INDEX feature Stamps
Tony Pritchard of The Stamp Shop in Tunbridge Wells believes that, for the last fi ve years, astute investors should have been putting their money into stamps. “Stamps have been historically very stable, rising in value through two world wars, two economic crashes and a period of hyper infl ation in the 1970s,” he says. Tony says the best investments are high-value catalogue stamps worth £1,000 and more, or early stamps such as the Penny Black. “We are seeing a particular rise in interest in stamps from the reign of
Victoria to the end of the reign of George V1,” he explained. Investors have been noticing returns as high as 12 per cent for
certain items, particularly 1935 Silver Jubilee stamps which, according to Tony, have, “rocketed in value recently”. However, he warns that, as there are a lot of stamps around, budding investors should look to buy stamps with a recognised certifi cate from a reputable dealer and to beware of forgeries. He warns: “Like any investment, values can go down as well as up.”
Frazer Thompson at Chapel Down
Wine
As global wealth increases, en primeur wines from the chateaux of Bordeaux and Burgundy are proving popular with buyers from the Far East and China, and local investors are reaping the benefi ts.
Frazer Thompson, managing director of Chapel Down, Tenterden’s multi-award- winning wine company, says en primeur wines bear no resemblance to the wines we consume every day. “These wines are at the very top end of the market, and only limited quantities of bottles will be produced every year,” he explains.
“A bottle can be purchased for around £2,000, and you can’t drink it for twenty or so years. Investing in en primeur wine is more like investing in art: it is an economic rarity and bears no resemblance to the making and selling of wine in the way that we do here at Chapel Down.”
En primeur wine is traded in bonds and
stored for the purchaser in underground vaults. “This wine can be easily ruined if not stored correctly,” says Frazer. David Wells is a local investor of en primeur wine. “I invest because I enjoy drinking wine,” he says. “The investment horizon is long, as most of the wines won’t
be consumed for ten or even fi fty years. If it doesn’t work out, I can always drink it.” David suggests anyone interested in en primeur wine should research The Wine Index online.
If en primeur wines seem out of your league, investors may consider buying shares
in a company like Chapel Down – the only English winery listed on Plusmarkets – to gain exposure to the burgeoning English wine industry.
getting married? –
www.planningyourwedding.co.uk
15
The INDEX magazine February 2012
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