Seeking Advice On A Worldwide Classics Collection

Zebra, I wasn't suggesting cherry pock out the best for one group and the rest for another group (although that is an option). I was trying to suggest an equal split - if there are 12 of a stamp to pull out a random 6 and leave in 6, so you would end up with two roughly equal groups that are smaller that might be more manageable for a buyer.

Mystic pays well for things it really wans, but I have no idea how well they pay for stuff they aren't actively seeking. The level of duplication shown would likely no scare them off (it might even be good thing as they have so many customers).

MB does have some off quality in his stock (more than A&D had), but the big difference between him and Mystic is he prices low for off quality while Mystic is stupid high for low quality.

Interesting Woodsy, sounds like he was a box lot guy. What happened to all the albums and the other items? was he a seller too? otherwise there's be a house full of stamps! Was there a Canada stock sheet or Newfoundland?

Thank you all again for your continued helpful feedback. Some followup thoughts and questions below:

- Regarding attending local stamp shows to meet dealers - if I do this should I try to bring most or all of the collection? Better to pick and choose and handful of countries to show or sell individually? Not sure I could even fit it all into one vehicle. But if I wanted to bring a large amount, would it be very unusual or unwelcome to wheel through a stamp show with a hand truck loaded with half a dozen or more big rubbermaid bins full of binders?

- which connects to landoquakes last question: My dad talked about how he ought to sell his excess stock but never sold any. So besides the 50-60 binders of his "good" stuff, there's a big set of secondary binders with lower quality castoff material, and then there's boxes and piles of the old albums many of the stamps were purchased in, which he emptied or partially emptied out. I really don't know how much value those have or how to assess or deal with them. There's also some Scott and a dozen or so Michel specialized catalogues which I assume might have some resale value. Re: Canada I will take a look when I can. I think I saw at least one binder of it but I suspect as with US stamps he didn't seriously collect Canada classics, just a bit of contemporary stuff as a lark.

- eyeonwall: it sounds like I could consider breaking the biggest single country albums into 2 (or more) smaller albums to reduce duplication. I can see how it could maximize return. It would be truly random as not knowing the stamps I wouldn't be able to make thoughtful decisions on how best to group or balance the splits. But the time and effort would be considerable depending on how many countries I tried to split. And I'd worry a little about the potential for mismatching or possibly damaging stamps in the reshuffle if I wasn't extremely meticulous and careful with it.

I cannot imagine a dealer is going to spend half a day going through your albums at a stamp show. He is there to sell stamps and attract prospective customers. That will not happen as long as he is chatting with you. You might want to limit your choice in what to bring and take a list of what you have with you. If the dealer shows interest, he, probably, would want to make an appointment to go through the whole collection when it is more convenient.

As for the catalogues, you might try to sell those through ebay.

People do bring collections to shows to try to sell, but not as large as the one you have.

Do you want an offer from one dealer or do you want buyers to compete for it in an auction? There are commission charges to the seller and buyer in ab auction, so it would have to go for enough extra to overcome that, but that still seems likely to me. Besides, do you know enough to know whether an offer from a dealer is good or not?

As for the catalogs. it really depends on how old they are.

woodsy_owl If you are going to go to a dealer, I would try Mystic stamp or Dr. Bob Friedman. I take my advice back on the auction houses as being the best way. I tried to edit my comment but I can't. There really is no best way.
If you find the right dealer, they can give you the best price without all the hassle. Now that I have thought about it more, stamp auction houses with the exception of Dutch Country who are run by salt of the earth people all have flaws but I won't go into it here.

Beware that stamp dealers and auction houses alike - You need to be comfortable of who you do business with. That is my number one advice. To spread your risk out, you can split your collection up and then sell some to a dealer and some to an auction house.
Cherrystone for your high end stuff, Dutch Country for the middle end stuff and ebay for the rest and use Noble Spirit. -just as an example. You find your own people. There are also great dealers who do not sell online. You can only find them at stamp shows.

t does get a little tricky when one deals with volume! Some sweat equity does pay off if one wants to learn and take the time to dive in. If you have a photo of the mass of castoff stuff it would be fun to see. We love photos here!

I don't recall whether the OP woodsy_owl was in Northern California or Southern California - only that they are in CA. Anyway, I just got an email that OrcoExpo in January is cancelled, so unfortunately that is no longer a good option to meet with a lot of dealers at one time.

However the email says that David Coogle from Kelleher Auctions will still be in California that weekend seeking material for their auctions and appraisals. Since he is not tied down to the show floor, I expect that means he has more time to travel around to look at large lots in person, or at his hotel, or somewhere in-between.

fyi, for anyone interested, reach out to Kelleher through their web site or usual methods.