Selling inherited collections can take work
Q: My mother was a collector of Wedgwood Jasperware. I inherited everything from 25-cent-size boxes to Portland vases of three different sizes. Some I plan to keep. Any suggestions on how to liquidate this collection?
A: How to sell inherited collections is the question we get asked the most. There is no easy answer. Ask yourself what is most important to you — money, your time, the amount of physical labor, enhancing family memories or avoiding arguments among heirs.
There are companies that take and sell everything to empty a house for a fee or part of the profit. It may be costly, but it is quick.
In- or out-of-town auction companies might be interested in a valuable collection of Wedgwood. Ask collector friends whom to call and ask the professionals about what they sell and the services they offer. (Professionals usually spot any very valuable items and estimate the sale value properly.)
No luck? Try the next step: a local shop that will buy your things or take them on consignment. If the dealer has been in business locally, you can get references and check on honesty. An offer to buy from an unknown company in a newspaper ad can be risky.
The next option: Run your own sale in a house or online. It takes time, planning, studying and a knowledge of pricing.
Finally, you could take everything usable to a thrift store or charity. You get a tax deduction, pride in doing a good deed and an end to the problems.
Bell toys
Pull toys that had moving parts that rang a bell were made in America just after the Civil War. They were called bell toys.
The Gong Bell Co. of Connecticut made the first one. It was an iron four-wheel platform holding a bell and an animal. The animal kicked or hit the bell when the platform moved.
Later bell toys used wood, tin or other metals and added realistic hair or animal hide. The toys were all painted.
The 1880s and 1890s were the golden age for bell toys, and in the 1900s, copies were made in various metals and eventually plastic. Today, the bell toys are wood or plastic and made by Fisher Price and Playskool.
Current prices
Prices recorded from throughout the U.S.
■ Mouse trap, domed wire cage on hexagonal wood base, round opening at bottom, bail handle, France, 1940s, 5x5 ½ inches, $25
■ Book trough, carved oak, arched ends with Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet, book storage, c. 1940, 8 x 20 inches, $80
■ Tabletop lighter, golf club-shaped, putter, golf-ball knob, brown and ivory, cast metal, 1950s, 4 ½ inches, $165
■ Model plane, wood and metal with red paint, working engine, propeller and landing wheels, 1950s, 48 inches with wing span of 5 feet, 6 inches, $350