Taking care of the things we collect is important and can have a major effect on the value of an item whether you’re the buyer, or sell-ee (seller). Taking good care of a collection, be-it coins, or comic books requires some means of preserving your collectible’s newness, or at least its current state and preventing any further deterioration. That can mean anything from gloves to prevent oil from fingers contributing to the tarnishing of coins, to insurance for your most valuable pieces.
Just how much protection and preparation is needed to protect your collection usually depends on how valuable a collectible is; this article is meant to help you set a value for your collectibles and determine what they are worth. There once was a time when collectors depended on guidebooks and other reference materials to go about figuring out how much something should be bought or sold for. On a personal note, from watching the Antique’s Road Show, I’d say most of the pros have memorized those guidebooks.
In the collectible business that kind of knowledge is helpful to keep you from paying too much for a collectible piece and I suppose to also help the sell make sure she doesn’t take any losses on a sale. This does not apply to those with collectibles considered to be priceless and honestly feel that no amount of money in the world could make them part with a family heirloom or some other valuable piece that is in some way attached to them emotionally or spiritually.
So there are some collectibles and keepsakes that cannot be priced because of sentimental value. Luckily for the majority of collectors out there most of the items we come across are attainable at the right price. If you’re relatively new to the collectible pricing game here’s the best way I’ve found to keep up with the pros, and it’s all thanks to the fact that we live in the age of the Electronic Brain (the computer) where the word “scarcity” is being redefined by online auction dealers like E-Bay and people with computers like you.
Nothing can be more frustration than over paying for something you believed to be the last one, or one of a rare few, only to learn that there are several other “one-of-a-kind objects” just like you bought. How could the guidebooks and reference materials miss that? Chances of you being able to get a good financial return on an over-priced collectible are slim. So unless the item in question has some sentimental value to you, and would still make a good keepsake for you; you could be on the losing end of that sale if you over paid.
Because of E-Bay lots of different collectibles once thought to be extremely rare have been popping up in a lot of places thanks to the information super highway, better known these days as the internet; that’s the good news—the bad news is that in the collecting business when the supplies of something goes up, the price goes down. So, here’s how you can use the great and powerful E-Bay to help you fix your price and determine just how rare is rare when it comes to a collectible piece. There is a requirement; however, you will need a computer.
Log on to: E-Bay.com,
Click on: Advanced Search,
Then click on: “Completed Listings” Only.
If you’re someone just looking to find out what you are holding in your hand is worth, then you will have a starting price or bid. If you are an experienced collector sitting on top of many valuable collectibles you will at least know whether or not you need to raise, or lower, the insurance you carry on your treasure(s). All this and more—if you’re lucky enough to find the item you are looking for on E-Bay.
So whether you collect keepsakes for yourself; for investment purposes; or to re-sell them, knowing the value of your collectible is an important step to help determine the type of protection (case, protective bag, box, even gloves) necessary to keep your collectible safe and in the best condition until you decide to part with it; knowing your collection’s truest up-to-the-minute value is good for your resale, and a helpful indicator whether the insurance covering your collection needs adjustment.
A word of caution, while was studying these things I read that 50 to 90% of sports memorabilia is estimated to be counterfeit by most experts, so E-Bay may not be enough the help determine the worth of “sports” items. Here’s another website just in case (and perhaps another article for this blog one day) if you have baseball/sports memorabilia you might want to check out this site www.mlb.com when trying to appraise your sports collectibles. I did see some authenticity services when I was on the E-Bay site they might be useful if you collect, or have sports memorabilia.
Because of an online place like E-Bay you can see what something is selling for in real time, right now, today! And I hope feel a little more confident when it comes to putting a price on the items you want to sell. I mentioned the fact that you wouldn’t want to pay more for something than it is really worth but at the same time when acting as the seller, you want to get the best price (at least the market price) for what you do sell.
There will always be the collector’s guidebooks, at least I hope the guides don’t go the way of the telephone booth, or analog television and disappear altogether, even then the experienced collectors would still be out there to help answer your collectible questions. If you’re a collector, even a beginner, and take the time to learn how the E-bay auction pricing system works for the collectibles E-Bay auctions, I think you’ll do just fine when it comes to having the truest ball-park figure for the collectible(s) you have.
A special thanks to all of you who not only take the time to read this blog but who also take the time to leave a comment; I find your words very encouraging.
Hank Gray
