How does Back to the Past Collectibles handle a large estate full of toys and comic books? What does success look like? We get these questions all the time, so today we’re going to share with you one of our favorite success stories: The Florida Collection!
The First Phone Call
Back around the holiday season of 2019, we took a call, as we so often do, from a family that needed our help. They informed us that a member of the family had recently passed away, and he was an independent comic and toy store owner. More than that, he was a collector and a bit of a hoarder. According to the family, both his store and his home were basically floor to ceiling with action figures, statues, vehicles, you name it. As we are in Michigan and this family was from Florida, we got some pictures and videos to determine if a trip to the Sunshine State was going to be worthwhile.
Those pictures demonstrated beyond any doubt that there was not one word of hyperbole in their description of the collection. We booked a trip and made plans to investigate the potential value of the collection.
An artistic interpretation of what things looked like in Florida.
It’s Nice to be Lucky, but Better to be Skilled
Once our evaluation expert was onsite, the reports started coming back on how amazing this collection looked. It had everything that lights up our Christmas tree: Vintage toys from the 70s & 80s? Hard-to-find, brand new toys? High-end figures and statues? Lots of comic books? Yes, to everything, and in deep supply. It was the kind of collection that makes our old, jaded hearts beat faster.
Notably, the family told us that the best offer they’d received was from a New York company. That offer was a straight buyout of $40,000. We knew there was no way we wouldn’t lap that offer a few times over by bringing everything to auction. We pitched our plan, the family agreed to it, and started trucking the collection up to Michigan.
After around 2 semi-truck loads arrived, it took roughly 9 months to catalog every item and get everything sold. By the end of the project, we were able to get the family a payout well in excess of 5 times that original buyout offer!
Moral of The Florida Collection: Everybody Can Win!
The family was ecstatic over the results. The massive collection they inherited, one that was literally their loved one’s job to handle, was taken care of without them lifting a finger. Further, the house was cleaned out in time for them to take advantage of the booming real estate market. We call that a win!
Getting great results for our clients and bringing amazing cool stuff to our eager fans is what we’re all about. If there’s anything we can do for you, don’t hesitate to contact us so we can find the best pathway to success for you. If you’re in the collecting phase, follow us on social media @b2pcollect to keep up with all the great collections we handle!
