I recently started to try selling some old family items that I didn't want to just throw away due to the history, and also could use extra income this time of year. I started with a few antique dolls, and quickly discovered the complexities involved with selling collectibles. I don't even have a clear understanding of basic terminology (antique vs vintage, etc.) So I decided this time to go with something that would clearly be more definitive for me, old postcards. Most of them are dated from 1910-1920, so that would be easy. It's not. I posted abcouple to start, but to photograph and post each of these would be an overwhelming task, since even just figuring out subcategories is a process for me. I have tried to research, but there is such a wide variety in this collection, that I don't even know where to begin. The collection belonged to a soldier originally from Germany who had recently moved his family to MN, A lot of WWI postcards, holiday, art (mostly signed), photograph postcards, ships, etc. He must have traveled to a lot of countries in the service. So in addition to U.S., there are a lot from other countries as well. Some new, a lot he had sent or received from various parts of the world. Some messages in English, others in German. All I have seen so far are from 1908-1920. I work a lot, so to find the time to quickly become an expert, as well as manage hundreds of listings is too much. Should I sell them all in one big lot, or see if an auction house would buy them? I read they charge up to 50% for this, and I have no idea if it would be worth it. Any advice or wisdom would be helpful.
