Auction

[Leslie BT]

Here's an auction worth attending, held in very sad circumstance though.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5633631/Military-toy-collection-250-000-figures-sold-10-000-owner-died.html

It took two members of staff from Wessex Auction Rooms nine days to box up the collection.

The sale room is http://www.wessexauctionrooms.co.uk

And it is to be held on 28th April 2018.

[alex918]

Wow, that's about all I can say. So many Britain's figures..

[alex918]

Just shown this to the wife for the following reasons:

1. Despite what she thinks, I actually don't have that much crap cluttering up the shed.
2. Can I buy some more figures.
3. Fancy a day out at an auction house?😉

[Stewart 46A]

It's quite sad hope he has family to benefit from his collection,, have you thought about what will happen with your collection if the worst happens?

[Colonel Kilgore]

My wife will probably just chuck all mine out. However, I'm trying to educate the children as to what to do with it all to pre-empt such a sad waste...

One thing that struck me in the article was the statement that the collector must have spent tens of thousands on the collection over his lifetime, but that it was only expected to raise £10,000. Probably best not to share these kind of statistics with the loved ones if you want their permission to carry on spending their inheritance on toy soldiers...

[Stewart 46A]

I have already told Sue to let my son Simon have first pick then club members if they want to buy Any thing then what's left to the auction house in Dorchester.
I have close on 9000 15mm, 6000 6mm, 3000 25mm plus hundreds of vehicles and bookes and boxes of scenery as well as about 100 Napoleonic ships and 20 different mats.
I wold like to say my buying is complete as I am runing out of room but I may be telling a fib as I have but an order in with Peter Pig this week.

[Leslie BT]

Martin will be pleased to see further investment in PP.

Hope your health is improving Stewart.

[Stewart 46A]

Yes thanks Les, die rolling getting stronger

[Wardy64]

Ben has already laid claim to mine.

Wardy

[myrm]

<< but that it was only expected to raise £10,000>>
Yes, but that's because the auction houses don't really know how to handle this sort of thing if its wargaming (as opposed to collectible toys which is a different market albeit one they are familiar with). They repeat previous mistakes in handling because its the data that they have.
There was a similar auction near Cambridge last year and the lots were horribly constructed - many gamers indicated how and why to the auctioneers and the difference it would make but they went for their large mixed lots selling to dealers and cut out the collectors who couldn't go for the large blocks of unwanted stuff. They did sell everything and they did sell it quickly but they certainly didn't maximise the value by any means - though because they raised a lot more than the projected assessed value (which was way off) they said it had massively successful, thus reinforcing the mindset.

[Colonel Kilgore]

This particular auction was actually for collectible toys - loads of Britain's etc - rather than wargaming models.

[Leslie BT]

Britain's are the wargaming toys of old, all this 15mm stuff is very new by comparison.

[Colonel Kilgore]

Ah - but they were also very collectible and "mainstream", and did some wonderful "working" models. Remember the Western stagecoach? And the firing cannon?

I still have all of mine. Somewhere...

[alex918]

Firing mortars, they were the best.

[Colonel Kilgore]

I've still got the WW1 howitzer with the spring-loaded shell case that took plastic bullets once you closed the "door". And a couple of mortars, a Pak 40, a Vickers MG...

But I'd always wanted the rather larger "naval gun" that was huge...