Advice On Selling Collection Of 2300 Austria

Seeking advice on which of these would be the best way to try to sell a collection of about 2300 stamps from Austria mounted on Scott specialty album pages:

(1) a general dealer who offers to buy all kinds of collections?

(2) a dealer who specalizes in Austria, like R. Schneider?

(3) an auction house like Apfelbaum?

(4) putting it on consignment to a dealer who sells to collectors, like Don Lewis' Country Collections?

There are 1600 regular issues and about 700 back-of-the-book issues, mostly semi-postals, postage due stamps. newspaper and military stamps. The 2300 total includes 200 to 300 duplicates, often mint and used of the same issue (for maybe 15 years, there are actually duplicate pages, one for mint and one for used). The collection was given a catalog value greater than $2,200, but I don't know what year's catalog that was based on. The pages run through 1994. Many of the mint stamps are hinged, although some are in mounts. There are five empty mounts, but I don't think these were items removed since they are pretty much low-value issues. The highest value may be in the back-of-the-book issues, as I noticed a used Scott #25 "Offices in the Turkish Empire" which is valued at 72.50 in the 2014 catalog. There are 13 stamps from Lombardy-Venetia, although my Scott catalog doesn't provide enough information to identify whether they are reprints.

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Not to be discouraging but the news might not be good. Austria sells low in my experience and it would be hard to describe this as 'specialized'.

In the real world, $2,200 catalog value of 2,300 Austrian stamps sells for 10%-15%. After commission, all your above options (if any will agree to sell) will not leave you very much. Your best bet would be to sell to a collector.

Yes - Austria is pretty disappointing, unless you're buying. I expect to find myself in the same boat soon, as I try to cut down my collection. Might be worth pulling out some of the better inter-war sets (if present) and the nineteenth century Lombardy/Venetia reprints can go quite well, I think. Then put these on ebay, plus the remaindered albums.

I replied to this question on the other SCF forum. David can find my thoughts there.

I think it depends on what you want.

Sell fast, but for low return? Any of the routes you listed may work.

If you aren't in a hurry, but want more money? ebay or similar approaches.

hi; Austria first 40 stamps any mint?

davidray: You might try Viennafil auction house.There are many Austrian stamps that can fetch very good prices,then again you must see exactly what you have.Browse through their listings and compare with what you have.Austrian collectors are always ready too buy material from their country...although they can be very picky about condition...
https://www.philasearch.com/de/coun...tionnr=15913
http://www.viennafil.com/
http://www.filatelia-monster.com/Vi...il-Auktionen