There’s something about the stories told on the BBC TV show The Antiques Roadshow that has made it such compelling viewing for decades. It’s a shared fascination with things that link us to the past, the family stories behind an object and, of course, its value.
You may wonder what it must be like to own something Nelson had with him at the Battle of Trafalgar, or a document signed by Elizabeth I, but Mike Hall and his colleagues from Paul Fraser Collectibles would say, it’s not beyond your grasp.
Based in St Helier, they collect and curate some of the largest collections of rare items in the world, and as he explained to Connect, it’s been a lifelong passion.
Starting at an early age with bottle tops and football stickers, Mike Hall would probably say that some people are born to collect. He now owns a Picasso and a letter signed by Napoleon.
“I was brought up in Edinburgh and, when I completed the 1978 Panini album, my grandmother knew the mother of one of the Hearts professional team who agreed to sign it.
“Six months went by before I got it back, and he’d not just got his team to sign it, he’d got the signature under their photos of every single player in the Scottish Premier Division.
“He’d gone to the dressing rooms after every game and got them to sign it. When it comes to value, it’s unique. It’s the only one there is and imagine how difficult it would be to build that collection. However, it has negligible value because no one is really interested in it.”
To illustrate some of the items that come across Mike’s desk, a Roman Augustus Gold Aureus, a gold sovereign from Edward VI’s reign, a document signed by Elizabeth I and two Penny Black stamps are laid out on the large oak desk.
From the first day of issue on 6th May 1840, 68 million Penny Blacks were printed, of which around 1.3 million still survive, so they’re not that rare, with values ranging from anywhere between £10 and £100,000.
What increases the value is the quality of the item, its story and what people are prepared to pay to own it. The business specialises in building investment-grade collections for its clients as well as building up its own collections for sale.
“It’s a compelling asset class especially if you’ve got millions. So, it’s not a bad idea to put a percentage of that into something that’s not correlated to traditional markets.
“Property is correlated to other things in the economy, but for collectibles, prices are driven more by passionate collectors.”
The business, which has been running for 16 years, is based in Jersey, with a support office in Bristol.
For collectibles, prices are driven more by passionate collectors
Mike Hall, CEO of Paul Fraser Collectibles
Some of the network of experts they use are in the island, but as the largest private collectible dealer in the world, they partner with specialists around the globe.
Dealing mainly in rare stamps, English gold coins and ancient coins, autographs, memorabilia, historical documents and artefacts, and limited-edition art, they also specialise in first edition books and movie posters.
“It’s not a traditional investment and even that word ‘investment’ is possibly not the right word. There’s no income attached to it but it’s an asset you can purchase and sell in the future for a profit or give to your children or grandchildren and they can make that money.
“It’s sensible wealth management although there are no financial products around buying and selling collectibles.
“People want to own something because it’s good quality and they have a passion for it, so prices are rising due to passion fuelling investment.”
Mike and his colleagues are keen to reach out to islanders as most people in Jersey don’t know they are here.
In addition to helping people get the right price for an item or collection, they also provide advice on building family heirlooms, help people diversify their retirement planning using collectibles, and help to decipher the complexities around owning collectibles, such as storage, insurance and making sure what they’re buying is right.
“I guess it’s the nature of the internet because everyone thinks they’re a collectibles dealer. There’s a lot of information on the internet, but it’s not enough.
“You need the expertise from doing the job. We get an intuition from having seen it many times, a sixth sense that lets you know instantly when something’s not genuine because we’ve been doing it for so long.
“Our network around the world is made up of the key experts in a lot of areas. When you look at something for the first time, you work on the premise that it’s not right until you’ve proven that it is right.
“If you answer all your questions, it might be genuine, then you’ve got to get it to the point where you are absolutely convinced.”
Thirty years ago, Mike changed career from being a chartered accountant to working for the world-famous rare stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons, spending most of his career there before joining Paul Fraser Collectibles.
As a keen stamp collector, he jokes that being an accountant to boot, was hardly grounds for being considered cool, but since the switch in career it’s a lot easier telling people what he does for a living.
“When I was an accountant, it was a conversation stopper at a dinner or party.
“When I say that I trade collectibles, it’s an hour’s conversation as everyone wants to talk about it.
“We invest a lot of money into buying the things that are hard to buy, and it’s meant I’ve been fortunate to go all over the world with my job.
“A lot of it is about research and everyone here is passionate about what we sell.”
Trying to pin down Mike on what stands out from his long career in collectibles is difficult as there are so many. His own private collection is more about the stories it can tell than the value.
When I say that I trade collectibles, it’s an hour’s conversation as everyone wants to talk about it
Mike Hall, CEO of Paul Fraser Collectibles
“There are two things that give me the most pleasure in this job. One of those is finding something you didn’t know you were interested in and knowing that you could own it.
“Secondly, it’s the detailed research into something we’re handling and finding out new information about it, leading you to a different story.
“I’ve done seven-figure sales in my career but not necessarily of anything I was particularly interested in, but I enjoyed selling Robert Burns’ bible which he had with him in his final days. It was incredible.
“This was Robert Burns, a legendary figure from Scottish history and I had the bible he was reading from just before he died.
“It had anecdotes he’d written in it. You’re getting an insight into a personality and that’s fascinating.”
Mike was also involved in selling John Lennon’s stamp album.
The stamp collection was worth nothing, but it had his earliest known signatures where he’d done what we all do when we’re young and practising our signatures.
It’s now in the Smithsonian Postal Museum in Washington DC, but it wasn’t the only significant sale that had a stamp theme and if Mike was to choose a career highlight, then it must be the most treasured first day cover in the world.
You’re getting an insight into a personality and that’s fascinating
Mike Hall, CEO of Paul Fraser Collectibles
“In the early 2000s when I was quite new to the game, we sold the Kirkcudbright Penny Black first day cover to the Queen.
“It was sent on the very first day of the issue of the Penny Black on 6th May 1840 with the largest number of Penny Blacks on any cover.
“We sold it to her for £250,000 and she had sold off parts of the Royal Philatelic Collection to pay for it. It wasn’t the most valuable thing I’ve ever sold, but it was the nature of what it was.”
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