als1678
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I would strongly recommend The value of Art by Michael Findlay
Jul 10, 2020,19:40 PM
Rare high end timepieces trade in very thin markets and spreads between bid and ask can be huge. Auctions used to be the worst place for selling an independent watch as the buyers largely didn't care about them. This has changed dramatically in recent times. Still, past auctions are rarely a good indicator of current value. The book explains at length as to why that is the case for the art market. I don't want to write a whole essay on finding comparables etc, you are a long term collector and know all those things. But I would say that finding a dealer or market that has the best access to the niche buyers that might want to buy your watch and having patience are the keys to getting the best price.
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There is a site that shows all of the recent auction results...
By: mdg : July 10th, 2020-18:13
...but off the top of my head I don't remember it...I will look. It seems that an average of all recent results would get you pretty close, but as you know, something is only worth what a person will pay. Btw, if you ever sell your 5950 I have first dibs ...
Dear Sire Ed.
By: K-Lo : July 10th, 2020-18:34
This a tough one. I think one approach is to look, as people say, to recent selling markers of said piece. This could be auction houses, sites which list third party sellers to certain types of consumers, and/or similar. This is likely to be good for piec...
If it is a special piece, and you have many of those...
By: mdg : July 10th, 2020-18:41
...I'm not sure what you'd have to lose by putting it up with a big auction house, giving it a reserve you can live with, and see what happens. Maybe wait for a 'themed' auction or one that is particularly well-known/attended. Not an auction expert, but i...
There usually is a seller's premium as well.
By: mkvc : July 10th, 2020-18:55
Perhaps more importantly, a lot of the watches in an auction are purchased by dealers, who are willing to pay only wholesale prices. The price only rises to a retail-type level if there are at least two retail-type buyers interested in the item.
Maybe it could be a 'pocket listing' like real estate...
By: mdg : July 10th, 2020-19:15
...with a trusted AD with connections to other buyers that would take a premium less than a seller's premium. Or maybe just for goodwill's sake as Ed has given them a lot of business over the years... Just thinking out loud.
A few key words
By: Cookies : July 10th, 2020-19:02
History, Provenance, Context Technology, scarcity, popularity (or lack of it), access to repairs All these words drive the word “intrinsic value”
I would strongly recommend The value of Art by Michael Findlay
By: als1678 : July 10th, 2020-19:40
Rare high end timepieces trade in very thin markets and spreads between bid and ask can be huge. Auctions used to be the worst place for selling an independent watch as the buyers largely didn't care about them. This has changed dramatically in recent tim...
I always figured art...
By: mdg : July 10th, 2020-19:44
...was just a way for super-rich Russians and communist Chinese to park their money overseas so it wouldn't get confiscated by the powers that be... Or drug lords as a way to launder cash...I suppose either works.
Like anything else,
By: Thomas_3 : July 10th, 2020-19:54
it is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.