I Have To Get Serious About Liquidating Dad's Collection...

I have sit on this thing for nearing 10 years. I have
even added to it. I still know the bottom line is that
I should be liquidating it, but I have no idea of how
to even start.

I don't have enough days left in life to sell it off
stamp by stamp. Probably the only way I'd get what
the collection is worth. I have talked to a few people
about buying the entire collection, and I always get
excited about it when they are eager to deal with me
at first, but before it's over, they have all either
tried to seal the deal with embarrassing low balls, or
they go from eager to buy the whole collection, to just
wanting to go through it and pick out what they want.

I need to figure out how to find honest buyers...

The problem is that Dad left this in my lap after spending
many, many thousands on it, while knowing that I was not
a stamp collector. I don't want to drag this out and leave
my surviving family in an even worse position... at least
I am a coin collector, and tried to understand stamps...
My remaining family doesn't even have these attributes,
and I can even see the possibility of the collection being
thrown away if something happens to me! Literally trashed,
after speaking with family and trying to see how they
would move forward in that situation. They don't understand
AT ALL. You see, it's not just stamps. Between the things
my father collected, things I collect, and a huge inventory
left over from our now defunct business, my family would
be totally overwhelmed. If it was JUST stamps, they'd have
a chance. However, I'm talking about a warehouse of construction
tools and equipment, that they would have to deal with,
just for starters.

Ideas?

What kind of stamps are they? US, worldwide, 19th century, 20th century, mint, used? A little more information would be helpful. Selling a collection is always going to be a tradeoff between how much you want to realize and how much time you want to spend selling it, as you've already alluded to. You wouldn't necessarily have to sell them stamp by stamp - a middle ground would be to sell sets, pages, years, individual albums (if he's got multiple albums), etc. Any of those methods would probably realize more than selling the entire collection at once, but still save time over trying to sell them individually.

It's crazy huge. Mostly US.

I wish that I could just post a link to all the pics I have uploaded to
this site over the last several years, that would tell quite a bit. LoL

I got the link to my uploaded images, but it looks like only I can see
the page, and it would do no good to post the link.

US Classic, generally used, some unused.
US Modern, generally unused, some used.
Many albums. Scott, Mystic, stock books, other various types.
Complete (to 2008ish) UN collection. Mint.
Large world Disney collection. Mint
US #1 and GB #1.
The best stuff is albumed, of course. However, there are
10s of thousands of loose stamps, strips, books, panes, pages,
full sheets, postcards (leather to modern), and so many cover
that it's almost impossible to describe... classic to modern.
I could go on, but you get the idea.

There is enough "rare/desirable" stuff that several people
have gone through the trouble of pretending to want to buy
the whole thing, just to get in and try to pick and choose.

Best I can tell you is to use my name, ratio411, and do
a search of my posts and pictures. That'll tell a lot.

Most people in your position either sell the lot to a dealer, or consign the lot to an auction house. Both will break out the most desirable items for sale individually and sell the rest in sub lots, specialty collections or accumulations. With a dealer, you probably will get a lower offer, but you'll have cash in hand at once, and be done with it. With an auction house, you'll likely realize higher proceeds, but you'll have to wait months for the prep work to be done, the auction to happen, buyers to pay and an accounting with your check.

To find a reputable dealer or auction house, there is no substitute for starting to call them one by one and see who you have a rapport with. Treat it as an interview process--they need to prove themselves to you, not the other way around. Make no mistake, they are in it for profit, and surely some of them will try to low-ball you. All you can do is continue phoning and inviting them in until you have the offer you like.

Read the "Auction Houses Good Guys" thread on here for info about auction houses.

These are the pics I have previously uploaded here of JUST the UN
collection. TINY in comparison to the US collection! LoL

I have so many pics uploaded here, it's hard to even choose any to use as examples...
Not even the tip of the tip of the iceberg... Just pics already on site.

Part of me just wants to take zillions of pics, and then throw it on ebay.
Just let it eat... Maybe the huge size will encourage a bidding war...

Ratio411,

I have enjoyed your posts over the years and I'm sorry you feel so much pressure to liquidate the collection - but I understand.

Realistically, you need to separate the collection into managable lots if you are to realize any sort of fair price for the collection.

A US collector is not necessarily a UN or British empire collector and will be nothing more than a burden to any perspective buyers. Furthermore, modern US that is not neat & tidy (read: placed in an album according to Scott #), needs to be put into its own lot and sold as face value or kiloware - there is simply no value in it (especially the modern FDCs! - they aren't worth the cost of shipping!).

It's your dad's classic collection that will bring the best prices, and that's where your focus needs to be.

If it were me, I would take it album-by-album; selling the best stuff on ebay. The books of FDCs should be donated to a local charity, stamp club, or boy scouts troop which will most likely use them for art projects, give them away, or do nothing at all with them.

You are highly unlikely to find a buyer who is willing to purchase the entire lot unless it is highly discounted - and that buyer will most likely be a dealer - not a collector.

I wish you luck in your endeavor!

Brian

Sellers on ebay often list large (supposedly) unsifted accumulations in batches - look for "Glory Box" in "stamps" on ebay. You could sell some that way, eg "glory box of US stamps on cover". Similarly, the UN collection could be listed as just that, with the photos above and a general description. I don't know what you'd get, but you'd get something for each lot you list.

As an alternative, have you investigated individuals or companies that do the selling for you, for a commission? You might find someone willing to do all the hard work for a cut of the proceeds.

Maybe, but it's also possible the huge size will work against you. Someone that wants those classic covers may not be interested in UN FDCs and those won't even enter into their bidding calculations. I'd at least break it into smaller chunks of similar items such as classic covers, 20th century covers, UN issues, etc. By selling the entire thing in one huge chunk, you'll probably actually reduce the pool of interested bidders. Not that many people (outside of dealers) have the means or inclination to get into a bidding war for a huge lot, particularly when it may include many items they have no interest in.

Brian,

Thanks.
I really do like the collection, and would love to keep it and grow it.

It's just thinking about how overwhelmed I am at how to deal with all
the "crap" my Dad left behind, and combined with what I have already,
and I don't want to leave people behind with albatrosses around their
necks like my Dad did me. He had a pair of 2 car garages full of a Coca-Cola
collection, his stamp collection, a large accumulation of tools and car
parts, as well as an old car, that while interesting, was hard to sell.
He was almost a hoarder, and I am not much better.

When I say that this stamp collection could end up in a land-fill if I leave
it behind, is not an exaggeration. My wife plans to put it in a storage unit,
and we all know what those conditions will do to a stamp collection, not to
mention what will happen to it when she just stops paying for the unit.

I would love to keep it and build it, but the risk is too great. I am probably
going nowhere for a couple decades, but time flies, and I have to get serious
about this problem while I am still here to do so.

I understand that SOME of it will have to be subdivided in order to sell.
Such as the UN collection, Disney topical, and even the cover will probably
do best going as it's own collection...

Oh, and "world" stuff, even if that is only a trace amount.

Maybe each album should get it's own auction.

This collection is just so funky, for lack of a better word.
It is so much, with some of anything you can think of, and as
a wannabe US collector, it's just a shame to break it all up.
Just about any area of US collecting is represented here, even
if only in a couple pieces, or thousands of pieces.

How often to you see all the "usual" stuff, plus crash cover,
last day cover, RPOs, antique albums and philatelic tools, etc...
Just the sheer number of old cover, leather postcards, old booklets,
.... I could go on and on. It's a shame to break it all up.

I know... just venting. Sorry.

That might be the right balance of effort vs. realization, and you could even cherry pick some of the better items to sell separately. This wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Someone shopping for a $500 stamp for their own collection probably already has most or all of the $5 and $10 stamps and won't much care about them. Those looking for $5 and $10 stamps might not have the budget for the $500 stamps and won't bid commensurate with those items' worth.

If you have any Zeppelin covers and list them, please give me a heads up!