Old lithographs and auction logistics

[criticalDMG]

Pops left me a few midcentury lithographs that might be worth a few hundred each. I've looked into Heritage and other big auction houses but the shipping costs to get them there are almost as much as the art itself. Do people really go through with it thinking they'll come out ahead or is this mostly collectors who overestimate the market?

 

[pickasshole1]

That's the problem with the big auction houses. You'll sell them easily, but the problem is that when you factor in the additional costs you'll end up with very little or nothing at all. I'd look into smaller auction houses or galleries, local ones where you won't have to worry about the shipping. Also, get a quote before you commit to this, you don't want to get scammed.

 

[antonov]

@pickasshole1 Definitely, smaller local auctions can save a ton on shipping and fees. Sometimes you end up keeping more of the profit and still reach serious collectors.

 

[criticalDMG]

I've started looking into a few local options and I'm seeing how the numbers could work out better, especially without the shipping overhead. I'm still trying to figure out how much reach these smaller auctions actually have when it comes to midcentury prints. Do you know if they tend to attract serious buyers or are they more geared toward general estate sale traffic? I'm thinking of getting a quote from one of the regional galleries next week and seeing if they offer any kind of online bidding to widen the pool.