Art Ranks Poorly as an Investment Against Other Collectibles, Says Report

Francis Bacon, Three Studies of Lucian Freud (1969), which set a record for most expensive work of art at auction (US$142.4 million) in November 2013.

Despite record-breaking art sales at auction this past year, it appears that as investments, other collectibles such as coins, watches, and stamps may have art beat, at least according to a new report from Knight Frank and WealthInsight. Although a growing number of wealthy people are investing in art—the most popular class of collectibles addressed in the study—it was also the report’s lowest ranking investment for 2013. The most profitable collectible last year? Cars, which showed an on average 28 percent increase in value.