When motor sport memorabilia gets too old

Let’s talk about ageing. Not back pain and increasing levels of grumpiness, but rather: when does a collectible go so far beyond its peak that it’s just not desirable any more?

We take in a lot of collections at The Signature Store. When we go through items we regularly find what was once a really desirable piece has fallen from grace through deterioration – especially if stored poorly or even changing fashions.

Models are a great example. Original die-cast steel models were wonderful, but over time they can degrade, with paint cracking and plastic fading, and suddenly it’s no longer worth much. Also, as technology moves on, these models are often reissued and appear in much better quality than the original. In that case, who is going to pay for the battered, old one?

Take the Minichamps Williams FW14B. Originals are now 25 years old so will likely be wearing scarring or fading but it was reissued recently and is an even more lovely thing. It’s already achieving the same used values even though its readily available.

We also did a run of Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 models that were signed by Nico Hülkenberg to celebrate his 2015 Le Mans victory. These are barely 10 years old and the white boxes had already started yellowing. It’s unlikely to dent the value much as most will remove the cardboard box (but keep it!) for display, but it shows how the ageing process can creep up on even modern collectibles.

Don’t assume a big brand will produce the best quality. The same model is often issued by several makers, all claiming to have made it. Also, don’t be fooled by so-called numbered, limited editions. Often these are ‘limited’ to how many the maker thinks they’ll be able to sell.

Most of all, buy what you love – as you’ll always have the value of years of enjoyment from it, even if the ageing process catches us up.

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store. thesignaturestore.co.uk

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