The reg wheel collection is sold - thoughts on values
Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 4:44 pm
Last week, my final eBay auctions for 3/4 of my regular wheel collection ended.
All the models were mint in their original boxes spanning from the 1a to the 75b. The photos were clear and carefully created. Stannard codes were included, and the feedback has so far been 100 percent positive.
So, how's the regular market doing, then?
I'll come out and say it - from my point of view, largely disappointing. 15 years ago, when eBay was new and exciting, I sold a similar collection. Models like the #37a Coke truck with uneven load could be expected to bring $250 or more, particularly if they were truly mint. In 2014, my MIB Coke truck brought $98.
Most other models followed suit, bringing about half of what they might have sold for a decade ago.
There were some happy surprises in the lot. My 22b Cresta sold for $350. Caterpillar tractors and race cars like the 19c Aston Martin did very well too.
Still, despite my advertising on several diecast websites (this one included) and Facebook, the final hammer prices left me wondering if I parted with the collection too soon (due to a recovering economy), or too late (do to collector interest).
From experience, the winter months of January through March are the best time to sell. People seem to spend more time indoors online while the weather is cold and wet. I chose this season to part with my models to get the most exposure.
Here are a few things I observed:
The more I listed, the more people took notice and bid. I listed 25 models every Saturday and Sunday for 7 weeks. Every week there was a good mix of rare and common models. Sales for the final two weekends were best of all.
Kings and Majors were strong sellers. My auctions for these models were 20 percent better than I anticipated.
Americans won the most auctions. In the past, there were many more parcels heading out to other countries. Shipping rates are truly up, but was that enough to scare away these bidders?
Australians, it seems, love King Size models.
Common black wheel models from the mid to late 1960s have held there values. Grey wheels have largely lost value. This could be due to an aging collector base. I'm not really sure how to explain it. My Kennel trucks, 20c Taxis and other common black wheels did fine, closing typically between 25-45 dollars.
So, in the end, am I bitter?
Not really. I lost money on the collection, but managed to scrape together $20k from the sale of 300 toy cars. This money will go towards the purchase of my next fun car, be it Lotus Exige or Jag E-type. And, I was able to keep over 150 of my favorite models, including a clutch of really rare pieces like my red-hubbed D-type and the Lambo Miura with white interior. Funny, the display cases still look completely full, despite the big reduction.
The best part of it all is that life seems a little more manageable. Should I part from this world before the wife, she wont have to deal with all the little cars. I'm done collecting, yet I still have a collection.
Not a bad thing.
All the models were mint in their original boxes spanning from the 1a to the 75b. The photos were clear and carefully created. Stannard codes were included, and the feedback has so far been 100 percent positive.
So, how's the regular market doing, then?
I'll come out and say it - from my point of view, largely disappointing. 15 years ago, when eBay was new and exciting, I sold a similar collection. Models like the #37a Coke truck with uneven load could be expected to bring $250 or more, particularly if they were truly mint. In 2014, my MIB Coke truck brought $98.
Most other models followed suit, bringing about half of what they might have sold for a decade ago.
There were some happy surprises in the lot. My 22b Cresta sold for $350. Caterpillar tractors and race cars like the 19c Aston Martin did very well too.
Still, despite my advertising on several diecast websites (this one included) and Facebook, the final hammer prices left me wondering if I parted with the collection too soon (due to a recovering economy), or too late (do to collector interest).
From experience, the winter months of January through March are the best time to sell. People seem to spend more time indoors online while the weather is cold and wet. I chose this season to part with my models to get the most exposure.
Here are a few things I observed:
The more I listed, the more people took notice and bid. I listed 25 models every Saturday and Sunday for 7 weeks. Every week there was a good mix of rare and common models. Sales for the final two weekends were best of all.
Kings and Majors were strong sellers. My auctions for these models were 20 percent better than I anticipated.
Americans won the most auctions. In the past, there were many more parcels heading out to other countries. Shipping rates are truly up, but was that enough to scare away these bidders?
Australians, it seems, love King Size models.
Common black wheel models from the mid to late 1960s have held there values. Grey wheels have largely lost value. This could be due to an aging collector base. I'm not really sure how to explain it. My Kennel trucks, 20c Taxis and other common black wheels did fine, closing typically between 25-45 dollars.
So, in the end, am I bitter?
Not really. I lost money on the collection, but managed to scrape together $20k from the sale of 300 toy cars. This money will go towards the purchase of my next fun car, be it Lotus Exige or Jag E-type. And, I was able to keep over 150 of my favorite models, including a clutch of really rare pieces like my red-hubbed D-type and the Lambo Miura with white interior. Funny, the display cases still look completely full, despite the big reduction.
The best part of it all is that life seems a little more manageable. Should I part from this world before the wife, she wont have to deal with all the little cars. I'm done collecting, yet I still have a collection.
Not a bad thing.
