Wealthy investors are increasingly turning to stamps, autographs and other collectibles as a means of protecting their fortunes.

Stanley Gibbons, the world's biggest philatelic dealer, said yesterday that collectibles were being recognised more and more as an “alternative investment” and that their potential as a “savings and wealth management asset class” was growing.

Mirroring recent comments on the strength of the art market, Mike Hall, chief executive of Stanley Gibbons, said the value of rare stamps and autographs - the company's two biggest areas of expertise - were unaffected by falling stock markets, making them popular as investors sought to diversify their asset holdings.

“The stock market is driven by greed, whereas the stamp market is driven by passion,” he said. “People love their collections and if things get tight they're the last things that go.”

He said that while low-value stamps could be susceptible, rare stamp values were resilient to economic downturns. Even between 1980 and 1985, the most difficult period of recent times, the value of rare stamps continued to grow, albeit marginally.

An index comparing the prices of 30 rare stamps sold by Stanley Gibbons in 1998 and again in 2007 shows an average annual increase of 10.7 per cent and a compound increase over the period of 149 per cent.

Mr Hall was speaking after reporting a 23 per cent jump in 2007 profits before tax and exceptional operating costs to £4.62 million, from turnover up by more than a fifth to £20.2 million. Earnings per share were up 22 per cent at 13.46p and the final dividend of 2.75p makes a total of 4.5p, up 13 per cent.

— Popular autographs include Sir Winston Churchill, Napoleon, Lord Nelson, James Dean and The Beatles

Dominic Walsh, The Times, March 15, 2008.