One aviation enthusiast takes his dedication to collecting seriously with a nearly £100,000 purchase of a droop nose cone from the iconic British Airways Concorde jet. The nose is the defining element of the celebrated model and the private collector – a London property magnate who wished to remain anonymous – has snagged the piece to display on the wall in his home.

Andrew Lamberty, an antique dealer who purchased it for £55,000 from Paul Jarvis, curator of the British Airways Museum, sold the artifact and made a hefty profit. Lamberty commented, “It’s definitely going to retain its value. It’s a very, very rare thing. It’s a great piece of British history… it’s a real piece of James Bond-style finishing.”

An expert in the field has stated that the same Concorde nose cone had been valued at £320,000 shortly after the iconic supersonic jet was retired in 2003, with its value only expected to rise as time passes. He also has reason to believe that the purchased nose cone would be the last ever to hit the market, as it was one of only two spares that British Airways had owned.

[Source: London Evening Standard]