Specialised auctions?

[go-tazz]

My MIL was a collector/hoarder and collected a lot of "stuff".

We now have a number of items to clear which will most likely go to specialised auctions?

The items likely to go those those are lots of dolls,a few collectables and a large number of Elvis Presley items,

(around 30 collector places,albums with cards in them,books,records,VHS tapes,CD's,collectable booklets,etc).

There are hundreds of "collectable" teaspoons"

She believed they were "collectabels" and wants everything sold at auction.

There are also a dozen bottles of collector ports from the 1970's but they may not have being stored correctly.

So any idea where would be best places please?,(we are in Mid North Victoria).

She was also into collecting paper and magazine clippings and storing them in folders,(like Michael Jackson

,Dianna and the royal family,(she also has books on them),Elvis and other "memorabilia".

There is also a "rock" collection from when they went looking for "things".

Anything in those items that "may" have a high value to look for?

[lyndal1838 · Accepted solution]

Tazz, I may be able to give you a starting point for the spoons....I have a large collection, as did my mother.

If they are stainless steel or alloy they are not worth much at all....certainly not worth putting through an auction house.

EPNS (which most of them are) is worth a bit more but unless you have something very special you would be lucky to get $2 for them.

They are listed on ebay in bulk lots with an average price of $1.50.

If you have sterling silver you may do better but check the price of scrap silver...that may be the best value.

I have my fair share of very run of the mill souvenir spoons....I started collecting as a 12 year old when cheap was the operative word.

As I got older and wiser (and richer) the spoons increased in value...some of my later sterling silver ones are beautiful and get used regularly.

[siddieswans · Accepted solution]

Auction houses are in business to make money - they charge a buyer's premium, and a seller's premium, so the more they get for an item, the better they like it.

If you want to try and test the water here first, I would make one big lot out of all the Elvis stuff - make it pick up only. Think up a catchy title - the plates seem to average $10 each in USA so I would go as a starting price with number of plates x $10 and throw the rest in as a bonus. The Elvis collector cards don't seem to bring a lot, I would think collected clippings would not be worth much - just adding them to the pot may make someone shell out more for the plates. Obviously the collector base would be far smaller here in Oz than USA.

Spoons you have been given good advice on - they look modernish and EPNS to me - put them up in one lot starting at whatever would be $1 each.

Those little miniatures I would also put in a single lot - unless there is something that looks older or more valuable - you might get $2-3 each in a bulk lot.

Geodes you would need to check prices - I assume they would be pick-up only - you might again do better combining some.

Dolls need to be looked at if they are old and valuable but as someone has already said, they do look fairly modern to me. If they are newish but pristine and branded (rather than china heads someone painted and then dressed the dolls)  then they MAY be worth taking to an auction house - not my speciality.

Everyone thinks their stuff is somewhat/quite/very valuable. I spent all day today at a clearing auction - the elderly vendors had been themselves auctioneers in their day, so if anyone knew what to collect they should have done. But like everyone else, they have had to face the fact that what we collect is potentially valuable only to ourselves - we derive the pleasure of it while we own it but cannot expect to sell it back for what we paid. Of course there are always things that will be very valuable - usually things that were very valuable to start with; and things that are valuable now, which were not appreciated when they were acquired - for example the prices that some of the historical photos fetched at the auction were eye-watering. To my eye, your MIL's stuff does not look to fall into either of these latter categories.

It's not easy - we have done similar for various rellies and friends. Good luck with it.

[go-tazz]

Thanks everyone it has given me a basis to start on when we get it all sorted correctly,

Fortunately she gave me the coins and they've been put away and wont be sold,(they are similar in that they

are more historical than valuable).

The spoons I'll check through and may sell some along with the rack to clear them,(pick up only).

Dolls might be the same to see if there is any interest and the Elvis stuff,

The Geodes/rocks I'll do a bit more research on but they'll will probably go the same.

[imastawka · Accepted solution]

Tazz, couldn't see much of your 'rocks'  but they may be geodes that are not opened.

They can also be called Thunder Eggs.   Unopened, they just look like dirty rocks.

Just don't want you think that they are just rocks.

https://www.google.com.au/search?biw=1046&bih=517&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=1YGTWtmdNcKD8wWtwKb4BQ&q=thunder+...

[go-tazz]

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@imastawkawrote:

Tazz, couldn't see much of your 'rocks'  but they may be geodes that are not opened.

Thanks,

They can also be called Thunder Eggs.   Unopened, they just look like dirty rocks.

We got a couple of thunder eggs when we visited them and had them cut open at Tamborine Mountain,

(there are only a few of those there and I didn't look into the box to well as the other "rocks" seem to be a

different shape and type).

Just don't want you think that they are just rocks.

I'll take them all out one day and take a photo to show what's in the box.

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I will be doing more research and I'll have to find the books they had on the "collections" so that I get a better

idea of what I'm looking at/for,

The ones we had have long disappeared somewhere in one of our moves,

[lyndal1838]

Tazz, ask Tippy to have a look at your rock collection photos.....she knows a bit about them I believe.