Here’s one that got away. Postcard of a limited edition glow-in-the-dark print, Celestial, produced by the Serpentine Gallery in 1998 for Chris Ofili‘s ‘Paintings’ show. I nearly bought this – it was £70, I think, edition of 320 – but there was a really obnoxious Prada-clad woman in the queue in front of me, loudly exclaiming that she wanted a lower numbered edition, darling, and the little serpentinista at the desk was falling over themselves to accommodate her…I suddenly became disgusted with whole transaction (plus, it was just after my daughter was born, so I probably had no money), so I just took the card and felt better about myself.
Looking idly around today, 14 years later, I see that an edition of Celestial would set you back £2500, which goes to show a 3 things: If you know what you’re doing, art is a great investment: If you are going to collect art, acquire a thick skin and insist on the lowest edition number: and always buy what’s available when it’s available.