 You realize a return when you go to sell them and there's no periodic income during ownership. You're buying something at a price and simply banking on the fact that someone will pay you more down the road. Collectibles can also come with hidden costs. I mean, this doesn't necessarily apply to bourbon, but it could if you had a huge collection, where are you storing it? Certainly with collectible cars, do you have a storage facility or a garage that you had to buy to house them? Those costs can diminish the overall return.