What would be the best way for heirs to liquidate a collection?

[Mmehdy]

Consign it to ha.com weekly auctions and let the market decide how much your collection is worth, they have 10,000 active bidders in an upcoming auction and have sold 30 million dollars worth of comics last year alone , currently a complete Altas comic book collection is being sold at record prices.

[Sqeggs]

Consign it to ha.com weekly auctions and let the market decide how much your collection is worth, they have 10,000 active bidders in an upcoming auction and have sold 30 million dollars worth of comics last year alone

 

9,996

[Mmehdy]

We are both wrong , it's 10,001 now....

[MrBedrock]

Consign it to ha.com weekly auctions and let the market decide how much your collection is worth, they have 10,000 active bidders in an upcoming auction and have sold 30 million dollars worth of comics last year alone , currently a complete Altas comic book collection is being sold at record prices.

Yes, and they will only keep 30% of the sale price for themselves (thumbs u

[fifties]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the discussion or the OP bringing this topic forward, but maybe it would've been more suited to General or SA forums.

 

The reason I feel that GA may not be the forum best suited for the liquidation topic is that the speculative side of the hobby tends to be focused in SA to Modern.

While it may sound selfish, I posted the thread in the golden age forum for a specific reason; it's what I collect, and I collect to read, not to speculate. So the focus in this context would be on GA books. Additionally, I simply felt that GA forum members by and large would be more so in my age group. Someone who is 45 is not going to be looking at this situation the same way; they can't.

 

Consign it to ha.com weekly auctions and let the market decide how much your collection is worth, they have 10,000 active bidders in an upcoming auction and have sold 30 million dollars worth of comics last year alone , currently a complete Altas comic book collection is being sold at record prices.

Yes, and they will only keep 30% of the sale price for themselves (thumbs u

Yes, Heritage will charge what, 10% to the seller and 20% to the buyer? Regardless, that's quite a slice. And then if PayPal is used, another 2.9% ding? That would total 32.9%; a full third.

 

With eBay, 10% + 2.9% PayPal fee.

 

Now between these two, with unslabbed Fa-VG pre-code horror and crime, which do you think would be the better venue to maximize a return?

 

Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

[jimbo_707]

I'd like to think my kids would develop even a passing interest in the things their parents like.

 

I'd call that wishful thinking. I've seen it time and time again: a collection seldom means much to heirs, even if they're "collectors." A collection is meaningful to the person who built that collection—full stop.

[MrBedrock]

 

And Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

I can only speak for myself, but if it is a consignment deal I generally charge 10% max, with no extra payment fees. If we agree that slabbing is the best option for selling a specific book then CGC's fees are taken from the sale of that book. If we are making a purchase offer those are done on a book by book basis and can be anywhere from 40 -100% of market value. But my time and advice is absolutely free whether or not any agreement is made for us to market the collection.

[fifties]

 

And Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

I can only speak for myself, but if it is a consignment deal I generally charge 10% max, with no extra payment fees. If we agree that slabbing is the best option for selling a specific book then CGC's fees are taken from the sale of that book. If we are making a purchase offer those are done on a book by book basis and can be anywhere from 40 -100% of market value. But my time and advice is absolutely free whether or not any agreement is made for us to market the collection.

I appreciate your response; let's build on this a bit. Can you kindly elaborate on the mechanics of your doing a consignment? Is it handled as an auction, or do you put them on eBay, or keep them for sale in your store, or online, or ?

 

And I presume the comics would have to be shipped to you? < Dumb question I guess.

 

[MrBedrock]

 

And Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

I can only speak for myself, but if it is a consignment deal I generally charge 10% max, with no extra payment fees. If we agree that slabbing is the best option for selling a specific book then CGC's fees are taken from the sale of that book. If we are making a purchase offer those are done on a book by book basis and can be anywhere from 40 -100% of market value. But my time and advice is absolutely free whether or not any agreement is made for us to market the collection.

I appreciate your response; let's build on this a bit. Can you kindly elaborate on the mechanics of your doing a consignment? Is it handled as an auction, or do you put them on eBay, or ?

 

And I presume the comics would have to be shipped to you?

The comics would not need to be shipped to me initially. I would definitely make arrangements to come out and see them and discuss options with the family. If a consignment were agreed upon we would sell the books the same way we sell our books...either in-store, through our web-site, and/or at the many shows we attend around the country. We essentially blend the collection into our existing stock and track it through our inventory programs as product from a unique source. We can then track sales from that source through any of our sales venues on a regular basis and easily process the accounting. It is really seamless. We are presently doing this with one estate consignment and three other large regular consignments. And as folks are becoming more aware of our growing inventory on-line we are experience fairly rapid growth in the number of daily hits and sales through our site. I would never claim to capture the number of eyeballs that the large auction houses or eBay have at this time, but I will say that on average the fixed sale prices that we have realized on the consignment books we have sold is very competitive with those sites.

[GoldenPRGuy]

I'd like to think my kids would develop even a passing interest in the things their parents like.

 

I'd call that wishful thinking. I've seen it time and time again: a collection seldom means much to heirs, even if they're "collectors." A collection is meaningful to the person who built that collection—full stop.

 

Jimbo you may well be correct, I'm not far enough into the whole parenting thing to be certain... but as I said before I can only go on what I know. I was always interested in art and collecting because my father was an art dealer. All my life I listened to him talk about what he did with passion and it rubbed off on me... and his dad was an art and antique dealer too - not a family business, just a shared passion. He was also very supportive of my collecting habits which didn't hurt.

 

So I'm sure you're right when it comes to the masses, but I know I'm not the only one who had this experience. I have countless examples of childhood friends whose parents engaged them in activities that they are still passionate about today; kids whose dads that took them to all the (pick a sport) games, had an old antique car in the garage that that they were restoring and took to shows, had an extensive wine collection, took them to the driving range on weekends, etc.

 

I'm sure the odds of my kids thinking my collection is pointless and stupid are high, but that won't stop me from sharing it with them, encouraging them to collect something, and taking them with me to antique malls, flea markets and auctions. I know this is not the point of the OP's thread and I am far from seriously considering my death, I suppose I'm just wishfully thinking that someday there'll still be a chance to pass on something that I've spent 3/4s of my life building so far.

[Sqeggs]

 

And Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

I can only speak for myself, but if it is a consignment deal I generally charge 10% max, with no extra payment fees. If we agree that slabbing is the best option for selling a specific book then CGC's fees are taken from the sale of that book. If we are making a purchase offer those are done on a book by book basis and can be anywhere from 40 -100% of market value. But my time and advice is absolutely free whether or not any agreement is made for us to market the collection.

I appreciate your response; let's build on this a bit. Can you kindly elaborate on the mechanics of your doing a consignment? Is it handled as an auction, or do you put them on eBay, or ?

 

And I presume the comics would have to be shipped to you?

The comics would not need to be shipped to me initially. I would definitely make arrangements to come out and see them and discuss options with the family. If a consignment were agreed upon we would sell the books the same way we sell our books...either in-store, through our web-site, and/or at the many shows we attend around the country. We essentially blend the collection into our existing stock and track it through our inventory programs as product from a unique source. We can then track sales from that source through any of our sales venues on a regular basis and easily process the accounting. It is really seamless. We are presently doing this with one estate consignment and three other large regular consignments. And as folks are becoming more aware of our growing inventory on-line we are experience fairly rapid growth in the number of daily hits and sales through our site. I would never claim to capture the number of eyeballs that the large auction houses or eBay have at this time, but I will say that on average the fixed sale prices that we have realized on the consignment books we have sold is very competitive with those sites.

 

Almost makes me wish I was dead so I could use your service.

[Moondog]

Richard's experience with heirs is a bit different than mine. Nearly every family that has contacted me wanted the most money in the shortest amount of time. Consignment sales - even when the dealer is attending shows and selling online - literally can take years to complete. The Moondog's / Dr. Fate collection is a good example. Thankfully Dr. Landman is alive and well, but it still took nearly 24 months to liquidate his collection.

 

It would be a rare occurrence for a family with no interest in their loved one's collection agreeing to spend years liquidating it.

 

That's why dealers in all fields play a very important role in the disposal of collections. They can maximize the value of the best material and dispose of the rest.

 

 

[fifties]

I think that "My Comic Shop" also does the consignment thing, but it does seem clear that this method could take quite awhile to completely liquidate a collection.

 

That may be fine with the original collector doing it, but seem like torture to his errors, oops, heirs, who would simply be looking for the fastest method to convert to cash.

 

But again I ask, which auction house would yield the best net, eBay or Heritage, with regards to non-slabbed reader grade pre-code comics?

 

C'mon, somebody must have an educated opinion.

[GoldenPRGuy]

Screw the Bay too much noise and BS. HA brings the serious buyers. Get your collection into one of their signature auctions. If it's big enough they might even give you 100 words in their auction catalog (obit/collection overview). Then you can pass that down to the family.

 

Probably still wind up on eBay but at least it's only one thing for them to fire sale.

 

 

[Aman619]

The OPs questions are a true window into how difficult the process of selling is, even for a long time collector. And by extension, expecting one's non-collector heirs to do a decent job is just not a solid plan. There's just too much arcane knowledge we all take for granted after buying, and participating in the hobby for years, from grading, to key appearances, to which titles ar quick sellers, to which price data to use and which to ignore as too low or too high for a variety of reasons..

 

There have been some great ideas presented here. And Richard makes a very compelling case for trying his services.

[sacentaur]

There are real life examples of things going very wrong for the heirs.

 

Rick Durrell's legendary collection for example, where his widow had such animosity towards the hobby that she entrusted the books to a dealer (Ernie Gerber) who made outrageous claims and then fleeced her royally.

 

Let's not forget the widow of Jerry Bails who naively gave his All-Stars to his "best friend" (Robert Beerbohm).

 

Whatever path one chooses, careful planning seems to be the key to a better resolution.

[Cat-Man_America]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the discussion or the OP bringing this topic forward, but maybe it would've been more suited to General or SA forums.

 

The reason I feel that GA may not be the forum best suited for the liquidation topic is that the speculative side of the hobby tends to be focused in SA to Modern.

While it may sound selfish, I posted the thread in the golden age forum for a specific reason; it's what I collect, and I collect to read, not to speculate. So the focus in this context would be on GA books. Additionally, I simply felt that GA forum members by and large would be more so in my age group. Someone who is 45 is not going to be looking at this situation the same way; they can't.

 

It didn't sound selfish, quite the contrary.

 

The reason I mentioned the speculative side of the hobby is because SA to Modern is where heirs are at the mercy of unpredictable market fluctuations. In stock market terms GA comics are similar to growth stocks, with fewer dramatic swings or corrections. Also, it's nice to know that there are good folks like MrBedrock who can make that process easier for heirs.

 

Contemplating the dispersal of a collection is a worthwhile topic, just a very depressing one. For instance, I plan to be around for a long time, but the thought of liquidating comics made me feel like an evil funeral home director was whispering over my shoulder.

[Mmehdy]

the numbers speak for themselves...ha has the best web site, and paper catalog in the business currently they have 10,225 internet and fax bidders for the auction tommorw, check it out...they broadcast it live....nobody tops them for getting market price....

[Cat-Man_America]

 

And Mr. Bedrock, can you suggest a ballpark as to what percentage a dealer might offer, on average, so the options here can be compared?

I can only speak for myself, but if it is a consignment deal I generally charge 10% max, with no extra payment fees. If we agree that slabbing is the best option for selling a specific book then CGC's fees are taken from the sale of that book. If we are making a purchase offer those are done on a book by book basis and can be anywhere from 40 -100% of market value. But my time and advice is absolutely free whether or not any agreement is made for us to market the collection.

I appreciate your response; let's build on this a bit. Can you kindly elaborate on the mechanics of your doing a consignment? Is it handled as an auction, or do you put them on eBay, or ?

 

And I presume the comics would have to be shipped to you?

The comics would not need to be shipped to me initially. I would definitely make arrangements to come out and see them and discuss options with the family. If a consignment were agreed upon we would sell the books the same way we sell our books...either in-store, through our web-site, and/or at the many shows we attend around the country. We essentially blend the collection into our existing stock and track it through our inventory programs as product from a unique source. We can then track sales from that source through any of our sales venues on a regular basis and easily process the accounting. It is really seamless. We are presently doing this with one estate consignment and three other large regular consignments. And as folks are becoming more aware of our growing inventory on-line we are experience fairly rapid growth in the number of daily hits and sales through our site. I would never claim to capture the number of eyeballs that the large auction houses or eBay have at this time, but I will say that on average the fixed sale prices that we have realized on the consignment books we have sold is very competitive with those sites.

 

Almost makes me wish I was dead so I could use your service.

 

I've heard that Bedrock City will provide as spectacular an afterlife as Comic Heaven.

[Cat-Man_America]

the numbers speak for themselves...ha has the best web site, and paper catalog in the business currently they have 10,225 internet and fax bidders for the auction tommorw, check it out...they broadcast it live....nobody tops them for getting market price....

 

Mitch, your numbers are killin' me!