deepsix47
Hero Member
- Jul 26, 2006
- 644
- 17
- Detector(s) used
- Fisher Impulse, Fisher CZ-21, Minelab X-Terra 70
- Primary Interest:
- All Treasure Hunting
At our recent TH'ers Beach Party at Sebastian Inlet a very good question was asked. ....How does Mel Fishers group get so much money for their treasure??.... In their case its a combination of things. Reputation, historical significance of their treasure and GREAT marketing skills learned from many years of hard earned experience. Mel was a Grand Master at that.
That's fine for a group like Salvors but the real question is how do those that go out and TH on weekends or as an avocation turn their finds into cash. With that in mind I said that I would make this post. The content of this post will by no means cover all of the possibilities for selling your treasures but I hope it will get you thinking in the right direction.
It's a shame to find lets say a nice gold ring with diamonds and maybe an emerald, find out that it is worth say $2000.00 only to be offered $65/$75 dollars for it from a Pawn Shop or Jeweler. At best they want to give you $1.00 a point for the diamonds, a few dollars for the emerald and scrap price for the gold. Here are some suggestions.
Auctions: In any metropolitan area their are always a number of auction houses. Look them up and start going to them a few nights a week. Watch and learn, some are better then others. See which ones tend to have more money buyers at them and get more for their merchandise. At each one, pick up their catalog when you go in and mark down the final prices they get for the items that are in the same category you want to sell your things in. That $2000.00 dollar ring you have will inevitably bring many times more then what you would get from the Jewelry or Pawn Shop.
This is also a good place to sell your "scrap" sterling. Save those little silver rings, chains and baubles until you get a nice assortment. Clean them up so they look nice. Take them in and have them sold as a "Lot". In all of the years I've been frequenting these auction houses I have never seen a tray of sterling go less then scrap value. Allways, and I mean always, they go for at least several times the scrap value even after the auction house takes it's commission.
Auction house commissions vary greatly but are most often in the 10% to 30% range. A good auction house is literally worth its weight in gold to the TH'er.
Appraisals: When you find a really nice piece, consider getting it appraised. Again, like with the auctions, shop around a bit. Find an appraiser that is board certified and has a good reputation and is more then willing to offer references. The fees charged by appraisers run from a flat fee to about 10% of the appraised value.
An appraisal will give you something that you can now use in many ways. Should you want to borrow money, you can get up to one third of the appraised value of the item as collateral on a loan. It's a great help if you decide to sell it to an individual also. They can see what's its worth and therefore know that they are getting a deal at your asking price, what ever it is.
An appraisal is especially useful should you decide to use the item for barter.
Barter: This is an area for moving your finds that for the most part seems to be completely ignored by most TH'ers. Trading does not have to be confined to individuals. Even retail stores of various types can be enticed to trade. You merely have to ask. "Would you be interested in trading??". Always talk to the owner or manager. Employees rarely have the authority to trade.
Remember too that when trading, don't try to take advantage of the person you're trading with. Get the best deal you can but make sure they are as happy with the trade as you are. A good trade is when both sides are happy and are willing to trade again in the future.
I've seen TH'ers trade for everything from grocerires and fresh produce, to gas for their boats, air refills and even needed equipment using their finds. These finds are not limited to gold, silver and jewelry. Artifacts of all types have value, right down to the almost completely forgotten ballast stone. That's right, ballast stones....lol. You can get from $5 to $15 each if you know how and to who to market them.
Diving TH'ers should also remember that incidentals like fish and lobster have good trade value also. A little time spent on a dive grabbing bugs and spearfishing a nice Grouper or Hog Snapper can get you gas for the boat, groceries and air refills.
________
There are of course many other ways to market your finds and get fair value for them. I hope this post will get your imagination going and get you thinking in the right direction. The really important thing is to USE YOUR IMAGINATION. You're a Treasure Hunter, you do have an imagination....lol.
Don't allow yourself to believe for a second that you don't have the ability to get fair value for your finds. You do!!!! You've invested in equipment, you've researched the areas you search, you put in the time to recover your treasures (sometimes at personal risk) and you deserve to get fair value for them.
I hope all find lots of treasure and that this post helps you turn it into spendable cash.
Deepsix
That's fine for a group like Salvors but the real question is how do those that go out and TH on weekends or as an avocation turn their finds into cash. With that in mind I said that I would make this post. The content of this post will by no means cover all of the possibilities for selling your treasures but I hope it will get you thinking in the right direction.
It's a shame to find lets say a nice gold ring with diamonds and maybe an emerald, find out that it is worth say $2000.00 only to be offered $65/$75 dollars for it from a Pawn Shop or Jeweler. At best they want to give you $1.00 a point for the diamonds, a few dollars for the emerald and scrap price for the gold. Here are some suggestions.
Auctions: In any metropolitan area their are always a number of auction houses. Look them up and start going to them a few nights a week. Watch and learn, some are better then others. See which ones tend to have more money buyers at them and get more for their merchandise. At each one, pick up their catalog when you go in and mark down the final prices they get for the items that are in the same category you want to sell your things in. That $2000.00 dollar ring you have will inevitably bring many times more then what you would get from the Jewelry or Pawn Shop.
This is also a good place to sell your "scrap" sterling. Save those little silver rings, chains and baubles until you get a nice assortment. Clean them up so they look nice. Take them in and have them sold as a "Lot". In all of the years I've been frequenting these auction houses I have never seen a tray of sterling go less then scrap value. Allways, and I mean always, they go for at least several times the scrap value even after the auction house takes it's commission.
Auction house commissions vary greatly but are most often in the 10% to 30% range. A good auction house is literally worth its weight in gold to the TH'er.
Appraisals: When you find a really nice piece, consider getting it appraised. Again, like with the auctions, shop around a bit. Find an appraiser that is board certified and has a good reputation and is more then willing to offer references. The fees charged by appraisers run from a flat fee to about 10% of the appraised value.
An appraisal will give you something that you can now use in many ways. Should you want to borrow money, you can get up to one third of the appraised value of the item as collateral on a loan. It's a great help if you decide to sell it to an individual also. They can see what's its worth and therefore know that they are getting a deal at your asking price, what ever it is.
An appraisal is especially useful should you decide to use the item for barter.
Barter: This is an area for moving your finds that for the most part seems to be completely ignored by most TH'ers. Trading does not have to be confined to individuals. Even retail stores of various types can be enticed to trade. You merely have to ask. "Would you be interested in trading??". Always talk to the owner or manager. Employees rarely have the authority to trade.
Remember too that when trading, don't try to take advantage of the person you're trading with. Get the best deal you can but make sure they are as happy with the trade as you are. A good trade is when both sides are happy and are willing to trade again in the future.
I've seen TH'ers trade for everything from grocerires and fresh produce, to gas for their boats, air refills and even needed equipment using their finds. These finds are not limited to gold, silver and jewelry. Artifacts of all types have value, right down to the almost completely forgotten ballast stone. That's right, ballast stones....lol. You can get from $5 to $15 each if you know how and to who to market them.
Diving TH'ers should also remember that incidentals like fish and lobster have good trade value also. A little time spent on a dive grabbing bugs and spearfishing a nice Grouper or Hog Snapper can get you gas for the boat, groceries and air refills.
________
There are of course many other ways to market your finds and get fair value for them. I hope this post will get your imagination going and get you thinking in the right direction. The really important thing is to USE YOUR IMAGINATION. You're a Treasure Hunter, you do have an imagination....lol.
Don't allow yourself to believe for a second that you don't have the ability to get fair value for your finds. You do!!!! You've invested in equipment, you've researched the areas you search, you put in the time to recover your treasures (sometimes at personal risk) and you deserve to get fair value for them.
I hope all find lots of treasure and that this post helps you turn it into spendable cash.
Deepsix
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