Anyone who remembers 1976 can testify that the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence painted America red, white and blue with patriotic euphoria. In 2026, the country’s semiquincentennial (aka sestercentennial) will very likely bring a similar swell of national pride with fireworks, intense media coverage and inspiring museum exhibitions. All the hoopla, art experts say, will boost the value of Americana collectibles.

“Historically, important milestones for the country have given rise to a widespread excitement for all things American. With the Bicentennial in 1976, collectors clamored for Americana,” recalls Bill Rau, CEO and third-generation owner of M.S. Rau, an art and antiques dealer in New Orleans.

Most likely to increase in value the next few years, Rau predicts, are “items from America’s most popular historic figures—Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton and even Paul Revere, who was an impressive silversmith—as well as objects associated with wartime presidents like Roosevelt and Truman and to a lesser extent Woodrow Wilson. I recommend wealthy collectors begin doing their homework now.”

Advisors don’t have to be connoisseurs to give clients guidance about buying or selling precious pieces. But an understanding of the marketplace is essential, starting with its recent history for context.

“From 2000 to 2007 you saw a great uptick in the Americana market,” says John Hays, a deputy chair at Christie’s, the auction house, in New York. Then the financial crisis led to a slide that lingered a decade. “It took a long time to recover, but now we’re seeing the market move forward again,” Hays says.

Data bear that out. On May 12, Christie’s sold the smaller of two extant versions of Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing the Delaware for $45,045,000. That was more than double the amount expected, and reflected an average annual compound increase of about 11.8% from the celebrated work’s previous sale 43 years ago at $370,000. “And Remington sculptures are on fire right now,” Hays adds, referring to the esteemed 19th century American West artist Frederic S. Remington.

Americana, like other collectible markets, is driven by sellers, not buyers or the economy, particularly at the high end, says Hays. “There is a very small supply of masterpieces and rare portraits in this field. So whether sellers are encouraged to put up [for sale] great things is important. It’s a pipeline driven market.”

Paths In
The players in the marketplace, both buyers and sellers, face advantages and challenges, and it’s important for advisors to outline these to their clients.

Auction houses let collectors bid in person at the events, by phone or online. In theory, an auction reveals an item’s true market value. The hammer price (or winning bid) shows the actual amount a buyer is willing to pay a willing seller.

But a problem for the buyer is not knowing the price up front. A case in point is the John Wilkes Booth reward poster that Dallas-based Heritage Auctions sold last year. “It was in great condition, two or three bidders really wanted it, and it set a world record. We got $275,000 for it. Normally these sell in the $60,000 to $80,000 range,” reports Curtis Lindner, director of the Americana Department at Heritage Auctions.

The winning bidder typically pays a buyer’s premium. It can top 20% for a mid-seven-figure object and come closer to 25% at lower prices. Sellers pay a commission that may be reduced or waived when offering an exceptional artifact.

Some wealthy collectors like to bid themselves for the thrill. Others engage an agent to bid for them, Lindner explains. Agents assess the desirability of available items, strategize with the collectors about how much to bid, then represent the collectors for a negotiated fee at the auction.

The other major players in this market are the dealers. Some serve as agents, but generally dealers buy pieces for their own inventory, then resell them. A dealer often works closely with collectors—especially ones seeking pricier objects—learning their interests and perhaps helping them form a vision for their collections. Then the dealers hunt the want lists.

“The legwork on the collector’s end is usually minimal with a dealer, and the experience is tailored to the collector’s needs,” says Rau. “You decide what you like and let the dealer do the hard work of locating the perfect piece.”

The drawback is not knowing the dealer’s markup, which is often viewed as an amount above the market value. In some cases it might not be much more than the buyer’s premium at an auction house. And in any case, paying up may be worth it to a busy client to land something very special.

Is It Real?
No matter which avenue a collector takes, watching for fraud is essential. The Americana world is rife with fakes and forgeries. “If you stumble across a price that is too good to be true on eBay, it is almost certainly not legitimate,” says Rau, who advises buying only from reputable auction houses and dealers.

Technology abets fakery. Heritage Auctions’ Lindner says, “People are using high-quality printers to make rare Abraham Lincoln campaign ribbon, putting them on silk, and it’s very hard to detect if it’s an original or not.”

Collectors should also be careful with autographs. It’s a common practice, says Lindner, for presidents’ signatures to be made by their secretaries or by an autopen (a machine many politicians and celebrities use). These aren’t exactly forgeries. But they’re not the real thing, either.

First Actions
If Americana becomes hot and collectors think of selling their treasures, they’ll need help valuing what they have and will want to turn to appraisers. When they have some idea of the value of their collectibles, Rau says they should “reach out to auction houses and dealers after discovering which excel most in your specific market of Americana. It is well worth shopping around.”

Clients inspired to begin a collection of their own may wonder how to start. “Collecting art can be daunting,” says Erik Gronning, senior vice president and head of the Americana Department at Sotheby’s, in New York. “Even very successful people feel there’s a great knowledge base that they’re not privy to.

“It’s OK to start small,” he adds. “One of the wonderful things about any collection is that you can upgrade it or change the scope.”

Rather than collecting solely for investment, he urges people “to collect what they like. It will be a much more fulfilling experience. There’s nothing better than to sit in your living room when your friends come over and talk about a fabulous duck decoy that you have on the wall, or a table handcrafted out of walnut in 1730 in Philadelphia.”

Lindner advises buying specimens in the best condition affordable. They’ll be easier to sell later and hold value better than autographs with light ink or photographs with tears or stains.

Given today’s divided culture, cynics may argue that the enthusiasm about the country’s 250th birthday, and hence for American artifacts, won’t develop. Gronning doesn’t buy that. Because the genre encompasses so many categories, he says, “there’s something for everybody under the umbrella of Americana.”