Estate Sale in Poway and a Twist

We had a sad day going down to Poway on 11/15 at the peak of a rainstorm to get to the final sale of the holdings of a well-known stamp dealer who died recently.  They did a good job organizing the 100+ boxes and albums, but it was a mixed batch emotionally.  We weren't close friends, but we saw each other at the stamp shows and I think I had come down to visit him twice at this very same house over the years, where he gave me a tour of his massive collection and the overflow that he brought out to the local shows.  I couldn't help but feel like a vulture swooping in, but on the other hand, we were converting the "stuff in the garage" into a financial gain for the family.

About a dozen other buyers came and went during the ninety minutes we were there.  The rain was unrelenting.  The economics of collecting was on full display: if you want top dollar for an item you have to do all the work and wait until the right buyer comes along -- years later?? -- but if you want to make a sale right now, just say $20 per binder or $50 per box, and they will fly out the door.  

We missed the first day of the sale because we were out in Sedona, but there was plenty here to look at.  I always feel like a small-time player because I can't compete with the big guys who would bring thousands of dollars to a sale like this.  But I do what I can with the funds I can dig up.

The original plan was to stock up on albums and country collections in folders, so we would have new material for the Sandipex show, which we sold at about six times in the last two years ... but Bob let us know the Sandipex show was on hold indefinitely, probably cancelled for good after 20 years.  So all this new stuff was for our own hoard now.






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