I was saddened to hear of yet another collector wishing to sell up,
but I have to say this is a much better option than leaving your wife /
children / solicitor / lawyer to sort it out after your death.

I have dealt with two large collections of instruments which were being
sold after the death of the owner who was survived by his wife, one of
which was over 100 instruments.

I spent ten days photographing and cataloging in proper detail, and
correctly, unlike some auction houses.  My estimate for this collection
was UKP 95,000 ($150,000).  A London, England, auction house also gave
an estimate only 5% different from my own, so I was quite pleased I had
'got it right'.  I was paid for the work done and was happy so far; it
was then up to the executors to choose how to sell.

Unfortunately, whereas I was guaranteeing to sell items at the prices
estimated for only a 10% commission, the auction was only estimating
expected prices.  In reality the Solicitor/Lawyer thought I was going
to sell cheaply to me friends and contacts and advised my client to
send the collection to the London auction house.

She was charged UKP 1,500 for two removal lorries (trucks) and four
men to take the collection 80 miles to London, around UKP 1,300 for
photos for the catalogue.  I was unable to attend the sale as I had
a restoration job 700 miles away in north of Scotland, and bidding by
phone is only allowed at this auction house on lots estimated at over
UKP 2,000 and I was only personally interested in some of the smaller
items.

In reality the hammer price was UKP 54,000 and the seller got UKP 39,000
after deduction of removal, photographic and commission expenses by the
auction house.

Needless to say the seller was not impressed, but was wealthy enough
to not need the money to live on, but of course some people really need
the best possible price for a collection to keep them going in
retirement.

The point I want to make is that auction houses may know what they
are doing, and may well offer a good service and frequently get items
listed correctly, but they do not always, and the seller would not know
a Gem Roller Organ from a Gem Phonograph in many cases so would not
know if anything was wrong.

I would suggest the best way is to either sell the whole lot to a
dealer, if you do not want people visiting your home to view items,
or get a dealer to sell the collection on commission for a fixed,
say 10%, commission at agreed prices with "no sale, no fee" on any
instrument.

If you have the time and the contacts (MMD, MBSI, MBSGB), try to sell
the collection yourself, and even advertise a viewing and selling day
(easier in UK where people live a lot closer).  The rarest and best
restored instruments will always sell quickly; unrestored machines
are becoming harder to shift as so many long term collections will be
coming onto the market soon.

I can think of five collectors here in the UK who have died in the last
eight months with large collections to sort out, and two museums which
either have recently closed down or will be at the end of this season.
(Museum of Entertainment, Whaplode St. Catherines, is in trust so items
can only go to other registered charities or museums.  Rye Treasury of
Mechanical Music collection will not be sold as the owner will continue
to operate from a private home in a new building.)

I predict a drop in market prices this year so would advise selling
sooner rather than later.  I hope this opens up another train of
discussion on MMD like the right glue, most travelled instruments etc.

Sincerely, Kevin McElhone
Archivist M.B.S.G.B. - England