Limited Edition Prints

Collecting art can be a wonderful thing. Not only is it fantastic to surround yourself by beautiful images and things that really inspire you, but sometimes those collections can actually increase in value over time.

A poster will probably never go up in value (unless maybe its signed by someone famous), and while there are some fantastic posters out there, they have more of an aesthetic value than a dollar value. While there is nothing wrong with purchasing and displaying a lovely poster in your home, sometimes a limited edition print can get you some more bang for your buck. So what is a limited edition print?

Essentially a limited edition is when an artists makes a limited amount of copies from their original work. This could mean they produce 30 prints of their original oil painting or 150 of one particular photograph. To be a limited edition the prints must be signed and numbered by the artist. Once an artist sells all of their edition they may not reproduce anymore.

So what this means for you as a collector is that if you own #1 out of 50 than your print will be the most valuable in time (aside from the original of course). And once all of an edition is sold out, this is when your print starts to go up in value over time. The longer the edition is sold out, the more valuable it is. Lots of factors carry into this of course, like how sought after the artist is, or if he/she is still alive.

Collecting art can be a lot more expensive than buying an everyday poster, especially if the artist is well known. I recently came across a website that aids in helping collectors find limited edition prints at a very affordable price. 20×200 features different artists each week that offer up limited editions ranging from $20 to $2,000 and up.

One of my favorite photographers, Sharon Montrose, recently offered up some of her famous animal prints on 20×200. They are selling out fast, so definitely head on over to check out her fantastic work.

If you are at all interested in being a collector of limited edition prints, having them professionally custom framed is essential to preserving their longevity. Its important that they are framed with acid free materials and UV light filtering glass would also be beneficial to keep them from fading over time. Be sure to check with your local custom picture framer about the best way to preserve limited edition prints. Framing them properly is an important step in increasing their value.