 year time horizon. If people start accumulating serious money in their 30s or 40s, and are going to retire around 60-70, they might have *at best* a 30 year investment horizon. Possibly even less, like 20 years.

If you go back and look at stock market history, 20 years is not quite long enough to "guarantee" a solid real return in the stock market.

What's my point? Well yes if you could buy and hold the stock index for 50 years, that would be great. For most people, this does not happen in reality. So yes it may be true that 50 year stock market exposure gives great returns, but that doesn't really help you and me.


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

james4beach said:


> A stock *index*, if you could stuff that away for 50 years, would be really spectacular.
> 
> Individual stocks -- much more of a wildcard. People's attics are full of stock certificates of companies that became worthless.
> 
> ...


The lesson is? Buy your kids some stocks and index funds for their 1st birthday.


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> It occurred to me recently that a lot of things people simply bought and stuffed away for 50 or more years is worth a lot today.
> 
> What would have been the purchase with the greatest increase in value..............do you guess ?
> 
> ...


If I had a crystal ball, I should have bought that 1959 Gibson Les Paul..59 years ago....
Today they are extremely collectible and some musicians will pay the small fortune to own a piece
of history..that cannot ever be repeated again..although they are still made to this day. 



> 1959 Les Paul Standard in high end condition with "highly figured" maple is worth about $US400,000 ($518,000), although US dealer Eliot Michael tells AFR Weekend a standout axe might still fetch up to $US700,000. "The more flamed [figured] they are, the more desirable they are and the more expensive they are,"


http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/arts-a...hat-about-your-old-telecaster-20150423-1mr3p9


Wouda-shoulda-coulda--but that was then... and this is now..who knew! 

Give it another 20-25 years and that will be 1 million easily...and the best thing is ....that unlike yer gold
and life savings sitting in the bank being affected by inflation ..you can still play and enjoy yer '59 Les Paul. :biggrin:


----------



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> If you look into any of these things you will find dealers and speculators who bought them and took small profits as soon as they went up, then watched them soar into the stratosphere in succeeding years.
> 
> The ones who made the big bucks were the ones who bought them to use, or because they loved them, and had no idea of selling no matter how much they went up, because they weren't interested in the money.
> 
> *You can also find millions of people who invested in beanie babies, commemorative plates, 1976 Cadillac convertibles, cases of sports cards and the like, and will never get their money back.*


So true, most of these fad things like pet rocks, beanie babies,,,76 cadillac convertibles?..what is so special about those? Did Elvis ride in one before he passed on in '77? 

Sports cards, coins and stamps..only if you happen to possess what they call rare, you can still maybe get more than what you paid for the collection, but in most cases you have to treat it as a hobby.

I see this show about people and their collections of memorbilia..dolls, batman and other cartoon character memorabilia, various board games, dental and surgical apparatus, toy trains etc, and they are amazed when the host of the show gives them an estimate of what their collection is worth now..
...but the trick is to find some one who is willing to pay those prices.

Most of the time, Grandma's or Grand dad's collection go to a dealer for a fraction of the estimated price after they pass on...even at auction only the more rarer pieces in the collection may be worth something to an individual or a dealer that will buy the entire collection from the estate to get the ones they are really interested in to make a handsome profit.


----------



## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

indexxx said:


> The lesson is? Buy your kids some stocks and index funds for their 1st birthday.


Absolutely! If you can get your newborn into a low fee TSX index + S&P 500 index, and can discourage them from cashing it in for beer money when they turn 18, they will have a great investment.


----------



## 1980z28 (Mar 4, 2010)

Have 3000 albums in mint condition,worth more than I paid back in the 70`s and early 80`s,all where place in sleeves and album jackets

I use a cleaner before every play( VPI HW 16.5 Record cleaning machine ,I have two)love vinyl

Sold my 1980Z28 I had for 33 years for more than double what I paid(it paid for new septic system for new house)


----------



## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

sags said:


> It occurred to me recently that a lot of things people simply bought and stuffed away for 50 or more years is worth a lot today.
> 
> What would have been the purchase with the greatest increase in value..............do you guess ?
> 
> ...



sags u of all people should know the answer ...

children


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

indexxx said:


> The lesson is? Buy your kids some stocks and index funds for their 1st birthday.


Yes, it's called an RESP.


----------



## cashinstinct (Apr 4, 2009)

none said:


> Yes, it's called an RESP.


Depends if the capital / growth / grants are used for misc expenses, education or for buying investments outside of RESP.


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

hopefully education which is one of the best investments any parent can give to their child.


----------



## cashinstinct (Apr 4, 2009)

none said:


> hopefully education which is one of the best investments any parent can give to their child.


for sure, but if you do, the child does not get stocks purchased many years ago... 

a no-school-loan is a great way to start, but it's not the same as getting stock at 1 year old.


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I see it differently.

1) 18 years of stock growth
2) 4-9 years of converting these monies to increase income generating capcity;
3) Ability to buy more growth assets (on their own).


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

I would actually hold it secret from them, and leave it in my will or give it to them when they turn 40 or 50 as a surprise.

RESP has restrictions- I was thinking of buying $10,000 worth of something in a TFSA on their first birthday and letting it compound for 40-50 years.


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I've never understood the purpose of doing something like that - then again I plan on leaving my son enough money to pay for my funeral and close my affairs. that's about it.

My gifts to him will be a happy childhood and the option to go to school to be his own person so that he won't need a handout once he becomes an adult.

That's just me though.


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

That's the point of doing it this way- you are only giving $10,000; time and compounding does the rest. Imagine on your 45th birthday, your parents told you they'd been sitting on an investment now worth over 200K. (Assume 10k x 45 years at 7% in an index.)


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

Personally I'd decline it and tell them that it's their money and they should enjoy it because it's their money. Their financial obligation ended when I became an adult and I would thank them for that.

I personally think it's a bit unbecoming for a 45 year old adult to take a handout from mommy and daddy.


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

A handout is different from a gift IMHO- one implies need based on misfortune or poor life management, such as with a beggar. The other is a surprise to someone you care for and is based on affection and a desire to enjoy their gratitude. I would love to hand my kids a check to pay their mortgage, take trips, etc- it would make me happy! And as it would be based on decades of compounding, the cost to me is minimal and was already spent. But I respect your opinion.


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Some fine wines have seen huge increases in value as well. But I'd put them into 'collectables' along with cars, art, etc. I wouldn't consider collectables to be anyone's primary investments, but something you would own out of interest which might also happen to be a good investment, or something you own once you are excessively wealthy.
I'd go with stocks (and according to Morningstar's Andex chart it would be US small cap - http://corporate.morningstar.com/ca/documents/MarketingOneSheets/CAN_Andex%20Handout.pdf)

Re/ comments by none and indexxx - I'd place our approach with the kids somewhere in the middle - we started saving for them when they were born (and there used to be family allowance), once they were 18 we took them down to open self-directed TSFA's, once they had steady employment income we made sure they opened SD RRSP's and contributed each year, they were encouraged to always save some, we've discussed investments, etc. So while we have helped them out, they have also assumed responsibility for their own future over time. They won't get a surprise (although there may residual estate inherited), but they also don't appear to resent that portion that is a 'handout' either. Both in their late 20's with healthy 6 figure net worth.


----------



## indexxx (Oct 31, 2011)

That's great! Like many others, I wish my parents had done something similar. Any and all financial/investing knowledge I have was gained through self-study in my adulthood; (and this is not to blame parents who did not have the knowledge or wherewithal to pass it along.) Neither of my parents had the slightest idea about finance.

I've always maintained that it should be taught in school- evan a couple hours of advice to get the basics into kids.


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

I think there should be something in high school about basic life skills. Balance a check book etc.

I think investing is kind of dumb (a necessary evil unfortunately). I don't see why a large organization (or government) can't just invest on behalf of it's citizens. I would think that would be cheaper for everybody (to the dismay of banks I'm sure though). Everybody and their dog shouldn't have to learn about risk tolerance, asset allocation and index investing. It's stupid and leaves MANY who have neither the ability or inclination to learn it properly to get scammed.


----------



## BrettHarry (Jun 17, 2015)

*For me It's a Personal Finance Manager App to increase my Savings *

Even through if we are planning to own above Items. First we need to have sufficient money to buy them, In most cases they do not arrive you at free cost. I suggest the first thing to have is a proper way saving your money. For that I am using an Amazing app to track my daily expenses. It's Expense Tracker 2.0 Available on both Apple And Google Play stores for saving minded people.

App Store! http://goo.gl/FrGEP
Google PlayStore: http://goo.gl/tzEXhy


----------



## sags (May 15, 2010)

Isn't that is what DB pensions did just fine for many years, before companies started crying they couldn't afford pensions anymore ?


----------



## none (Jan 15, 2013)

^ That's exactly right.


----------

