Tangible Assets
& Collection Services
by IFB-Group
Ownership You Can Point To
Gold bars, paintings, a garage of classic cars. Wealth held in things rather than numbers has one great virtue and several quiet costs. It must be bought well, kept safely, insured properly and valued honestly. One day it must be sold or inherited without chaos.
IFB manages that entire cycle for private clients and family offices, under a separate mandate for each client. The principle is simple: the client owns specific, identified assets. Not a share in a pool. Not a claim against a platform. IFB coordinates the specialists, keeps the records and arranges liquidity when it is needed.
Asset Classes
Allocated Precious Metals
Specifically identified bars and coins, recorded by serial number and held with independent vault operators. We handle acquisition, insurance coordination, reporting and sale execution. Entry: EUR 100,000. See also our Precious Metal Accounts.
Fine Art & Collections
Acquisition due diligence, provenance and title review, independent appraisal, insurance and storage, and finance arrangement against eligible works. Entry: collections from EUR 1 million.
Prime Property & Land
Acquisition assessment, title and planning review, operating oversight and mortgage arrangement. We prefer assets that produce income or rest on a substantiated development case. Entry: EUR 1 million.
Collector Vehicles & Watches
Authentication, condition assessment, specialist storage and resale. We treat these as collection management, not as an instrument of wealth preservation, and we say so at the outset. Entry: collections from EUR 500,000.
Three Services Around Every Asset
1. Acquisition Mandate
IFB assesses the client's objectives and oversees the purchase. Specialist partners authenticate each asset and assess provenance, condition and price. Before anything is bought, the client receives a written recommendation showing:
- The purchase price and every commission.
- An independent valuation and observable market evidence.
- Storage, insurance and maintenance costs.
- The ownership documentation.
- Realistic exit routes and estimated disposal costs.
2. Custody & Collection Administration
An independent specialist stores the asset. IFB coordinates reporting, insurance renewals, valuation reviews and, eventually, disposal. Ownership is identifiable item by item: bullion serial numbers, artwork identifiers, chassis numbers. Custodian acknowledgement, withdrawal rights and the treatment of assets on a custodian's insolvency are fixed by contract before a single item moves in.
3. Secured Liquidity
A collector who needs liquidity should not have to sell the best piece in the collection to get it. IFB arranges loans against eligible assets through approved specialist lenders. Fine art is typically financed at up to 50% of independently appraised value; other assets are underwritten individually. Every facility requires:
- Independently supported value and a conservative haircut.
- Clear title and no competing pledge.
- Insurance, and lender control over release or disposal.
- The capacity to service interest without relying on appreciation.
- Agreed revaluation, margin and liquidation procedures.
We do not encourage borrowing against a collection to speculate elsewhere. A EUR 800,000 loan at 8% costs EUR 64,000 a year. A 6% return on the proceeds earns EUR 48,000. The paper value of the collection does not close that gap.
Collection Succession & Estate Administration
Collections rarely fail in the vault. They fail later, when nobody knows what exists, where it is, who owns it or what it is worth.
IFB maintains a complete asset register with ownership records and current valuations, coordinates inheritance planning with the client's legal and tax advisers, and manages orderly transfer or disposal when the time comes. This service applies across every asset class. Entry: EUR 1 million across assets.
Fees
Tangible-asset mandates carry their own fee schedule, separate from our Wealth Management Fees, so that no asset is charged twice.
- Initial collection assessment: EUR 5,000 to 15,000, fixed, depending on scope.
- Acquisition mandate: 1% to 2% of completed purchases, subject to a minimum fee.
- Collection administration: 0.5% to 1% per year, subject to a minimum annual charge.
- Finance arrangement: 1% to 2% of the facility actually funded.
- Succession or ownership restructuring: separately scoped fixed fee.
- Storage, insurance, appraisal and legal work: third-party charges, disclosed separately.
No performance fee is charged on unrealised valuations. Where a performance component is agreed, it applies to realised net gains only.
Illustration: a EUR 2 million collection acquired through IFB at 1.5% carries a one-off acquisition fee of EUR 30,000. Administration at 0.75% costs EUR 15,000 a year. Arranging a EUR 800,000 facility at 1.5% costs EUR 12,000. Third-party charges come on top.
What We Do Not Do
- We do not pool client money or sell fractional interests in assets. Each client owns his or her assets directly, under a separate mandate.
- We do not promise appreciation. Collectible markets fall as well as rise, and some take years to recover.
- We do not give tax advice on tangible assets. Bonded storage can suspend certain duties; it does not make them disappear. Capital-gains treatment depends on the asset, the owner's residence and the ownership structure. We work with the client's own tax advisers.
- We do not take on assets whose authenticity, provenance or source of funds cannot be documented.
This page describes services available on request. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation in any jurisdiction where such an offer would be unlawful. The availability of individual services depends on the client's place of residence and applicable law. Entry amounts and fees are indicative and are confirmed in each client's mandate. Lending is arranged through third-party lenders and is subject to their credit approval.
Would you like to discuss your collection?
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