Your Choice in Estate Sale Companies

Choosing a company to run your estate sale is often one more annoying task during a time that is already stressful. How can you know which company is best for you? The answer is that your choice depends on your personal goals.

Companies have a wide range of fees and commissions. One company can charge a commission of 30% of total sales with no minimum. Another can charge up to a 50% commission with a minimum commission of $2,000 to $5,000. Other companies charge additional fees for setup, advertising or other services. If your goal is to pay the least amount for a sale, then you may want the former. But you may prefer the latter if efficiency without regard to your personal needs is your priority.

Low cost companies usually scrimp on important tasks, such as creating an attractive buying experience and doing the research necessary to maximize your return on sales. Their sales can look chaotic and disorganized. For the high cost companies, you are just one of many sales they run in any given week, so you may not get the personal attention you need from the most qualified people. Their sales can be cookie cutter affairs that make more money for the company than the client.

Lolly & Pop's prefers the middle ground. In return for our commission, we design a sale that is unique to your possessions and personal circumstances. We pride ourselves on performing diligent research on your cherished collectibles and on displaying your estate in a way that best encourage buyers. Our process is simple and comprehensive - we provide the best service for the best price in the industry.

Historically Questionable Collectibles

In 2022, many things raise questions of appropriateness. Whether it is language or actions, we learn more each day about the impact of our attitudes and beliefs on others and on society in general. We analyze historical figures and practices through ever refined lenses with an eye toward gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other attributes. It is no surprise, therefore, that collectibles come under the same scrutiny.

Black Americana has long been a hobby exemplifying this two-edged sword. While we need to eradicate the prejudices that oppress people, we also want to understand our history. I have collected books on Nazi Germany for decades. When my kids' friends came to our house, they always had to explain that their father was a historian and not a white supremacist. Done with sensitivity and requisite perspective, we can learn much from past wrongs.

Still, there are those items that make us wince. A friend of mine in Pittsburgh has a collection of Edison records with virulently anti-Semitic songs. Children's toys, such as this Wacky Walker, were common in the 60's. And there are many examples of early 20th century sheet music with wildly racist lyrics and performers in Blackface. And while Europe widely bans the sale of Nazi memorabilia, the U.S. has very few such limitations.

When I was a teacher, I used such items to teach young people about the horrors of racism, misogyny, homophobia and other prejudices. I still believe we can learn from these past relics and apply that knowledge to building a better society.

Hot Superfast Red Line Matchbox Wheels

Collectibles markets can be very tricky. One interesting example is diecast toy cars. Now, I collected Matchbox cars when I was a kid, and built a massive and comprehensive collection. Matchbox cars were produced in England starting in 1953. Other companies made more expensive toys (Corgi, Dinky), or less expensive toys (Tootsietoy), but Matchbox owned the middle ground of the toy car market.

But in 1968, Mattel Hot Wheels came on the scene. Very quickly Hot Wheels dominated the market with their faster wheels and shiny metallic colors. Matchbox responded with Superfast cars, but they never recovered their glory days in the market. Even today, stores tend to stock more Hot Wheels than Matchbox.

Being very brand loyal, I hated Hot Wheels. I didn't like the new Superfast models and I thought the newer designs were getting increasingly silly. And while I eventually sold my Matchbox collection for a down payment on a house, I remained antagonistic to this American upstart.

Today, one can still buy new Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars for $0.99 at most retail outlets. But the collector markets for the two are radically different. Pre-Superfast Matchbox cars continue to hold or increase their value. Mint in box examples can get $10 to $50, and much more for rarer models. Even the early Superfast models can get much more than their original price.

The market for Hot Wheels, however, while much larger is also much fussier. With a few exceptions, the only Hot Wheels that generate high prices from collectors are the "red line" cars. These are easily identified by the red circle on the tires. Red lines were only made into the mid-1970's. Hot Wheels without a red line generate very little interest at estate sales. We typically give them and Beanie Babies away to kids visiting our sales.

So, in a way, my loyalty to Matchbox cars has been vindicated. I actually just started buying Matchbox cars again. At $0.99, I just can't pass up that connection to my childhood.