Brich House · Market insight · 18 October 2026
Where value stands
Each collectible market has its own price reference, and each measures something different. We set them side by side, dated and sourced, so the whole market reads at once. We describe where value stands. We do not forecast it or advise on it.
The market, collectively
The top end is setting records while the broad measures barely move. Watches, cars, coins and sports memorabilia have each seen record auction totals in 2026.
Watch prices on the secondary market rose 1.2% in the third quarter on the WatchCharts measure, and still sit about 29% below their April 2022 peak. Hagerty's classic-car rating is in the band it calls flat.
Across luxury assets as a whole, Knight Frank's index closed 2025 down 0.4%, with watches up 5.1% and cars down 3.7%.
This week a 1792 half disme graded PCGS MS68 sold at Heritage for $2.928 million on 9 October, a record for the type.
By category
Watches
About 29% below the April 2022 peak · +1.2% in Q3 2026; +8.3% on a year earlier
WatchCharts Overall Market, Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts Q3 2026 report, as reported 15 Oct 2026. Measured from mixed.
Can’t see: Counts a redialed or part-swapped watch as original
Velociphile, 15 Oct 2026Watch auctions
CHF 74.8 million, which Phillips calls the highest-grossing watch auction on record
Phillips Geneva, 9–10 May 2026. Measured from auction results.
Can’t see: One sale; the private and dealer market is unseen
Phillips, 10 May 2026Cards
$8.04 million for a Cooper Flagg card, the top public card sale of 2026 we found
Fanatics Collect Premier auction, 25 Sep 2026. Measured from auction results.
Can’t see: No free public index; one sale can set the value buy-backs pay against
Sole Retriever, Sep 2026Sports memorabilia
$62.9 million at Heritage, the largest sports auction recorded; a 1998 Finals Michael Jordan jersey at $14 million (private)
Heritage Platinum Night; Hunt Auctions, Aug and 12 Oct 2026. Measured from sales.
Can’t see: No index; game-use rests on photo matching and letters
AP via Click2Houston, 12 Oct 2026Comics
$15 million (private sale)
Action Comics No. 1, CGC 9.0, 9 Jan 2026. Measured from sales.
Can’t see: No free public index; a handful of key issues set the headlines
AP via CBS News, 9 Jan 2026Coins
$73,241.62 · -0.17% on a year earlier; twelve-month range $72,718.51 to $73,468.95
PCGS3000 Rare Coin Index, 17 Oct 2026. Measured from price guide.
Can’t see: Reflects the opinions of PCGS's price experts, by its own disclaimer; PCGS is owned by the same group as PSA
PCGS, read 18 Oct 2026Classic cars
58.74, inside the band Hagerty calls flat · Monterey Car Week auctions a record $755.6 million (17 Aug)
Hagerty Market Rating, August report, published 24 Sep 2026. Measured from mixed.
Can’t see: Matching numbers and originality are checked car by car, not in the index
Hagerty, 24 Sep 2026Luxury assets overall
Down 0.4% for 2025 · Watches +5.1%, cars -3.7%, whisky -10.9%, fine wine (Liv-ex 100) -2.5%
Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, The Wealth Report 2026, 23 Apr 2026. Measured from index of indices.
Can’t see: Annual, and built from other indices
Knight Frank, 23 Apr 2026Art
$59.6 billion of sales in 2025 · +4% on 2024
Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, 2026 report. Measured from mixed.
Can’t see: Annual; built from dealer surveys and auction data
Art Basel
| Category | Where value stands | Recent move | Reference and date | Measured from | What it can’t see |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watches | About 29% below the April 2022 peak | +1.2% in Q3 2026; +8.3% on a year earlier | WatchCharts Overall Market, Morgan Stanley and WatchCharts Q3 2026 report, as reported 15 Oct 2026 | Mixed | Counts a redialed or part-swapped watch as original |
| Watch auctions | CHF 74.8 million, which Phillips calls the highest-grossing watch auction on record | Phillips Geneva, 9–10 May 2026 | Auction results | One sale; the private and dealer market is unseen | |
| Cards | $8.04 million for a Cooper Flagg card, the top public card sale of 2026 we found | Fanatics Collect Premier auction, 25 Sep 2026 | Auction results | No free public index; one sale can set the value buy-backs pay against | |
| Sports memorabilia | $62.9 million at Heritage, the largest sports auction recorded; a 1998 Finals Michael Jordan jersey at $14 million (private) | Heritage Platinum Night; Hunt Auctions, Aug and 12 Oct 2026 | Sales | No index; game-use rests on photo matching and letters | |
| Comics | $15 million (private sale) | Action Comics No. 1, CGC 9.0, 9 Jan 2026 | Sales | No free public index; a handful of key issues set the headlines | |
| Coins | $73,241.62 | -0.17% on a year earlier; twelve-month range $72,718.51 to $73,468.95 | PCGS3000 Rare Coin Index, 17 Oct 2026 | Price guide | Reflects the opinions of PCGS's price experts, by its own disclaimer; PCGS is owned by the same group as PSA |
| Classic cars | 58.74, inside the band Hagerty calls flat | Monterey Car Week auctions a record $755.6 million (17 Aug) | Hagerty Market Rating, August report, published 24 Sep 2026 | Mixed | Matching numbers and originality are checked car by car, not in the index |
| Luxury assets overall | Down 0.4% for 2025 | Watches +5.1%, cars -3.7%, whisky -10.9%, fine wine (Liv-ex 100) -2.5% | Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, The Wealth Report 2026, 23 Apr 2026 | Index of indices | Annual, and built from other indices |
| Art | $59.6 billion of sales in 2025 | +4% on 2024 | Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, 2026 report | Mixed | Annual; built from dealer surveys and auction data |
Each row is that market’s own public reference, quoted with attribution. They are not combined into one number, because they measure different things. Figures are as each source reports them on the date shown. Not investment advice.
Rip platforms
Seven pull platforms side by side: who holds the cards, the buy-back and who sets its value, where identity is checked, and whether anyone independent checks the vault.
Rip platforms, side by sideWhy verification and price go together
A price is only as good as the item behind it.
Every reference above counts a sale as a sale. A relic card with a swapped patch, a watch with a redialed face or a sale that was never paid all enter the record as if they were clean.
We record what an item is, against its cert or serial, and keep that record with it. The price that matters is the one behind an item whose identity holds.