What can I expect to receive from a dealer (selling to him)? (1 Viewer)

[Retman57]

I have inherited several hundred lead soldiers recently. Most are Britains, some recent but probably more are pre-1970s with some going back to pre-WWII. The older ones are not in terrible shape but they have been played with by kids so there is some wear. There are also a few Mignots and some other companies that I can't recall quite now. I have looked at sales on ebay to get an idea of what some of them may go for. I don't really want to go that route as there are probably 150 boxes of them. I'd rather not take pictures of that many soldiers, list them, mail them, etc. So I found a dealer that is interested in them and will be coming out to see them soon. My question is what would be a fair price for say a set that goes for $100 on ebay? Would $50 (50% of retail) be reasonable or should the price be higher or lower than that? If I can get rid of most of them I would be willing to take less than if I only sell a few boxes.

Some, maybe 20%, of the soldiers have been altered. Some have been painted in khaki uniforms vs the red coats they had orginally. Others have had bigger changes. I believe some Russian Cossacks had their heads removed and they were replaced with Australian Light Horse heads. A few cavalry had saddle bags (plastic wood I believe) added. I am not sure exactly how many have had major alterations. I'd have to look at each set and try to figure that out. Would these soldiers have any value at all?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Arnhemjim]

Hello Retman57,
Believe it or not I began collecting W. Britains Ltd in 1948. Obviously my perspective is that of a collector/buyer, not a seller, however there are certain facts that universally apply. You may be interested, depending on how much time you are able to spend, to glance at a blog page I maintain. One of the main pages is http://arnhemjim.blogspot.com/p/britains-minatures.html, however there are several additional pages and posts which you may find informative. Will try and list some of the more important considerations.

• Depending on how anxious you are to sell the sets, it may be well worth a minimum investment to purchase a couple of good reference books (Opie and Wallis are good).
• Vintage W. Britains Ltd toy soldiers. i.e. produced prior to 1966 and hollow-cast, are probably the most valuable, depending on their condition.
• Original boxes which are correct to a given set increase the value up to 100%.
• Certain sets which are rare and desired, have disproportionally appreciated in value, compared to more common sets.
• Any significant modification and/or repainting greatly decreases the value, however if the basic casting is not broken or badly bent/dented it still retains some value.
• The correct composition of a set is very important, i.e. correct number, color, poses.
• Save all separated parts, regardless whether you know which set they belong to or not.
• Personal opinion is that e-Bay in recent years has become highly unreliable as a price gauge for toy soldiers, i.e. overpriced and misidentified offerings

A final thought, being in Southern California you are close to one of the largest annual toy soldier shows in the world, the WestCoaster (early spring in Anaheim), as well as the fact that one of the world's preeminent Britains collectors/experts (after James Opie and Joe Wallis), Ed Ruby resides in Orange County. Hopefully this information will prove of some value.

Arnhem Jim
Arizona Territory

 

[jazzeum]

40 to 50% is probably what you should count on.

 

[mikemiller1955]

to a dealer...

I would expect 25-35%...

they are not collectors...

they are not buying this for themselves...

they are going to turn around and sell this...

especially if your collection is still in stock in the manufacturer's inventory...
they can buy it at a dealer's margin...
brand new from the manufacturer...
for about 50%...

I'm saying 25-35%...

if it's retired...out of stock...rare...etc...

you might more...

 

[jazzeum]

He's asking about items that are long retired.

 

[Ivanhoe]

Your sited web page from link is well written.
Thank you

 

[gk5717]

When I decided to sell my baseball & hockey card collection, now I'm talking old and valuable cards, I sold them to dealers to avoid the hassle with trying to sell individually. That's the margin, 25% - 35%, that I was asking and that's what I got. As Mike points out, these dealers see this stuff every day. They are not "wowed" by much and they are in for what makes them a buck. So unless you want to invest the time and energy to do it yourself expect those numbers.
Gary

 

[Retman57]

Thanks for the info. The 25-35% was right on.
Altered, especially ones w/ significant alterations, aren't worth much at all--$2-5 each or thereabouts.
Recent stuff, especially Britains, not much interest as dealer has several to sell already.
Older Britians that weren't converted/altered--some worth some dough and others not as much in demand.
Recommendation--sell them at a reasonable/low price at West Coaster next March.

I will probably do that but may try to move some on ebay too. We aren't renting the house my parents lived in for a bit and part of the reason is all the room that the toy soldiers take up in there. It would be somewhat of a disaster if I didn't get rid of just about all of the soldiers at the West Coaster.
I didn't realize until stopping in here and then talking to the dealer that my dad had very few sets that are in much demand. Well, take that back a bit. Some of the sets the dealer said were very nice but he already had several he was trying to sell. Might be easier for me to sell as I am just looking to move them out.

Thanks for the accurate information. I was hoping it wouldn't be true but it was.

 

[mikemiller1955]

bummer...

I'm sorry to hear that...

I was really hoping I was off...

you seem to have a very comprehensive idea of what and why your collection is worth what it is...

sounds like you have done your homework...

if you're trying to justify "the why"....in your head...

keep in mind that the dealers are not looking at these as collectibles for their own collection...
it's just business as usual for them...
they buy them to sell them...

the West Coaster sounds like a good place to start...
maybe with a 70% plus price tag...
hopefully a collector will stumble on your table and see this as a good deal...

Ebay would be my next option...
maybe an extra 10-15% on there...

it will be a slow process...
frustratingly slow maybe...
but you will get a better return piecemealing them out individually...

if you just want to get it over with...
then a dealer is the way to go...
take your lumps and be finished with it...

good luck...

 

[Retman57]

bummer...

I'm sorry to hear that...

I was really hoping I was off...

you seem to have a very comprehensive idea of what and why your collection is worth what it is...

sounds like you have done your homework...

Actually I don't know much of what I have. Sure I have seen many/most of the displayed or played some with them but I don't know that much about them. I can tell the difference between Britains and non-Britains and those that have been altered and those that are original. Also can tell recasts (heavier) but that is about it.

the West Coaster sounds like a good place to start...
maybe with a 70% plus price tag...
hopefully a collector will stumble on your table and see this as a good deal...

Ebay would be my next option...
maybe an extra 10-15% on there...

I am going with ebay now. I need them to be out of the house before March when the West Coaster happens. There are 20+ boxes of them and I can handle maybe 10 for a while past Jan 1 but not all 24. So I am putting some on ebay to see what I can get rid of there. I have recasts, original Britains, repainted original Britains, completely converted and repainted Britains (Confederates changed to 24th foot) and some Mignots listed. Just trying to get an idea with this first listing to see if my prices are low enough to move them.

it will be a slow process...
frustratingly slow maybe...
but you will get a better return piecemealing them out individually...

if you just want to get it over with...
then a dealer is the way to go...
take your lumps and be finished with it...

good luck...

I am ebaying them with the idea that West Coaster could be an option down the road. The trouble w/ the dealer was he didn't want much at all. Several sets he liked and would have bought but he already had a handful of them already and was trying to sell those first. If he had offered me $3K for all 20+ boxes, I'd have helped him load them in his car. He ended up taking about 1 box, if that.

Thanks to all for the information and encouragement.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Actually I don't know much of what I have. Sure I have seen many/most of the displayed or played some with them but I don't know that much about them. I can tell the difference between Britains and non-Britains and those that have been altered and those that are original. Also can tell recasts (heavier) but that is about it.



I am going with ebay now. I need them to be out of the house before March when the West Coaster happens. There are 20+ boxes of them and I can handle maybe 10 for a while past Jan 1 but not all 24. So I am putting some on ebay to see what I can get rid of there. I have recasts, original Britains, repainted original Britains, completely converted and repainted Britains (Confederates changed to 24th foot) and some Mignots listed. Just trying to get an idea with this first listing to see if my prices are low enough to move them.



I am ebaying them with the idea that West Coaster could be an option down the road. The trouble w/ the dealer was he didn't want much at all. Several sets he liked and would have bought but he already had a handful of them already and was trying to sell those first. If he had offered me $3K for all 20+ boxes, I'd have helped him load them in his car. He ended up taking about 1 box, if that.

Thanks to all for the information and encouragement.

good idea...

start with Ebay to test the water...

start high...

you can always go lower if they don't sell the first time...

sadly...whatever the dealer took...it was probably the most valuable stuff in your collection...they do this for a living...they know the product pretty well...

good luck...

 

[Retman57]

good idea...

start with Ebay to test the water...

start high...

you can always go lower if they don't sell the first time...

sadly...whatever the dealer took...it was probably the most valuable stuff in your collection...they do this for a living...they know the product pretty well...

good luck...

I really only wanted a dealer that was going to take 100s of them off my hands, not 50 guys or whatever he bought. That's fine in that I learned that dealers aren't all that interested in a collection. I don't think he took all of the best stuff. He got a few good things but there are quite a few left. I think the coolest things are probably the Pontoon Bridge set, the Trophy Nile River boat, the Mark tank and a couple of other things. It was a worthwhile lesson in that now I am not going to contact any other dealers. It's not worth it (I waited a few months for this guy to come out due to scheduling issues on both of our parts) to wait for much time to find out they only want a few guys. I have sold more on ebay this week (well I have bids on them) than I sold to the collector. If I can just do this every week, I may be done a bit after Christmas.

 

[mikemiller1955]

I really only wanted a dealer that was going to take 100s of them off my hands, not 50 guys or whatever he bought. That's fine in that I learned that dealers aren't all that interested in a collection. I don't think he took all of the best stuff. He got a few good things but there are quite a few left. I think the coolest things are probably the Pontoon Bridge set, the Trophy Nile River boat, the Mark tank and a couple of other things. It was a worthwhile lesson in that now I am not going to contact any other dealers. It's not worth it (I waited a few months for this guy to come out due to scheduling issues on both of our parts) to wait for much time to find out they only want a few guys. I have sold more on ebay this week (well I have bids on them) than I sold to the collector. If I can just do this every week, I may be done a bit after Christmas.

good for you...

the ones that don't sell the first or second time on Ebay...

you might consider lowering the price the 3rd time...

you also might list some on here...

there are quite a few WB collectors on this forum that would probably love some of your stuff...