The big thing about the pandemic - and this is quite an important thing to note - is people had time on their hands. Secondly, they had nowhere to really spend their money. Lastly, there’s been a huge sea change in the last few years - pushed on by the pandemic - where people have become more confident buying artwork and collectables online. So people who had that disposable income were sitting at home, investing in rare, desirable things and growing their collections. Over the past year we’ve seen record growth in coins, stamps and whisky - those collecting markets that have been pushed on by the pandemic.
"I suppose there's always an element of people thinking that with what's going on in the world, things aren’t worth as much. But actually, uncertainty creates trends. The pandemic was preceded by Brexit - you couldn’t have had a more uncertain time than the last 18 months. During a period of worry, people turn away from the traditional safe bets - like property and shares - and invest in things such as gold, or, as I’ve mentioned, whisky - collectables that keep their value. Gold prices are at a high and silver prices are at a 10-year high too.