In this post we’ll share some tips for valuing your collection of film and music memorabilia. If you have any questions about how you can best protect your most valuable items, call us on 0208 290 9086, or email personal@anthonyjones.com.
Should I Have My Memorabilia Collection Valued?
If you collect film and music memorabilia of any kind, it’s important to get your collection valued. With an accurate valuation, you can ensure you have the right level of insurance cover in place for your collection.
Valuing Film & Music Memorabilia
What Do You Collect?
Appraisers will have different evaluation criteria depending on what you collect. But in general, appraisers will account for an item’s:
- Condition – With antiques, artwork, and other collections, the condition of a piece plays a huge part in determining its value. As we’ll see, this isn’t really the case when it comes to film and music memorabilia. An items condition still matters, but not as much as other factors.
- Provenance – Some items have a unique history, or a sense of “importance”, which could make their value skyrocket. This is the one that’s hardest to quantify, and this is why you’ll probably need to consult an expert to get a good valuation for your memorabilia.
- The State of the Market – The world of pop culture moves fast. Different items from different periods may be more popular than others, and what counts as “valuable” or “important” can change frequently. This is why it’s important to commit to periodic valuations for your collection.
What is Ephemera?
When we talk about “ephemera”, we’re talking about anything that was designed to be fleeting and tied to a specific time and place. Examples include posters, concert programmes, ticket stubs, leaflets, and flyers.
Considerations for Valuing Film and Music Ephemera
These things become valuable when they’re particularly rare, particularly decorative or, most important of all, if they were signed. If you’ve got some signed ephemera, appraisers will work to authenticate the signature, as forgeries can be common. Anything signed by a star who’s no longer with us, or who rarely signed autographs, will fetch a particularly high price.
Valuing Your Instruments and Props
If you’re into music, you might collect instruments or recording technology. If you’re into film, you might collect props, or important aspects of a film’s production, such as scripts.
An item’s condition might not be so important when it comes to musical instruments and props, as wear and tear often speaks of an item’s provenance or authenticity. But once again, if an item’s signed, and if an appraiser can authenticate that signature, the item’s likely to attract a higher value.
Valuing Your Clothing and Costumes
Like with instruments and props, appraisers don’t really care about the condition of music and film clothing and costumes. Once again, wear and tear can be part of the appeal, so long as that wear and tear is consistent with the item’s age and use.
This is where the idea of “provenance” really matters. If the item’s recognisable, or in any way “iconic”, then it will obviously attract a higher value than a more everyday item. A plain white shirt worn by David Bowie in the studio could be valuable. But a costume he wore onstage could be priceless.
How To Get a Valuation For Your Film and Music Memorabilia
You need to consult an expert who will know what to look for when assessing an item’s provenance along with the current market conditions, and who will know how to authenticate signatures and other value-adding elements.
Some auction houses might offer valuations, and you can also find some dedicated appraisers who specialise in pop culture artefacts.
As you’ll see, appraisers will ask you to be as detailed and accurate as possible when describing your items. They’ll also want to know exactly how you acquired each item in your collection, as tracing the item’s history will help them authenticate it. This is why it’s important to catalogue and keep track of your collection.
Keep Your Film and Music Memorabilia Safe With Specialist Insurance
This is the main reason why it’s good to get an accurate evaluation for your film and music memorabilia. It’s so you can ensure you have adequate insurance cover in place.
It’s unlikely that your standard home insurance policy will give you the cover you need for your collection. Most home insurance policies specify value limits for insured items. This limit is likely to be significantly lower than the value of most, if not all, items in your collection.
So to get the cover you need for your memorabilia, you’ll need a specialist high net worth insurance policy. At Anthony Jones, we specialise in helping people protect their valuable collections. So whatever you collect, we can help you get the right cover at the right price. For more information, call us on 0208 290 9086, or email personal@anthonyjones.com.
