I have just inherited two large collections. One is a collection of ancient coins. The other is a collection of Magic: The Gathering cards. I need to figure out the best way to sell these (and/or to prep them for sale). As some general background, I too am a collector. I once built and then sold a huge collection of comic books, so I'm familiar with the broad problems and pitfalls with this sort of thing. I understand the trade-offs between quick sale and maximum value. I'm not looking for generalized advice here, but specific tools, resources, and marketplaces I should use to sell these collections.
RE: The MTG cards. I've played the game casually since its debut, so have no problems with game-based concepts. I understand sets, rarities, etc. My guess is that this collection contains roughly 175,000 cards give or take. (Could be a little lower than that. Could be as many as 300,000 cards.)
Some cards are already sorted (there's a box of Revised, a box of Unlimited, etc.) but most aren't. I realize I have many weeks (months?) of card sorting ahead of me, but once the cards are physically sorted, then what? Is there software I can use to inventory them? Or a website? What are my options for selling? Many of these were purchased via eBay, but I know some were purchased from various websites. Is it even worth my time to sell the commons? The uncommons?
RE: The coins. I'm at a total loss here. I have no education nor interest in ancient coins. I watched the original owner purchase these coins over the past 20 years, so I know some vague stuff but it's safe to assume I know nothing when you reply. My guess (based on the owner's interests) is that these will largely be Roman coins, but I'm certain there are coins from other cultures and eras mixed in. There are probably some uncleaned coins left in the collection, but I assume the owner cleaned most of them before he died. I have zero clue how to identify any individual coin and am similarly lost when it comes to selling them. Is there software for cataloging ancient coins? Are there online marketplaces for ancient coins? Am I better off contacting an auction house?
RE: The MTG cards. I've played the game casually since its debut, so have no problems with game-based concepts. I understand sets, rarities, etc. My guess is that this collection contains roughly 175,000 cards give or take. (Could be a little lower than that. Could be as many as 300,000 cards.)
Some cards are already sorted (there's a box of Revised, a box of Unlimited, etc.) but most aren't. I realize I have many weeks (months?) of card sorting ahead of me, but once the cards are physically sorted, then what? Is there software I can use to inventory them? Or a website? What are my options for selling? Many of these were purchased via eBay, but I know some were purchased from various websites. Is it even worth my time to sell the commons? The uncommons?
RE: The coins. I'm at a total loss here. I have no education nor interest in ancient coins. I watched the original owner purchase these coins over the past 20 years, so I know some vague stuff but it's safe to assume I know nothing when you reply. My guess (based on the owner's interests) is that these will largely be Roman coins, but I'm certain there are coins from other cultures and eras mixed in. There are probably some uncleaned coins left in the collection, but I assume the owner cleaned most of them before he died. I have zero clue how to identify any individual coin and am similarly lost when it comes to selling them. Is there software for cataloging ancient coins? Are there online marketplaces for ancient coins? Am I better off contacting an auction house?