Christmas Eve... It's a day of last-minute rushing around and present wrapping (or of relaxation, if you're more organised than the rest of us).
Hopefully, you've already bought your loved ones their Christmas presents. But, if you've missed out on buying that special someone a present they'd really like, then there's always the option of making it up to them later on...
But, with the sheer variety of collectibles out there on today's markets, what are the best late or last-minute collectibles for you to buy?
Over the next few days, Paul Fraser Collectibles will show you some of our favourite memorabilia pieces currently on offer. Those which have proven most coveted in the past, and could most likely bring you pleasure and profit in the future.
First up is The Beatle you can most imagine wearing a Christmas jumper and roasting chestnuts on an open fire: Sir Paul McCartney. (Maybe because his 1979 song, Wonderful Christmas Time, remains such a perennial festive classic.)
Like Lennon, McCartney's memorabilia enjoyed plenty of success in 2011's markets. Examples include a rare letter written by Paul to a wannabe drummer in the Fab Four's earliest days. The letter was met with "disbelief" when Christie's experts first saw it.
The auctioneer put the letter up for sale estimated at just £7,000-9,000. In the end, the autographed note sold for £34,850.
McCartney is definitely among the blue chips in today's autograph markets. Normally, deceased celebrities have the most valued signatures. After all, they're not around to sign any more autographs...
Yet, because he is such an international treasure, McCartney is more than a match for his late band mate, John Lennon, on the collectibles markets.
According to the industry's PFC40 Autograph Index, the average value of a McCartney signed photograph went up by 16.67% over the past 12 months.
This is a greater appreciation than Lennon's autograph - up 5.04% in the same period - and especially impressive given that last year was the 30th anniversary of Lennon's death. Big anniversaries normally lead to more activity in the auction markets.
In 2011, McCartney was ranked the 20th most powerful person in entertainment by Forbes magazine with estimated earnings of $67m.
Among our favourite McCartney autographs presently for sale include these 8" x 10" black and white photographs. One shows McCartney standing on a porch wearing a coat and scarf. This is a classic-era McCartney image, taken by his first wife Linda.
Another, also photographed by Linda, shows McCartney in action in the recording studio clutching headphones and a guitar.
McCartney himself has signed both pieces at their lower left. We have them for sale priced at £1,000 each.
And, if McCartney's autograph values continue to appreciate at a rate akin to 16.67% per annum, pieces like this could be worth significantly more in future years.
Even if it's too late to buy these pieces for your loved ones at Christmas, McCartney autographs like these examples could still bring you joy and profit in 2012.
