🐒 Should you dip into the Origin of Species?

Hey all. 

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting millennia for, ever since you pulled yourself with shaky forelegs and ragged breath out of primordial soup onto dry land. You glanced at the tadpole next to you, nodded, knowing that one day you’d both be able to invest in a first edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species via UK fractional investing platform Showpiece. And here you are, with the long-awaited chance to do exactly that.

As always, keep in mind that this isn’t investment advice, but rather a breakdown of the opportunity to help you make your mind up. So while we’ll give our opinion on whether the investment’s worth your while, be sure to do your own research as well. 

🐒 The opportunity

What a relief Showpiece developed hind legs, because it’s walking the walk: it’s giving you the chance to buy into a first edition of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. The book is valued at £275,000, but you can buy in for a very reasonable price even by fractional platform standards: £50 a share. That price point might be why there are only around 57% left at the time of writing.

🐒 The market

Valuable books are one of the more reliable alternative assets out there. You’re not likely to make astronomical gains from one year to the next like you might in, say, the trading card market, but you’re also less likely to see big dips in value. So if you’re looking for steady appreciation over a number of years, first editions might be for you. 

The market’s also different from trading cards insofar as there’s no standardised grading system. In other words, it’s much harder to compare two identical assets like for like. That means it’s a very subjective process, where one dealer may grade a book as being in “good” condition where another considers it “very good”. After all, dealers have different specialties, different levels of experience and different expectations for particular books. They also might’ve paid different amounts for comparable copies. 

All this is to say, a lack of standardisation means there’s going to be more variation between valuations. Fortunately, Showpiece uses reputable authenticators and valuers, so you’re in good hands on that front.

🐒 The investment

Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was first published in 1859, forming the foundation of evolutionary biology and bringing the idea of natural selection into the mainstream. Little wonder, then, that it’s become such an in-demand piece of work. 

Luxury auctioneer Christie’s – which has been responsible for the sale of multiple On the Origins – has allowed us to track the first edition’s performance since 2012, with the last decade having seen a steady uptick. There was also an unusual spike last year, which might have something to do with a sudden fervour for alternative investments in the face of rocketing inflation. By that token, you shouldn’t be too worried about the drop-off we’ve seen this year: it’s more-or-less just corrected back to levels it would’ve been at in more normal times. 

🐒 The final verdict