The Beano, The Dandy, Valiant, Eagle and Whizzer & Chips were all weekly comic thrills from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s onwards. Bought for a few pennies, they livened up the end of the week, just as youngsters were preparing for the Saturday morning trip to the cinema for a programme of westerns, cartoons and the like.

Characters like Desperate Dan, Korky the Kat, Billy Whizz and the Bash Street Kids were our heroes as we chuckled at their adventures. What we never thought then, as we crumpled the weekly issue and discarded it in the bin, was that we were chucking out a fortune in future collectables.

It’s not so long ago that a first issue of Action Comics from June 1938 broke the auction record for a comic at over $3 million – the cover unveiling Superman for the first time. Additional copies of this rarity followed suit at even higher prices, while other heroes also made their mark in the millions, culminating in $3.6 million for Spiderman’s first appearance in 1962.

Now, however, this frenzied world of collecting has gone one better, with a $3.4 million bid for a single original drawing for a Spiderman comic. Dating to 1984, it shows the webbed wonder clad for the first time in his figure-hugging new black suit.

Even that’s not the record, though. A single original drawing from Tintin and The Black Lotus, by Hergé, took the equivalent of $3.8 million in Paris a year ago.

Where will it all end? Probably with prices soaring a great deal higher now so many of the new multi-millionaires and billionaires are in their twenties and thirties and grew up on this fodder.

So many factors come into play when buying and selling at auction that it can be difficult to assess how the market in any particular object or collecting field is doing.

For instance, it is counterintuitive that as an artist becomes more successful, their average lot value can actually decline. Why? Because while they may sell more masterworks at higher prices, they can also start selling much higher numbers of lower value drawings and prints and this dilutes the average price.

Auctioneers have to be careful not to flood the market, which can also depress prices and sell-through rates, thereby damaging the market for an artist or collectable. This means that they have to have a reasonable idea of what the market can take at any given time – and must be able to gauge this for a multitude of items.

Prices may also vary depending on when items are put up for auction: sales of vintage ski posters, for instance, tend to be held in February and March, when the ski season is getting underway and the rich are thinking about their chalets.

How things are presented at auction is another important factor, as is where they should appear in the line of lots so that the auctioneer can build a crescendo of buying and revive flagging interest at key points in the proceedings.

In fact, the psychology of the auction process would make a fascinating theme for a book.

This is the final set of predictions for 2022 from Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill, written in partnership with the CEO of the company he now works with, Ronati.

They continue like this:

The market will look inward if international shipping remains a serious challenge. This means that dealers will look for new collecting fields and opportunities to market items that have so far been overlooked or neglected. We could see a significant expansion of British Folk Art as a result.

Creativity. The greater the challenge, the more inventive and ingenious people tend to be in finding a way around it. After two years of frustration, we should be ready for a mini Renaissance in terms of cultural and business creativity. This could mean rapid progress in developing technology and marketing within the art and antiques market. All of this adds up to widespread opportunity.

I have found these predictions – set out over the past three weeks – fascinating and very much in tune with the way I see things. To quote Stacey Tiveron, Ronati’s CEO, whatever the technological and marketing developments the following remains true:

“Essentially, we are potentially entering an era of unprecedented opportunity for those with the right mindset,” says Stacey Tiveron. “This does not mean a change in values – expertise, knowledge, quality and striving for the best will always be key to success – but we have to open our eyes to new activity that may not even appear to be part of the market at first but could turn out to be the next big thing in it.”

Expertise and customer service are at the heart of business success in the auction industry, never more evident, I hope, than in our special valuation days, which launch again in the new year.

The more I read the set of predictions for the art and antiques market in 2022 and beyond from Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill, written in partnership with the CEO of the company he now works with, Ronati, the more I find I agree with them, especially as they tackle the new post-pandemic reality head on in the most constructive way.

Here is there next set of predictions:

More younger dealers will appear on the scene. They may not know it yet, but they will be part of the art market. Generation Z has grown up trading clothes and sneakers/trainers via sites like De-Pop and is already confident in packing and shipping goods off to customers. An increasing number will seek out revenue-generating opportunities trading in jewellery, clothing, musical instruments, vinyl, designer brands and other topical collectables via dedicated sites like Xupes, Cudoni, Hardly Ever Worn It, Discogs, Etsy and StockX. Mainstream art and antiques market actors will do well to take heed and see how they can tap into this burgeoning area of trade.

More luxury brands will start to trade in sought-after collectables from their pre-owned ranges as they realise the revenue stream for this is currently going elsewhere. Look out for areas dedicated to the rare, curated and pre-loved on their main commercial websites. Stella McCartney, Burberry and now Gucci have already tapped into this market, the latter partnering with TheRealReal.

Continued next week