Complete collection or set: what added value?

SYRACUSIAN

This question has been on my mind for quite some time now. Many collectors tend to believe that a complete collection or set is worth an additional premium over the value of the individual coins together. But is it true? If a collection/set is consigned to a major auction firm for sale, which is supposed to be the best way to go, most coins will be sold as individual lots, independent from each other, and maybe a few later and cheaper dates will be grouped together. How exactly will the collector benefit from the fact that his set was complete when he consigned it?

spoon

It seems that selling a complete set in whole would tend to bring a lower price: there are simply less people able to afford the all-at-once approach and thus less competition to push the price upward. Of course, those rich folks could, and likely often do, drive it up amongst each other.

But the only real benefit of having a complete set at auction (in my novice opinion) is publicity value. A rarity here or there gets attention, but a set instantly becomes a centerpiece of whatever auction is being held. More publicity = more bidders (hopefully!).

Aethelred

In my mind a collection is worth the sum of the parts that make it up, nothing more or less.

Justhavingfun

Hello Syracusian: There's no one answer but generally speaking if you have a red-hot collection, you will have added negotiating leverage with any auction house. And that translates into

-- a larger percentage of the hammer;

-- more favorable terms on buy-backs;

-- and if you have a really good collection, you can sometimes even swing an individual catalog for your collection. I recently had that for my 3 cent and 5 cent pattern collection. A separate catalog as well as prime listings within the regular
catalog.

Moreover, when the auction house is going to so much added expense as to put out a whole added catalog just for your collection, you can be sure they'll be promoting it more vigorously than usual -- because they like to make money on their projects

So a hot collection translates into added dollars at an auction house in many ways.

And hot collection will translate into added dollars in a collector-to-collector sale. I know; I've paid a "set-premium" of from negative 5% up to plus 14% for hot collections that I was interested in. The negative 5% came because the owner wanted to dispose of the set in a hurry and while I really didn't want the whole thing, he had 6 coins in there that I lusted after. So we reached a compromise.

But even then, because he had a hot collection, he was able to dispose of it much quicker, and for much more money, than if he had had a difuse collection of a smidge here and a tad there.

So whether you dispose of your collection as a whole in a collector-to-collector sale or as individual coins through an auction house, having a great collection adds value.

But in all this chit-chat about money, don't forget to enjoy yourself, because when you collect things you really, really like, that's when you're most likely to make money.


Just Having Fun!