Okay, Seriously What Do I Do With A Collection...

that someone gave to me to sell.

I have gone through a bunch of US stuff, some I have posted.
Looking through some GB stuff. I have found several SG#2, Scott#3.
about a dozen or so that cat OVER 100.00
and I haven't even started looking in the 3 volume set (each album about 6 inches thick) full of stamps.

I think they took out all the really high value stuff.
But that was 20 years ago.....
I'm just not sure if I should sell it all this weekend at a stamp show or sell it myself piecemeal. I get 10% of the profits.

What to do?

Did you join the Bowie Stamp Club? You can see if any of their members might want to buy some. You could try getting a table at the quarterly Laurel show too...or even here!

Best of luck on that one. Recently I bought at a garage sale 8 large binders of very common stuff for $20 and I still don't know what I'm going to do with it. A lot of it will go to my Son but the remainders (Duplicates) I'm not sure of. Personally I'd try and sell it in lots with a mixture of common and higher catalog value. If you sell off the Higher catalog values on their own then you're stuck with lots of common material that is not easy to sell.

I am going to the laurel show on Saturday to sell it all. The owner just wants to get rid of it.

I belong to the Annapolis stamp club..

Where the heck are you that you know of these places>

Is there any South African and surrounding areas material in the collection - I wouldn't having a look at that.

The collection I was given to 'dispose' of has/had both good and common material and it's been great fun selling it.
I have learned a lot, especially about the Line Engraved early GB and I am so glad I didn't take the easy route and sell in one go. [I know what I would have got].
I will make enough for myself to be able to get to Autumn Stampex in London and I still have all the South African stuff to give Stampstudy a nice present ! And the owners will be very happy indeed.
So sell piecemeal if there is some good stuff, it might be fun !



I'd just like to add that EVERYTHING I have sold thus far has been through 3 groups I belong to. Nothing has been sold through an online auction up to now. I have done a lot of research, checking and double-checking on prices,descriptions and values, all good for the learning curve. I have always been a supporter of selling through online groups [to friends and fellow chatters] rather than online auctions and this little venture has proved something in that regard. It is possible.

Londonbus1

I agree. Selling it off by pieces would net you the greatest return, assuming you have the time, effort and interest in doing it.

Some people (mostly non-collectors) who just want to liquidate a stamp collection for a quick return will almost surely lose money by doing it that way.

The time and effort to sell it piecemeal will certainly net the greatest return, however, there does come a point of valuing your labor to do it. Likewise, if you're selling the pieces on-line, there is also the risk of non-receipt, the costs that would be incurred for postage and shipping, etc., all of which must be considered in the equation. As a stamp collector, it's probably an enjoyable learning experience, so go for it.

Stampvirgin
You ask for advice on what to do with the collection and 40mn later you post you are going to sell it at the Laurel show next Saturday. I wish you good luck. If the owner wants quick money it's the right thing to do probably. Me I would buy it from the seller and sell it piece by piece. But not everybody has time to do it this way. Usually when someone ask you to sell his collection he wants the money quick especially when he has inherited the collection.

Why not just send it to Mystic or Golden Valley and let them buy the entire collection?

You said 'seriously' so the truth, "Give it back and don't ever sell for others again" - another good lesson we learn. Sorry.


Many collectors have did 'others' a selling favor that occasionally goes sour by the owners family thinking you have pocketed/swapped expensive ones and sold whats left for a fraction of the value the collector had hinted to family.

stampvirgin: I use to live in Maryland until 2002. There's also Maryland Stamps & Coins in Bethesda. They buy collections as well, but don't know what kind price they would give. I always got fair prices when I bought from them.

Everyone,
I asked the question before I got an email from the owner stating they would like me to move it all this weekend.
(and get what I can). I don't have the money to buy it outright from them myself and my wife would kill me.
So, I will bring it with me and try to get a decent price for them, but I am also holding some aside to sell privately. For instance I found a beautiful SG#2, Sc#3 GB 2 penny blue with 4 full margins on piece. I soaked it off the piece, and it looks great. Now this has become a stamp worth hundreds of dollars. I just can't see selling it to someone for $50.00.

Well, the owner was insist on selling it in one shot.
SO I sold it yesterday for $2000.00.

However I was able to snag a complete UN collection MNH, and a bunch of early GB, and Asian stamps, Indo-China, LAOS and the whole area, for my collecting interests.
Got a ton of supplies for free, stockbooks pages, ect.
So all in all, it was okay.

Good jog; stampvirgin

stampvirgin

Good work - you are now an official stamp dealer!