Pricing an OA collection
Got this e-mail:
Patch Collection for Sale:
Dear Sir:
I have a collection of approx. 1500 flaps and duplicates of approx. 200 flaps that I wish to sell outright. To give you an idea of what I have (first I only collected a lodge that issued a flap sometime in their lodge lives), I need approx. 30 numbers to have a number set and approx. the same in names needs.
Could you possibly give me a ball park figure as to what you could possibly offer for this collection. I know without seeing the patches, it is tough and I will not hold you to the figure. I am checking with several dealers and the dealer who gives me the best ballpark figure will be the first ones that I will consider.
Thank you for your time.
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Talk about not having much to go on. Still I was able to work something up based upon a rough dollar value for a “traditiona'” number set of $55,000.
What gets me to blog about this is that I’m NOT THAT INTERESTED IN SUCH A COLLECTION as described! It really isn’t that distinctive. It could have been put together at this jamboree and the associated TORs in one day. Actually, a better collection could have been put together at these events. I’m more interested in a collection that is deep on a given theme whether that’s a state or lodge or Vigil flaps or death flaps or ghost flaps or 75th anniversary of OA or what ever. A one per, unless you get into needing less than 10 items is really nothing to get excited about.
on September 10th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
Greetings!
Now HERE’S the sort of subject that I find fascinating (probably because it IS my hobby, and not my LIVELIHOOD…).
Hurricane Katrina got me to thinking – what if my OA collection was the only substantive thing I was able to save, and I had to sell it to get by (I don’t know how fast insurance companies are settling for folks, and I like to think mine – being a pretty big entity – wouldn’t hassle me too badly, so the question IS hypothetical). I mean, we ALL check the same guides to prices, so you really CAN’T sneak a $10 offer on my mint 388s1 by me, but how DO you figure the value of a collection you’re looking at buying? Condition and grade of items all weigh in, but none of the major dealers MAKE money at this, by being "charitable" in their offers.
If we’re looking at selling (I’m not, btw), what percentage on the dollar could we typically expect to receive from a dealer buying our entire collection?
Bob McCanless
Pittsburgh