What is the best way to sell a lifetime collection?

[MelissaNC]

Hi There,
My Dad passed away last year and we need to sell his collection of North American Indian Artifacts. There are approximately 4,000 pieces, mostly points, but axes, pendants and a little bit of pottery as well. He has some that he paid $2,500 to $5,000 for at auctions, and some that he found or were given to him that he valued at a dollar. He has some arranged in frames. What is your advice on the best way to approach selling the collection? Is it best to sell it as a whole, use an auction company, approach private buyers, sell them closer to where they were found, set up tables at shows? My Dad has everything well documented, but we have very, very limited knowledge ourselves. Any advice would be appreciated. What instructions have you given your heirs (please do!).
Thanks!

 

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[Oddjob]

Welcome to Tnet.

 

[DigIron2]

Sorry for your loss. I really couldn't tell you but would like to see some of the collection.

 

[kingskid1611]

Welcome to the party. Sorry for your loss. My opinion is use an auction house since he bought some at auction that would be the best way to go. It would be nice for one person to buy it all but most likely not. And I would like to see some pictures too. Good Luck with your endeavor.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Auction would most likely bring the most money, people get in bidding wars at auctions especially on artifacts...

 

[Mackaydon]

Welcome to Treasurenet.
Sorry for your loss.
I'd use an auction house; they may opt to sell the collection in lots (groups of similar objects; or small groupings of different objects). They, too, hope for the highest bids and will assist you.
Find the best auction house you can--not necessarily the one who makes you the best offer as to commission and other costs. Do your research thoroughly.
Best of luck,
Don....

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I am sorry for the loss of your father.My condolences to you and your family.

Isn't there anyone in the family that has an interest and want to keep them? It's a shame to have to disperse a mans lifetime collection, but unfortunately I see it all the time. My son has an interest in mine so all of it will go to him. What he does with after that is out of my hands but he knows what it means to me so hopefully he will keep it.

As far as selling, auctions can be tricky. I have been to auctions where things go so high that it's unbelievable and I have been to some where you can practically steal them at the prices they go for. It all depends on what is there, whose name is attached to the auction(well known collectors pieces go much higher than average), and who is there to bid. Was your dad a well known collector, at least in his area? If so, a local auction might fetch more if people know and trust his pieces. If he was known state wide then maybe a large auction in a bigger town would be best. You might even try some local collectors and see if they would be interested in buying some to try to keep it local.

Good luck. I hate to hear you have to sell it but I hope you get rewarded well for your endeavors.

Any chance you could post some pictures?

Also, by your name I take it the collection might be from North Carolina? There is a member on here from NC that might be interested.

 

[MelissaNC]

Thank to everyone who replied. I appreciate your kind words and your help.

 

[MelissaNC]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't realized that the name of the collector would make a difference, but that makes sense. I don't think he was well known, he didn't submit things to books or anything like that. He does have some things that he bought that were pictured, maybe that will help. He traveled to Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina to attend auctions and shows. The ones he found are mostly from the East Coast (he was a cartographer and moved around frequently in the field).
We definitely do feel sad about selling his things, but he felt differently. None of us kids developed the same high level of interest that he had. He expressed he wanted collectors like him to have them. He definitely did not want them stored away somewhere or in a museum. There are some points that we know the story of him finding them that we will keep. I don't have pictures yet, but when I get some, I'll share them here (if I can figure out how).

 

[NCPeaches]

Welcome to the site, you came to the right place to ask your questions because these guys know their stuff. I am so sorry for the loss of your Father, I know it's a difficult time for your family. The ones he found in NC, do you know the general area? and I too would love to see some pics.

 

[MelissaNC]

The ones that I know are from NC are from: Wake County, NC (Neuse river) - his friend found these while surveying in 1968; Lumberton, NC - pottery rim, also found while surveving; Salisbury and Charleston, NC - bought from Don R. Ham in '95 at Old Dominion Archaeological Society show; Wilson County, NC - bought from Dan Murray in '95 from Greensboro Relic Show; Randolph County - bought from Warner B. Williams at Piedmont Archaeological Society show, Williams' personal find.

 

[kcm]

Another idea "might" be to look around and see if there is an online auctioneer that has successfully sold artifacts in the past. That would open the auction up to a worldwide audience.

Things that are not worth much might be grouped together, but anything with a substantial value should be sold individually. Also, try to keep ALL receipts and collection info with each piece. The more info that is there, the more the potential value of the item(s). ...It might also be that the time of year for an auction might have something to do with results. Try to research and see if there is a pattern out there - time of the year that relic/artifact auctions are most popular or most successful.

If not done already, photo-document the collection. This takes time, but will be your insurance against anything "accidentally" growing legs. The better you document, the better your chances of recouping in the event of a loss.

And finally, it sounds like there are many thousands of $$$ in this collection. PLEASE make certain that wherever the collection is now, that it is insured. Collections such as this MUST be insured separately. They don't fall under "household items" or "personal property". While there are allowances for these, they are usually limited to $500 or $1,000 TOTAL for the policy. Anything more would require additional insurance.

 

[austin]

Sorry about your father. I feel a really good auction house(major one) would be the best. If it's a really outstanding collection, don't be surprised if a major museum or university buys the entire thing. Why don't you contact Antiques Roadshow and see if they will recommend the best auction house that can make you the most money. There are auction houses known for just this sort of material. They will make sure that major universities and museums are aware of what you have and will step up to buy the entire collection. And good luck to your family...

 

[smokeythecat]

I am truly sorry about your loss. My dad died in 97 and mom in 2006. An auctioneer with a track history of handling memorabilia might be the best route. It can get expensive, because if they advertise it correctly, the advertisements cost a lot.

Some of the bigger dealers (auctioneers) do live auctions on Ebay. I have participated in a few as a bidder/buyer. That way the bidders are pre approved and the audience can be worldwide and everyone can get a decent look at the artifacts before the last minute. Always a commission and the Ebay fees to deal with.

 

[rock]

I hate to hear of your loss of your father.
I know a huge collection can be a big burden on the family especially if you dont see any interest in it. There are sites that sell artifacts on consignment if you wish to pursue that route you can send me a private message. I have a couple in mind. Pictures would be nice to view due to many collectors will have reproductions by mistake in their collections if they purchased in the past.

 

[MelissaNC]

Here are a few that I like. My Dad found the pendant near the Shenandoah River in Virginia. (hope this works)

 

[jmaschal]

You picked some beauties to share!

 

[mnixon]

I bet that collection is outstanding. Sorry for the loss of your dad.IF it were me selling, I would be sure to included any kind of documentation your dad had about his collection. Pictures , receipts , notes , catalogs . And it prolly wouldn't hurt if you wrote up a little history, from your point of view, about all that you know about his collecting over the years.
I would sell it as a whole collection WITH the story that goes behind it. Good luck !!

 

[DigIron2]

high quality stuff. The last one looks like a Hardaway Dalton? Do you know where he found the other stuff, where did he live?

 

[jamey]

looks like some high dollar artifacts,sorry you have to sell them but you should keep one at least.its hard too sell anything these days,so do not get taken,get ahold of a local authenticater and have him assign a value to them so you know what they are worth