Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Lee · 21st April 2023, 05:34 PM

The "trick" is, of course, dispersing a collection with minimum "loss to ... investment."

If the retiring collector is still in a condition to and of a mind to manage the sale, then by doing a lot of the work in posting for and fulfilling on-line sales or renting a table at shows, a maximum low retail return can likely be achieved (though maybe not in inflation adjusted terms.) The problem with this approach is that it is a lot of work. Anyone who has done this realizes that the dealers very often earn their mark-ups.

Collectors are often shocked when they go to sell and receive a "wholesale" offer from dealers that they have dealt with over the years. Expect an offer for about 50% (or less) of retail! It takes a good while to disperse a collection and the dealer's working capital is tied up until the items have found a new home.

An auction will likely want 25% of hammer price from the seller, but they are going to collect another 20% or so from the buyer and all but the uninitiated will have factored the total price into their maximum bid.

Some specialist dealers may accept items to sell on consignment for a lesser percentage of the selling price - the retiring collector will then have to wait to get paid, but is spared the uncertainty of an item doing poorly on the day of an auction.

My personal attitude has been to tell potential heirs to take what they want when the day comes because they like or have memories of the thing and to find an honest auctioneer to clear out the bulk. Sudden horror - "What if I miss something that is really valuable and you have not left me a detailed inventory with prices?!" My reply: "That is not my problem - I'll be dead after all - and such is the life cycle of antiques and the chance of an eureka is what I'll have bestowed upon future owners."

21st April 2023, 05:34 PM	#4
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 932	Probably not helpful The "trick" is, of course, dispersing a collection with minimum "loss to ... investment." If the retiring collector is still in a condition to and of a mind to manage the sale, then by doing a lot of the work in posting for and fulfilling on-line sales or renting a table at shows, a maximum low retail return can likely be achieved (though maybe not in inflation adjusted terms.) The problem with this approach is that it is a lot of work. Anyone who has done this realizes that the dealers very often earn their mark-ups. Collectors are often shocked when they go to sell and receive a "wholesale" offer from dealers that they have dealt with over the years. Expect an offer for about 50% (or less) of retail! It takes a good while to disperse a collection and the dealer's working capital is tied up until the items have found a new home. An auction will likely want 25% of hammer price from the seller, but they are going to collect another 20% or so from the buyer and all but the uninitiated will have factored the total price into their maximum bid. Some specialist dealers may accept items to sell on consignment for a lesser percentage of the selling price - the retiring collector will then have to wait to get paid, but is spared the uncertainty of an item doing poorly on the day of an auction. My personal attitude has been to tell potential heirs to take what they want when the day comes because they like or have memories of the thing and to find an honest auctioneer to clear out the bulk. Sudden horror - "What if I miss something that is really valuable and you have not left me a detailed inventory with prices?!" My reply: "That is not my problem - I'll be dead after all - and such is the life cycle of antiques and the chance of an eureka is what I'll have bestowed upon future owners."