Any advice on selling a collection gratefully recieved!

[jo]

Hello. I am hoping that someone out there can give me some advice on selling a shell collection. I have tried to find ways of doing so, but really dont know what to do for the best, so I have come to the experts! I have a large collection of coweries and cones, which my late father built up during the 70's + early 80's. It is something he took enormous pleasure in, and as a frugal man, he would want me to get a good price for them, now that it is time to pass them on. I am in Devon, in the UK. I think there are over 400 shells. There are two old cabinets both with 20 partitioned drawers, pretty much full of shells. The local auction houses dont seem to deal with this sort of thing.
Any advice would be most gratefully recieved. Thank you.

[david touitou]

Hello,

I agree with Peter. When you have the list and got a global price then 2 choices : you sell the whole collection to one person (collector or Dealer) and so the price will be lower or you try to sell shell by shell and you might get more but it will take years and many shells won't be sold anyway...

Sincerely,
DAVID  <span class="petit">--Last edited by David Touitou  on 2007-03-14 13:23:53 --</span>

[petershell]

Hi,
1. Make list of species (probably your father made some labels to each shell) if not ...
2. Make pictures (in good resolution) of shells -
you said over 400 shells ... so maby pictures of drawers ( you will have than sets of shells on photograph),
3. Ask for help someone able to estimate value - but collector not dealer :-)
- remeber that value can vary ( same specie - lots of possibilities depending on how big is shell, what condition, colour..etc)
4. With this knowledge you can focus on some more interesting items - and try to sell whole to 1 person able to buy or split it and sell sets or single shells (ebay or..up to you)

All the best
Peter
P.S.
With identyfication of shells I can help ..
Just make list and pictures.

[jo]

Thank you very much, I will start making lists + photos. Sorry it has taken awhile for me to reply....been a hectic week. Dad kept lots of lists,[although where I have put them is a different matter!] he was a very organised chap, and each shell is labelled. Thank you for the offer of help, I shall certainly take you up on that, Petershell. I would prefer they went as one lot to a collector, really. Dad spent so long gathering them together, it would feel wrong to split them. I am not very good at photos, so it will probably take awhile, so bear with me! thank again, Jo.