New member with inherited collection

[Guest ktpatton]

I am not a collector per se. My brother passed away last year and left me his collection of military patches, medals, uniforms, a helmet, and miscellaneous items. In addition, I have a uniform of our father's to sell, who was a member of the 507th P.I.R. during WWII. I am a total novice at this and thus I don't know what to do to find the appropriate value of items and get a fair price for them. My brother bought much of his stuff via EBAY and I don't know if his purchase price was reasonable or not. I would prefer to avoid EBAY and other such sites, given the nature of the internet today and the unreliability of honest information. I have documentation for some of the items but not for others. I don't have the expertise to know if a patch, for instance, is authentic or a fake. I am looking for honest transactions and thought your organization would be a good place to start.

 

I will appreciate any help in identifying and authenticating these items in order to establish a fair price. I am starting with a helmet and have attached one of the photos. Thank you.

 

Kevin Patton

Effingham, IL

 

[1canpara]

Hi Kevin, I sent you a PM about selling items on the forum

 

....and Welcome to the forum!

 

Rick

[gwb123]

We have a section on here called "What's it Worth". This is where our members can offer their opinions on the items that you have.

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/forum/1195-whats-it-worth/

 

Please read the disclaimers carefully.

 

If you have questions or concerns about the responses you are getting, please contact one of the Moderators.

 

Sales privileges are extended on here once a member has 30 substantive posts. Please see the rules here:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules

 

This requirement does not extend to asking questions in the "What's it Worth" section, but please know that section is not to be used for direct sales.

 

You have a big task ahead of you and I wish you well.

 

Foot note on eBay: You can go on there even without an account and see what items have sold for. When you search for a specific topic, like "World War II Army Air Corp patches" you look down the left hand side of the webpages for a check box for "Completed Items". The caution there is that sometimes bidders get over enthusiastic and prices may be higher than accepted market values.

[doyler]

Kevin

 

Sorry to hear about your brother.

 

Im sure this is a daunting task to have to undertake.

 

To be honest it may be in your best bet to find an auctioneer/auction company who deals in militaria.Im sure several will be mentioned here in later comments.Granted there will be fees involved.But these can be negotiated as well if they want your business.Finding a reputable company with online sales will probably generate the most in sales as the exposure is there as well.

[Blacksmith]

Indeed sad to lose your brother. I am sorry to hear that as well.

 

As Doyler said, auction is the option I would recommend in this scenario. Fees, yes, but much easier than selling piecemeal.

 

I would not let anybody cherry-pick the collection beforehand, as the stronger the catalog, the more interest you will get if it does got to auction.

 

Lastly, get as many opinions on value as you can - not just the opinion of a guy trying to buy something.

 

Good luck.

[Guest ktpatton]

Kevin

 

Sorry to hear about your brother.

 

Im sure this is a daunting task to have to undertake.

 

To be honest it may be in your best bet to find an auctioneer/auction company who deals in militaria.Im sure several will be mentioned here in later comments.Granted there will be fees involved.But these can be negotiated as well if they want your business.Finding a reputable company with online sales will probably generate the most in sales as the exposure is there as well.

 

Thank you Doyle. I live in Southern Illinois. I surely don't mind the fees if the items draw a reasonable and fair price. That is an obvious challenge, especially for someone like me who has no knowledge of the items. Do you happen to know of any such companies in this region?

[SGT CHIP SAUNDERS]

My condolences to you and your family at this emotional , heart rending time .

ALTHOUGH a new member here, I recognize a wealth of experience and expertise we deal with here . All, I think have something positive to contribute.

 

My advice is, if time permits, is to identify and photograph each item, then use the web to get some approximate value.

 

IF there .are any firearms ALL RULES MUST be followed. Just be patient and learn as much as you can

[Guest ktpatton]

Indeed sad to lose your brother. I am sorry to hear that as well.

 

As Doyler said, auction is the option I would recommend in this scenario. Fees, yes, but much easier than selling piecemeal.

 

I would not let anybody cherry-pick the collection beforehand, as the stronger the catalog, the more interest you will get if it does got to auction.

 

Lastly, get as many opinions on value as you can - not just the opinion of a guy trying to buy something.

 

Good luck.

 

 

Thank you. That may indeed be the best way to go. Do you know of any such companies in the general region of Southern Illinois?

[Blacksmith]

I do not, but I suspect forum members from that area will have ideas.

 

 

 

Thank you. That may indeed be the best way to go. Do you know of any such companies in the general region of Southern Illinois?

[Rakkasan187]

Kevin,

 

Welcome to the forum.. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your brother..

 

The members here are a great group of folks who will help steer you in the right direction.. You will most likely be flooded with emails and tons of questions about your items..

 

Ask questions of the members so that you may be able to properly obtain a fair price for the items..

 

One question I would like to ask if it is not too personal.. Are you sure you want to get rid of your father's things???... WW2 Airborne items are highly collectible and even more so with provenance to said items.. We like to encourage folks to hold onto items that help tell a family story, in your case your dad's uniform and you may also find something that your brother purchased that he talked to you about that was a favorite of his... It is your decision and no matter what you decide we will help you with your quest..

 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask...

 

Best regards and Blessings this Easter Weekend

 

Leigh

[doyler]

 

Thank you Doyle. I live in Southern Illinois. I surely don't mind the fees if the items draw a reasonable and fair price. That is an obvious challenge, especially for someone like me who has no knowledge of the items. Do you happen to know of any such companies in this region?

 

Kevin

 

Im not real familiar with the area.THere has been a sale or two in Illinios with collections.Im trying to recall the auctioneers.I have seen some all military sales/auctioneers in Ohio but not personally familiar with the owners or the operations.It seems anything with a proxiy-bid connected auction does well.These companies charge a buyers fee typically for the bidders and this can often reduce the fee to the seller.

[Bodes]

 

 

Thank you. That may indeed be the best way to go. Do you know of any such companies in the general region of Southern Illinois?

I'll send you a name of one...Bodes

[gwb123]

Just a reminder to everyone... new members cannot receive new messages until they have 3 to 5 posts . That is to prevent the PM system from being exploited for spam.

[Ivydiv]

Don't know about Illinois, but Milestone Auctions in NE Ohio has military and gun auctions about every couple of months. They usually run 800 to 900 lots per auction. It's an all day affair and they are connected to 7 online bidding agencies, not just Proxibid. People that have used them seem to be satisfied. With the Internet bidding you will do much better than just a local auction. Dave