You're not going to get 50 cents if I know anything about it.
Maybe if you started selling today you could get that, an estate auction will get a few pennies.
Maybe if you started selling today you could get that, an estate auction will get a few pennies.
Now granted, most collections are not art - so I'm assuming you gave fewer distinct pieces than say stamps.
My dad had a serious stamp collection. Had he died with it complete, we would have sold it for a few $ to a dealer. The cost of (him or us) going through it to find "the good stuff would be too high.
Take your art. Unless you've cataloged it, had it appraised, and keep that updated every few years, your heirs will likely just sell it as a job-lot to a dealer. Given his costs, and risks, he'll pick a small number (like $50 per). Your Rembrant is his to find.
What my dad did was sell off the expensive stuff himself before he died (and told us). He knew what he had, and where to find it. (He discovered that selling is different to buying, but that's another thread). At least we knew that what was left was basically worthless and we could donate it with a clear conscience.
You got me curious...
For example, stamps have a catalog. Literally a giant book, with all the stamps and variations, and the current value. (Ahem, buying value). Think if it as a giant "vendor neutral" price guide. [1]
Now obviously when you come to sell you mostly sell to a dealer. So you expect him to take some margin. He has to make a living. But the margin they expect will make your eyes water. (50% to 90% is common). Do test $100 stamp you have is say $10.
But eBay- sell direct. Sure you get more. But still a lot less than book value (partly because scams etc makes eBay risky for good stuff.) And it's it's lot of extra work. Useful for one or two pieces, less useful for 50. (And, of course, scams happen in both directions.)
That's if you know what you have. Selling someone else's collection on eBay when you don't know what you have is equally tricky.
In short, collections are expensive to acquire and hard to get rid of. The value in collecting is the joy of acquiring and having. Collections are (with rare exceptions) not a financial investment.
[1] my insight into stamp collecting died 20 years ago, so I'm guessing this catalog is online now.
But bequething them one or two significant pieces can get them started, and perhaps carries more meaning...
The pool of stamp collectors etc. is small relative to say guitar players; there’s not an endless September; and buying from dealers is the “socially acceptable” way of starting.
So potential buyers on eBay tend to be experienced bargain shoppers when it comes to ordinary collectability. They will happily wait for the bragging rights price or at least the no way to lose money price.
Collecting is a hobby. Picking is a business.
Sellers don’t control when a sale will happen in the ways buyers do. Once you decide to buy you can — assuming the item is already for sale.
That already for sale part is the difference. Sales have lead times. Even at fire sale prices the decision to sell precedes someone buying. It takes time for the right person to find your item.
Pricing and advertising and marketing can help. But they don’t force the timing of a sale.
Do people have a lot of expensive jewelry that's included, or does it include vehicles?
If you held a garage sale today and let people go throughout your entire house, you could probably net $10k.