Sell Memorabilia at the Best Price: Top 3 Factors to Consider
Before a collector makes the difficult decision to sell their memorabilia collection, you can be sure that they went through a difficult decision process. After all, it’s not easy parting ways with something you’ve held so dear for a very long time; and more importantly, something that required a lot of effort to obtain.
Sell memorabilia: How to get the best price for your collection
Once you’ve decided to sell your items, whether the entire collection or just a few pieces from it, you would naturally want to get a good deal on them. Here are a few factors that can help you get a good price for your pieces or collections:
Check the condition of the item/s
If it’s a celebrity autograph on a piece of paper, make sure that the autograph is clear or intelligible. If it’s an autographed photo or set props, you have to check for two things: the condition of the item and the readability of the autograph. It’s best to document any markings, chips, tears, and other remarkable errors that you see. Take a photo of the items from all angles and put in writing the markings, etc.
Do your own research
When you sell memorabilia, you shouldn’t simply go to the nearest dealer or sell to the first highest bidder that you come across. It pays to do your own research. Check out collectors’ forums and ask questions. Show pictures of your items and point out the “errors” that you documented. A word of caution: do not sell through forums, at least not initially. Your purpose for joining the forum is to research and not sell. Don’t be too quick to make a sale that you miss some red flags (like fly-by-night dealers that urge you to sell to them because they offer the best price) and end up losing on profits.
Sell to a professional, fully licensed dealer
Assuming that it’s your first time to sell memorabilia, it’s best to sell to a professional, fully licensed dealer because they know the industry inside and out, and they usually have the best price. This is where it can get a bit tricky though. You have to be choosy about the dealer because not everyone is as “authentic” as they say they are. Some actually sell forged items so be a little wary.
Here are a few things to check about the dealer: years in business, reputation, affiliates or memberships (Better Business Bureau, Universal Autograph Collectors Club, Society of Appraisers, etc.), and specialty (entertainment memorabilia, for example).
If selling an entire collection, it would be to your best interest if the dealer buys entire collections and not just the items that they want.
When you’re ready to sell memorabilia, consider Piece of the Past; we buy entire collections and not just the cream of the crop; we also offer the best price in the industry.
