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Selling a collection


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#1 Barry Boor

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Posted 05 November 2011 - 06:59

I'm moving abroad. In my new apartment, although I have much more space to run my slot cars than I have in my Millennium Shed in Wales, I have nowhere near as much space to show or indeed store many of my 43rd scale collection.

Therefore I am looking to offload probably around 200 of my sports car collection (1950 - 1966). I am keeping the 52 cars that I have collected from the 1966 Le Mans race but anything else is going - I hope.

If you look here http://188.65.115.17...n/diecasts.html you will see what is on offer, just ignore any from that '66 Le Mans. Selling them individually on Ebay is the obvious answer but I simply don't have the time to start doing that. There are one or two unique items amongst the collection because I'm a bit of a devil for repainting cars to get something that few people, maybe nobody else, has. Like this Birdcage Maserati driven by Ernie Grimm at Sebring in 1962:

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Can anyone suggest the best or simplest way to dispose of them, given that in one month I shall be gone from these islands?

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#2 condor

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Posted 05 November 2011 - 08:42

Ring round specialist dealers and see if they're interested. Perhaps internet model sellers would also be interested. Specialist auction house also worth considering.

#3 Hamish Robson

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Posted 07 November 2011 - 17:50

Hi there Barry,

Try Grand Prix Models or St Martins Models - I believe they both buy collections.

Cheers

Hamish

#4 D-Type

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Posted 07 November 2011 - 21:48

Try Sholto Modelli - sholto[@] tinyworld.co.uk (I think the e-mail is still kosher)

Or take them with you - you'll always be able to find space in your Maltese flat (even if it means building a floor to ceiling cabinet in the loo)

Edited by D-Type, 07 November 2011 - 23:15.


#5 RCH

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Posted 07 November 2011 - 23:31

Barry, I would love to make you an offer but I just don't think I can justify buying in more stock at the moment. Check out the large sellers in the diecast section on ebay... some of them seem to have outrageously high levels of stock which would have my accountant blowing a fuse...

Sholto as Duncan has suggested is a possible, not seen him in some years now but he used to have an eclectic mix of stock and was always buying in collections. Think the email address may be out of date though?

Otherwise you could try the auction houses. Vectis is best known for this sort of thing www.vectis.co.uk

#6 Barry Boor

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Posted 08 November 2011 - 08:41

Thanks for all the suggestions, people.

Given that I am desperately short of time I have come to an arrangement with a dealer who will 'look after' my collection and put them out there for sale. Obviously he will take a commission on any sale but that's only fair, but the models will remain mine, to retrieve, or whatever, at any future time.

No, Duncan, your idea is not an option.

Meanwhile, if there is anything that catches anyone's eye, just let me know.

#7 fatbaldbloke

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Posted 15 November 2011 - 13:20

Hi there Barry,

Try Grand Prix Models or St Martins Models - I believe they both buy collections.

Cheers

Hamish


We generally only buy unbuilt 1:43 kits and very occasionally hand builts. Can't speak for Ralph & Cath at St Martins, wirth dropping them an email. Not sure how contactable they are by phone now they've shut the shop. For diecast collections best price will probably be acheived by dripping them out on ebay but that's laborious. As a job lot, Vectis are probably your best bet.

Mark @ Grandprixmodels.

#8 Hamish Robson

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Posted 16 November 2011 - 08:51

Just had a look at St Martins website http://www.stmartinsmodels.co.uk/ and didn't realised they'd moved, and now you say they've closed? Might take a peak tomorrow, I'm in London for the day. The new location is/was handy for popping next door to Motorbooks to pick up some reference material!

Thanks Mark,
Hamish (long time GPM customer)

#9 Alan Cox

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Posted 16 November 2011 - 18:07

The new St Martins shop is half the size, or less, of the previous one, and the name appears to have been taken over. Last time I was in London (a couple of months ago) I passed by but it didn't look to be as appealing as the old premises.

#10 PSB

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Posted 20 November 2011 - 20:26

Nowdays, The St.Martin shop is owned by Grand Prix Legends.
I've visited the shop about a month ago- It has a limited stock of current road and racing models, both in 1\43 and 1\18, with includes mainly the latest releases from all major model manufacturers.

#11 fatbaldbloke

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Posted 21 November 2011 - 13:46

The new shop next to Motorbooks has absolutely nothing to do with Cath & Ralph. They are still trading as St Martins Accessories but on a mail order only basis from home. Here is the url for the original company http://www.stmartinsmodelcars.co.uk/

While technically we're competitors, there is only a small crossover in what we and the original st Martins do and we have always helped each other out where we can in the past.

#12 Barry Boor

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Posted 26 November 2011 - 08:59

Well, I'm pleased to report that 34 of my cars have been purchased directly from me while the remainder were taken down to Racing Models on Thursday.

The deal offered by that dealer is quite reasonable so I am happy to leave them with him and watch the £££s roll in - no doubt very, very slowly.