Everything Collectors Need To Know

From cigars and classic cars to serious artworks (are you looking for a Warhol or Rothko? Yours in the May sales, if you have millions to spare…), we bring you everything you need to know about the hottest collectibles on the market. Editor of The Collector 2026, Simon de Burton, introduces the new issue:

Inside The Collector 2026

When it comes to collecting, I abide by one golden and intractable rule: quantity over quality.

I blame my genes. Mother was an antiques dealer and auctioneering had been the family business on the old man’s side since the early 19th century, so accumulating stuff I didn’t know I needed has always been second nature. Some people look at my five classic cars, 25 motorcycles, dozens of watches, drawers full of fountain pens, hundreds of paintings and thousands of books wearing quizzical expressions that simply ask: ‘Why?’

Not George Bamford, though. He understands the affliction that makes a person feel it’s his or her mission in life to rescue things simply because other people don’t want them. In Bamford’s case, it’s Land Rovers which, as he tells Simon Mills, he has become so shamelessly addicted to that he now owns at least 20, possibly more than 30.

Ask the experts and they will often say a collection must be ‘focused’. It’s probably a good idea, but it’s not one I espouse to – and neither, it seems, does Bob Rubin, whose accumulation of ‘not art, just stuff’ spans everything from rare Ferraris to multi-million-pound paintings, Chinese opium pillows and Steve McQueen’s restaurant card. Rubin is the most interesting person I’ve met in years, and it was an honour and delight to interview him for our feature.

However, many serious collectors are specific about the types of things they buy – as you’ll discover from Captain Thomas Potzsch (Montblanc pens), Cora Sheibani (Berlin ironwork jewellery) and Jean-Baptiste Bacquart (tribal art) – who we spoke to for What’s Your Fetish?

All of this demonstrates just how incredibly diverse the world of collecting really is – not to mention its sustainability (because it usually involves preserving something) and its accessibility (rich or poor, young or old; anyone can collect).

So get out there, start hunting, and don’t let anyone try to stop you.

Also Inside The Issue

• Mike Gibson meets Guy Ritchie to understand why the filmmaker has partnered with the Chase family on a singularly English single malt
• Ex-Sotheby’s expert and founder of The Eye of The Collector Nazy Vassegh breaks down how to bid at auction in a changing landscape
• From René Magritte to Mark Rothko: the top lots from May’s sales in 20th and 21st century art
• We hunt down unusual bookshops for curious bibliophiles and the latest dazzling dress watches for both men and women
• Showcasing Pragnell’s extraordinary Origins Clock, the jeweller’s collaboration with horologist Bob Bray on a meticulous replica of John Harrison’s original 18th-century chronometer

Pick up your copy of The Collector 2026 here