Become a Fan of 'Dead' Things

I just visited a friend who is a huge collector. This guy collects everything. We're talking paintings, photos, watches, books, old signs, even vintage TVs...

His home is like a museum where you could spend hours just taking it all in.

He pointed to a painting and said, "This is the very first painting that this artist ever sold. I got two of his works back then for less than 100 euros. It felt like a lot of money that could have been spent partying," he chuckled.

That painter is now one of the most expensive contemporary artists. The price for this work today? Let's just say it would make your eyes water.

I bet you just said: "If I were him, I'd have definitely bought a few back then."

But would you? Really?

I'm pretty sure that only a very few of us would.

See, it's always easy to look back. At the time, there was no hype around that artist, and there were a million other ways you could spend your money. Usually on the shiny object of the moment.

I remember when Bitcoin hit $65,000, and everyone was like, "If BTC ever goes back to $20k, I'll go all-in. I’m telling you, all-in!"

Well, it did. And again, I'd bet that nearly none of those folks actually went all-in when it did. And I’m pretty sure they'll scramble when it hits an all-time high again!

Spotting underpriced attention is tough.

Trends go in circles, though. So, what's my secret?

I actually often start hating stuff when it gets too hyped. That's why you often see me working on or talking about things that people consider "dead" at that moment.

Sure, sometimes it's a misstep because the thing is genuinely dead... But, often, the value and potential gains are hiding where attention is sparse.

So how do you spot an undervalued asset in your field?

Start by looking where others aren't. Do your homework and trust your intuition.

Trends always loop back around, and what's out of favor today could be the hot new thing tomorrow.

A killer tip? Don't just buy something because you're hoping the price will explode. Like my buddy with his painting – even if that artist never hit it big, he'd still have a badass piece of art hanging on his wall.

Oh, and speaking of it, guess how many of my NFTs are worth literally zero? I bought them thinking they might be the next big thing... turns out, many of them were not.

Here's my golden rule: only buy the stuff you actually like looking at. So yeah, I do have a ton of beautiful (but totally worthless) jpegs. But at the same time, you never know…

Remember, one person's dusty old painting could be your treasure. Keep your eyes peeled for those hidden gems. Just because it isn't shiny now doesn't mean it won't be gold later.

Have a great day,

Tino

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