Cornering the market for rare xyz?

[OwlHoot]

The snag is every physical thing you own of any significant size has an ongoing cost in storage space. Also in many cases, including books, that is heated and dry storage space which costs even more.

Barring a massive World-wide plague, storage space costs will increase further in years to come, which will reduce the value of objects that require it. So assuming you haven't acquired a stash of early Picassos, you may find your books are almost worthless despite being rare (especially as most people will be happy to read ebooks by then, again to avoid storage and preservation costs).

To take another example, I know someone who had a beautiful solid rose wood grand piano. Forty years ago it was valued at several thousand pounds. But a year or two ago they were amazed to find it was literally almost worthless - Nobody has room for them these days (although with pianos, part of the problem is the labour required to maintain them).

[cojak]

Unless you set off a nuclear bomb inside the bookshop, thereby increasing the value of your books many times. Mwahahaha.

Oh wait, that sounds familiar...

No Mr Maginty,

I expect you to go bankrupt and have all the other super villains laugh at you!

[EternalOptimist]

The snag is every physical thing you own of any significant size has an ongoing cost in storage space. Also in many cases, including books, that is heated and dry storage space which costs even more.

Barring a massive World-wide plague, storage space costs will increase further in years to come, which will reduce the value of objects that require it. So assuming you haven't acquired a stash of early Picassos, you may find your books are almost worthless despite being rare (especially as most people will be happy to read ebooks by then, again to avoid storage and preservation costs).

To take another example, I know someone who had a beautiful solid rose wood grand piano. Forty years ago it was valued at several thousand pounds. But a year or two ago they were amazed to find it was literally almost worthless - Nobody has room for them these days (although with pianos, part of the problem is the labour required to maintain them).

I collect rare storage space

[KentPhilip]

My father told me a story once, I don't know how true it was, that a bloke once bought two rare stamps that were the only two such stamps in the world. He then put them both up for auction.
As the first one came up for sale he walked up to the auctioneer, withdrew it from sale, and in front of the assembled bidders held up the stamp and tore it into tiny pieces.

Then he went and sat down to watch the progress of the auction of his second stamp, now the only stamp of its kind in the world...

[darmstadt]

I collect the junk mail that comes into my letterbox. Everyone throws it away which means that in the not too distant future I will have a unique collection of advertising and marketing material

[SimonMac]

Go for pumpkins, the price over the last few weeks have shot up, my guess is at this rate by the end of February the price will have sky rocketed

[KentPhilip]

Go for pumpkins, the price over the last few weeks have shot up, my guess is at this rate by the end of February the price will have sky rocketed

And if you can wind the clock back before midnight it might turn into a beautiful carriage!