Sotheby's (BID)

Wish I could get lucky and finally have enough money to shop here.

By: Erica Feldkamp, WeSeed Writer Have an eye for beauty? Think your taste in art can make you a buck or two? Well, I have some news for you: Investing in art is trickier than investing in stocks, since it's harder to predict the value of art. In some ways predicting the trends of national and world economies is like kindergarten class compared to predicting the price tag on a piece of art. Some traders have created art hedge funds, specialized investment funds trading art, instead of securities. Interesting concept, but who is to say that traders have more insight into the value of art than anyone else? There are simply few absolutes in the art world off of which to base an investment. But people do it anyway. Individual collectors, auction houses like Sotheby's (BID) and Christie's, and art hedge funds are all betting on their good taste - and their ability to spot a Rembrandt in the making. Still, some have an easier time making money from art than others. Robbers made a getaway with $160 million in Monet, Lepic, and van Gogh works last night from a Zurich museum. The black market in fine art is a $6 billion dollar per year industry. Then there's the story of the truck driver who bought a Jackson Pollock work for $5.00 at a thrift store. I'm guessing it was a good buy. Art is ambiguous. What would you pay for a piece of art? And is it a good place to invest?