1964 Porsche 901 by CMC

@marty-johnson Estate Sale Liquidators are not in the business to sell collections and even give you a fair value. Believe me, I know by experience. If you have nice expensive models, this maybe the time to think about selling them and just keep what you like the most by downsizing your collection.  The cheap stuff is just garbage that will never sell on Ebay.

To even think your family will get a chunk of money is ludicrous. Even the best CMC, Exoto, Bauer, DM/FM take months to sell if they ever and the process is "extremely" time consuming. No matter the size and the quality of the models, a diecast collection has mostly no residual value. It will never be an asset in your net worth but more a burden how to dispose.

If you think your wife or your children will ever recover a part of your investment, you are really dreaming. Furthermore, no museum will ever buy or accept your collection even if you make a donation. They would not invest in displays and they would prefer to put everything in storage.

The process of collecting is a passion that take years but should never be considered an investment unless they are gold and/or silver coins. Personally, I sold at the right time 8 years ago moving for retirement without expecting much and I was right. An overall investment of $50K came down cashing less than $10K. 

Now...... I just have 40 high quality 1/43 scale models and I am just as happy. This will not be a burden for my family because my will states to through them in the garbage can with all the displays when I will be gone. 

@nickies - I found your comments interesting.  However, my experience with liquidators is not the same as yours.    

I frequent eBay quite a bit and often buy models from liquidators.  What I must consider is liquidators are professionals and liquidate estate personal property for a living.  I often see liquidators getting as much as or more than amateur private sellers.  This is especially so with high-end models.  I also see them selling in days, not months.   

Of course, what helps is the pristine nature of the model but also having all of the original box, packaging, and paperwork for each model.  I have them as I've kept the original packaging from when I received the model.  I also have a detailed spreadsheet of my entire collection, along with estimates of the value of each model and any pertinent notes that might assist with the sale of the model. 

For example, I have a 1:12 scale Danbury Mint Ford Mustang convertible prototype in Poppy Red with a white interior.  It is the original prototype that DM built intending to sell that color combination to the general public.  It is the only one in the world, as DM left the diecast business before they produced the model.  That information should be included in the text of the eBay listing. 

What is the model worth?  It's hard to say.  The Wimbledon White Mustang usually gets $750 to $1,000 on eBay.  The price difference is typically related to condition and original boxing.  As the only Poppy Red color version in existence, I would suspect that it will yield a sold price of somewhere between $1,200 and $2,000.  It will depend on timing and what buyers see in the model.  With eBay, all that is required for top dollar is for two interested buyers to enter a bidding war.  I know this from my extensive past experience with several eBay Power Seller accounts.  

Here is another example.  I have a 1:10 scale Exoto Ford GT40.  Exoto did two liveries, the black Carroll Shelby and the more desired "Ken Miles" version.  The "Ken Miles" version is what I have.  The "Ken Miles" version rarely appears on eBay, and when it does, with all of the original packaging and paperwork, they go between $2,500 to $3,500.  Since liquidators are in the business of getting top dollar, they know presentation, including mentioning all of the intact packaging and paperwork, is vital to achieving the most significant financial yield.  I'm confident a professional liquidator will appreciate that the spreadsheet guideline I provided will help educate them on the pricing direction they should take with each model.  The models will be combined with all of the personal property in our home as my wife will definitely relocate to her home country of Taiwan.    

I use the eBay "Sold items" option to determine the value of each model in my collection.  If my models were to sell at a mid-point of what they're currently getting on eBay, then my collection is worth approximately $80k.  It is not a lot of money, and it is questionable if it would be worth her personal, hands-on effort.  Hence, I've told my wife that the liquidator route is the best path for her, so she isn't burdened with the task.  As in all professions, I suspect there is a range in the quality of liquidators.  You're right that my cheap models are virtually worthless and not worth the effort to sell them.  I'd like to see those donated to a charity.

Still, your impressions are not lost on me; ignoring your comments of your experience would be foolish.  Consequently, you have encouraged me that it probably would be prudent to take a proactive position now.  Our conflicting perspectives on liquidator experiences will prompt me to do the legwork NOW to find the best liquidator with extensive hobbyist collections experience.  That will save my wife the burden of selecting the best liquidator but also enhance the likelihood of her getting top dollar.  

You have proved helpful by encouraging me to think about an element I hadn't previously considered.  I appreciate the time you've taken to share your personal experience.  

Merry Christmas!  

@john3976 I have this same model, it is fantastic.

The issue of what to do with your collection is far more complicated than most folks think. Dave Gilbert and I talked about this when I was in Nashville touring his new facility. You can hear that segment around the 9:50 mark.