Sotheby's and Christie's are outside my realm, which is that of a bottom-feeder. A few of my buys have appreciated, mostly Chinese-Japanese porcelain, but most were bought because they appealed and fit my budget. My heirs, if they sell, will probably get back a bit more than I spent, which is good enough.
I bought Canadian paintings by artists whose work I liked and I could afford; a couple or three have gone up markedly, most have kept pace with inflation, and a few no longer elicit anyone's interest and are useful only to cover holes in the wall.

A collection of Navajo silver and turquoise pretty well follows the demand; no expectation of profit, since the very early work and the work of the trendy and expensive artists is absent. I like the handiwork and that is reason enough for me to collect.

Any collectors of 17th-18th c. Dutch blue and white tiles out there?
Canadian history on silk cigarette cards?