A stabilizing market is giving way to more eclectic collecting habits, as rarity, sentiment, and curiosity outweigh traditional trophy value.
If you have a beaten and busted Birkin, a highly sought-after print (bonus points if it’s by a South Asian artist), or even a few dinosaur bones gathering dust, now may be the moment to call your auctioneer. At least, that’s one takeaway from Knight Frank’s Wealth Report 2026.
The 20th edition of the report, released earlier this week, revealed that the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index (KFLII) stabilized in 2025, slipping just 0.4 percent across the 10 categories tracked: handbags, jewelry, coins, watches, cars, colour diamonds, furniture, whisky, wine, and art. Sure, on paper, that figure still marks a decline, but after drops of 2.7 percent in 2024 and 3.3 percent in 2023, it reads more like a market finding its footing.
But the real story lies beyond the headline figure. While traditional pillars such as Impressionist art and watches posted gains, the report suggests collectors are looking beyond conventional trophy assets. From vintage haute couture and natural history relics to fractional ownership platforms opening access to one-of-a-kind treasures, the next wave of collectibles is looking decidedly more eclectic.
Call it sentiment or connoisseurship, but according to the report, today’s collectors are drawn to pieces with personality and a point of view. That helps explain why categories once considered niche are gaining serious attention and are no longer seen as purely financial investments.
“We see a lot of interest driven by the tangibility and the emotional factor,” the report quotes Leonardo De Keersmaeker, asset and partnerships manager at Timeless Investments, a Berlin-based start-up that sells fractions in collectibles. “It’s about diversification of assets, with a fun story to tell.”
Case in point, the report says, was last year’s sale of a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus skull, which delivered a 22.4 percent return in just eight and a half months’ holding time on Timeless. The sale suggests looking beyond traditional luxury items that have traditionally dominated the marketplace, like diamonds or handbags, towards rare curiosities, culturally significant items, and ones with a personal connection to the collector.
See also: Gen-Z Buyers Are Shaping the Auction Market – and They’re Choosing Bags Over Art
Where collectors once chased pristine blue box Birkins and Kellys, demand is rotating toward pre-owned, visibly worn pieces, or the so-called ‘beater bags’. In July 2025, the most expensive handbag ever sold was the well-traveled Birkin belonging to its namesake Jane Birkin, fetching over $10m. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the most active segment, according to luxury asset manager LUXUS, now sits in the $6,000–$9,000 range, driven by Gen Z collectors seeking bags that can be used rather than preserved. Immaculately kept collector examples above $50,000, meanwhile, are taking longer to sell.
“Whether it’s a pair of basketball player Kobe Bryant’s signed trainers or a black 1976 first-generation BMW 6 Series Coupé,” Timeless’s managing director, Malte Häusler, explains that “people are really keen to invest in items they feel passionate about.”
The report also highlights that fractional ownership platforms, such as Timeless, are growing as a popular gateway into asset investing among those under 40. The online trading platform handles transactions through its app, storing the assets, and proposes a sale when it believes the market conditions look favorable. Investors then vote on whether to proceed before it is sold and returns are distributed.
If rare fossils and archival fashion reflect changing tastes, fractional platforms suggest ownership itself is evolving, also. For a younger, increasingly global collector class, the appeal lies as much in diversifying not just what we buy, but also how we buy it.
See also: The History of the Snuff Box and Its Rise as a Luxury Collectible
The luxury collectibles to watch now, according to Knight Frank’s experts
Vintage haute couture
Provenance, rarity, and headline auction results are driving demand for archival pieces by designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano.
“Poster cars”
Rare-specification and race-linked cars are becoming harder to find. History, originality, and motorsport pedigree remain key value drivers.
Prints and editions
More accessible than unique works, editions are creating a more liquid secondary market, especially where visual identity and cultural relevance are strong.
Certified pre-owned watches
Brand-backed resale by the likes of Rolex and Vacheron Constantin is reshaping the sector, with certification improving trust and price stability strengthening the secondary market overall.
South Asian modern and contemporary art
A fast-growing market fueled by rising wealth, stronger infrastructure, and increasing global recognition, though pricing still sits below Western equivalents, suggesting further room for growth.
Добавить комментарий