Today's topic is "What to get the guy on your Christmas list".  In another post, we covered the "non-masculine" gifts for 2021's enlightened men. Look, somebody has to do it so I'm falling on the silly sword, but seriously, what is a gift that keeps on giving?  What about Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh?

The First Christmas Gifts Would Tough To Beat

By the way, do you know what Frankincense & Myrrh are "Derived from tree sap, or gum resin, both frankincense and myrrh are prized for their alluring fragrance. Frankincense is a milky white resin extracted from plants...which thrive in arid, cool areas of the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and India....Myrrh is a reddish resin that comes from...northeast Africa and the adjacent areas of the Arabian Peninsula. "

Wait, that's been done and is now and forever off the table!

What About A  "Gift As Investment" For Those On Your List?

So, what else?  Well, if you are like Newsman Lance Tormey, you might consider those age-old childhood staples -Toys?   Tormey has collected for years and a portion of his collection was on display this year at the Central Washington State Fair.  He clued me into the possibilities which led me to a new study finds that a gift of unique toys can become a serious collectible for the recipient. For example, secondary market prices of retired LEGO sets grow by 11 percent annually, which is faster than gold, and most stocks, and bonds.

A paper published in the Research in International Business and Finance journal found tens of thousands of deals are made on the secondary LEGO market. Even taking into account the small prices of most sets, this is a huge market that is not well-known by traditional investors.  In addition, researchers found that LEGO prices are weakly dependent on the stock market, and they were even growing during the financial crisis of 2008.

Will You, As Santa, Consider The Unconventional Path?

According to a survey by Barclays, many people of means invest about 10% of their wealth in what could be considered conventional physical assets such as jewelry, art, antiques, collectible wines, and cars.   The demand for such items is strong in other countries like China, Russia, and the Middle Eastern.  The more unusual goods whose purchase might seem less serious but still carries value include: LEGO sets, Barbie dolls, superhero mini-figures, or model cars and trains.

This Christmas you may want to give a gift that will pay off down the road for the guys on your list. (maybe just not Barbie?)

LOOK: 15 Unconventional Christmas Albums From the Past 50 Years

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