"How much is your collection worth?" Topic

"Have you ever thought about how much effort you have put into getting your wargame figures ready for battle? Or the value of the figures, units, armies and collections you own?

We thought we could help with a tool that will give you an idea of the value of your collection when you take it to your club, competition or wargames show.

You will probably be surprised. We know, if you're like us, that you have built up your collection gradually. And no one thinks about the mounting monetary value of the forces they are amassing. It's all about the game, the tactics and what's at our disposal on the battlefield. But with that all said, the time and effort we spend building our collections can add up to impressive valuation totals…"
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collectioncalculator.com

Amicalement
Armand

Anyone who confuses "time and effort" or even "money spent" with how much the results can be sold for, needs to take his customized used car to a dealer and become reacquainted with reality.

Spend decades assembling, painting and basing the most splendid force your rules allow, and you will eventually wind up with several thousand castings not sculpted in the current style, somewhat underscale, based for rules no one uses any more--oh, and with all your medium browns turned to bright orange and all your whites starting to yellow.

Never, EVER spend money on the hobby with the excuse that you or your heirs can turn it back into cash later. You'd be better off buying lottery tickets.

Very true Robert. Many people drastically over-value their collections. They even over-value unpainted castings. Buying wargames castings is even worse than buying a new car and driving it off the lot.

I am just wondering what the company gets by collecting all of this data.

What a collection is worth is never what we think it should be.
At Enfilade several chaps who passed had their whole collections sold really at half or less of what I thought they are worth.

To me personally my collection is priceless. That being said, when I am gone it will all be given away. Maybe even before I am gone…. I would love to see others enjoy my collection.

What I have spent over the 35 years of serious collecting would put a very high end sports car in my garage if I had it to spend today. What I could sell what I have for today would put a used VW in my garage today.

Hobby money is spent entertainment money like going out to dinner and a movie. Once you spend it, you never get it back.

If I'm really luck it would sell for what I paid for the minis. I keep having to explain to my girlfriend that wargamers are cheap bastards and I'd make less than minimum wage for painting on commission…

Selling 15mm to wargamers, maybe $1 USD per figure (counting cavalry as 2 figures) if other gamers happen to want that period. Otherwise nil. I helped sell off a lot of a late friend's collection but still left his wife holding a LOT of lead.

I tried this Collection manager. Seems like a good start. Very tedious, with fixed categories. No room for variation. I cannot get it to put in the cost, nor whether it is painted or not. The picture upload is good. After I started, I realized I wanted to put different collections in separately, for example, Britains 54mm, ancients, VBCW, etc. Could not re-name without starting over. UK centric as costs are in pounds.

I will work with it some more. Ditto to Dale, Why do they need address and phone number? They do not ask the value of the each entry, just what you paid for it.

Cavcracy, what is your collection. I might well enjoy it.

After I entered information, I left the program and then came back, and not data saved:(

During the early millenium, the dot.com bubble, you could sell figures for up to $100 USD at B level or lower. You will never get what you put into it.

Of course if you can drag out some mint Heritage boxes you might make a good price.

Never saw my figs turn orange yet, now that would be depressing.

My collection is out of control. I hope I can find soeone who
deserves them in the area for when I croak.

I am quite suprised at some of the comments above over the last two years I have been in the unfortunate position of selling the collections of two friends who have passed away on behalf of their remaining family. I have felt honour bound to get the highest return possible and took a very early decision not to accept rock bottom offers.

That said, I believe that you have to accept a degree of devaluation in respect of your own usage of your beloved collection so you need to be reasonable in your expectations. I have offered armies to wargaming friends at the minimum price but with not a lot of luck as finding £6.00 GBP-800 in one lump seems to be a bit of a struggle.

Most sales then have been on e bay and overall the returns have been quite reasonable with 15mm well painted models averaging £1.50 GBP per casting, some much more, the lowest being around £0.95 GBP, though that has been unusual.

What has suprised me has been the number of armies (100+ figures) that have sold to Australia, Hong Kong and North America, where the cost of carriage has been very high.

Job lots of un and part painted armies have also suprised me, as in some cases the price obtained exceeded the list price. I have found that selling for example the full range of figure options for Saga or Cross and Crescent as a job lot has obtained good prices.

So there are things that you can do that definitely enhance the value of your collection. 1. Good photos sell units 2. Plan what you are selling and breakdown large armies into bite size chunks 3. Be patient and be realistic about expectations – consider what you would happily pay for a similar unit 4. Consider offers, but don't feel it necessary to accept them.

Having lost some good friends lately and aware of my own mortality I have been considering the actual value of my collection, and using the info above it is quite extensive, certainly a good few thousands of £, that can be recouped for my family. Using that as a guide I have also calculated an insurance replacement value which of course is far higher.

The biggest disappointment in respect of sales has been books. Many of these have been cleared at little more than the cost of postage….. but I suppose that reflects the change in information storage and retrevial.

I have also started to list and label my wargames collection so that if and when I shuffle off the mortal coil my partner will at least have some idea of what she has inherited.

As has been said before, "I hope to sell it for what I told my wife I paid for it".

I'm reducing my collection NOW, so I can help my children with the costs of their education, accommodation &c. That way, I can enjoy seeing them benefit from what I raise from selling books, games and figures I haven't used for a long time and am unlikely to use again.
The remainder I will bequeath to good wargame friends to enjoy themselves.

Priceless to me but my insurance company has a value assigned to it which given that it 30 years of collecting and painting is more than I thought (like 45th Div said, high end sports car in garage range)

I have thought about adding it up but I'm not sure I want to know. I have 5k and who could know the time into them.

I am sure every sizable collection has a few collectibles that might sell for real money. But face, it, most wargaming 'collections' are assorted heaps of junk, unpainted minis, some styrofoam buildings, etc. Cfr. any Bring&Buy at a con.
There is no inherent value in wargaming figures, except the price another wargamer wants to pay for it, which is very coloured by period, scale and rules popularity of the moment. That makes it very difficult in a small niche hobby such as ours to value a collection correctly.

The best way to value your collection is to ask yourself how much *you* want to pay for it.

More than I would pay to replace it, even if many armies were not from OOP lines.

Anyone want to pay me £1.00 GBPM for mine? It's worth it ;-)

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand