The quarterly report of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors just came out with some interesting findings. The British group see people socking their money into safe stores of value like silver:

a third of surveyors say antique prices have risen over the past three months, against 14% who say they have fallen – the strongest positive balance for a year. According to Rics, jewellery and silverware have been the strongest-performing sectors. Small lots at auctions, priced at £1,000 or less, saw the sharpest increase in prices,

Auction Fever: The Art of Safe Investing (Guardian)