Why Formula 1 trophies can be harder to value than the cars that won them

Racing trophies are a rare collectible, purely because they can be among the most unpredictable of Formula 1 ephemera. Values vary wildly. Are they investment pieces? They’re possibly worth more to the winner (or team) than any buyer, but as a centrepiece to a collection they could be golden… literally.

Modern trophies are just not for sale. They are kept by teams, not drivers, but sometimes drivers could commission a replica, and there are exceptions – like Nigel Mansell, who kept all his trophies,above, 1992 French GP silverware.

Today, the originals are all funded by sponsors or promoters and are unlikely to ever be on the market. They can only really be valued for insurance, as they are team museum pieces. There are also cases of what the trophy is made from being more valuable than the trophy itself, as evidenced with the BOC Golden Helmet. The Everoak-made Herbert Johnson helmet and goggles that Stirling Moss wore when he won the 1957 British GP were bought by the British Oxygen Company and layered in gold leaf to become a trophy for Formula Ford events. It then lived in the BRDC Clubhouse for years before being sold recently. The trophy was dismantled and the helmet and goggles were restored as one of only a handful of known Stirling Moss helmets that still exist today.

Trophy sales are also seldom about the item itself. Instead people buy them for the event they were won at or linked to a favourite driver. Jim Clark is a great example. A club racing trophy is typically of low value, but if it’s one that’s been held by Jim Clark, there’s intrinsic value.

Be patient, as trophies don’t come up often, especially if you’re after a specific one from a race you were at or that your favourite driver won. But you could be looking at a new favourite collectible if luck and circumstance is on your side.

Andrew Francis is director at The Signature Store. thesignaturestore.co.uk

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