Biggest antique retail chains or stores? I have glass to wholesale.

Hello, I have a sizable lot of a rather rare beer bottle. Rare in the sense they were only made once, never distributed, and I own 95% of all that exist in the world.

As I had hoped someone would be interested in owning the entire lot as a control play, I think I will have to consider giving them to a retailer to sell off individually or in 6 packs.

I am curious to learn of any chains or stores that might have enough traffic and equity to afford this purchase (5 figures), and possibly what kind of margins a store typically needs to see? I know that is a loaded question but I also know a store owner would actually know the answer, but may not care to share that. In any case, I am considering selling at 50% of estimated retail value, which I think is more than fair.

these bottles have no problem selling. They are odd, yet legitimately molded by a top brewery. You set them on the shelf and they will be trickling out the door without a sweat.

I have contacted an appraiser that did not feel it would easy to find someone willing to buy 1-2 pallets worth of bottles and to just retail them, but it seems a shame. However, he said the risk I have is reveling how many I have to the world. As of now, there are not many in circulation. So few that most collectors don't even know they exist and think they are a forgery. They can be easily validated.

 

Your situation is one best served by offering these at auction. While there may be some risk involved, if they are as rare and desirable as you say they are, the risk should be minimal and the upside potential great. Seek an auction house with a good record in breweriana. They will be able to provide the legitimacy to your collection that you, as an individual, can not.

 

Antique Chain Stores? Really?
Brad's is a very good suggestion. Auction house specializing in breweriana.

 

Can you guys recommend auction houses? I have talked to several and all are either into very expensive ancient goods, or lower priced items which probably would not bring the right parties to the crowd. I don't wish to list on ebay because ebay logs every listing and then sells that info so it would all be logged for life.

 

This is not my field of expertise. However, a quick search of completed auctions of breweriana, had a couple names that kept popping up. They were Dan Morphy Auctions, and Ivey Selkirk. I have only heard of the latter but Morphy had some great results. I am sure there are others. Due your own due diligence. You might also make contact with one of the beweriana collectible associations for some guidance.

Here is one such organization.....

http://www.americanbreweriana.org/

I am not sure why this should bother you once they are sold. Selling through an auction house will also document the sale. This is how the business works and how values are established.

 

Just realized that Ivey Selkirk went out of business due to problems. They have apparently reopened with new owners. It was bought by Garth's of Ohio, a well respected auction house. This is where your due diligence comes in.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/lo...cle_2ecacd45-9ce3-5656-a9a3-4f201099e77a.html

 

Back in the 1950s (60s??) we wanted to get rid of four (yep, 4) suitcases full of Nazi issue German currency. Every dealer we approached went insane and tried to explain that they couldn't pay us the then market value because there was so much of it that it would deflate the market to a certain degree (not that the market was all that great to begin with). So we gave up and put it back in the attic.

A few months later one of the dealers contacted us and explained that he and some of the other dealers got together and formed a sort of consortium to buy the bills from us and control how they went into the public market.

I have no idea if that is possible this day in age, but.........................

 

Manson, that is sort of what I envisioned. I really feel these are a "touch and feel" sale item, and would present a very limited and unique sale item for dealers, with reasonable inventory. The problem has been making contact with a viable dealer. Most we have around here are "boutique" style markets where individuals rent space and sell their items. I could not imagine too many wanting to dive too deep in this.

 

How old is the beer inside of these bottles?

 

These have never been filled. None ever were. A former employee indicated that due to the shape of the bottles, they could not be processed in their bottling line. I have no idea if that would really increase value or not, but never the less, that removes any concerns of selling alcohol I guess....

 

Have you considered talking to someone in an antique mall about putting a few on consignment to see how it goes - sort of build a proven track record type of thing? That may be the way to start, though it IS the sloooooooooooow way..............

 

My limited experience with large numbers of a scarce item is that however they are sold, dealers soon realise that there are an abnormal number coming up for sale and start to worry about a hoard somewhere. The usual reaction is to gossip about it, and steer clear till the situation clarifies.Once a big stash is suspected, prices drop rapidy, but they usually recover to some middle level once the flood seems to be over.

I know nothing about beer bottles, and most of the stuff I do know about does not come in multiples, but if for example I found a hoard of normally scarce banknotes, I'd not want to pay more than about 10% - 20% of the current general retail value per item because I know that either I can sell a couple a year forever, and my heirs and assigns long after my death, or I could put the whole lot on the market at an appropriate auction and if possible take a modest profit at once. Once the quantity available is known, the market stabilises at a lower figure as buyers who previously could not afford an example snap up the avalable ones at a markedly lower price.

Ten years later the market has assimilated the brief surge, the notes go back to being scarce as only the occasional collector sale is availble, and individual prices are back to where they were in the first place or higher.

 

Agree with those that say consign them to a reputable auction house. I'd want a House that's been in business at least 10 years and has sold similar things. They will have ideas on how to address the large quantity. Keep in mind that rarity doesn't always translate into market value if the House doesn't think they are as valuable as you do.

A friend once offered me several unopened crates of very rare new-old-stock rabbit traps all identical. He had been selling them slowly online for $175. Each. He wanted me to take a couple hundred remaining for $20. Each. I suspected the limited market for them had been satisfied already, and politely declined.

 

Correct me if I am wrong here......... I was under the impression that you had a large collection of unique items. This seems to be saying that you have multiple imperfect bottles from the same brewery? If this is the case, I doubt their value is that high. Although their imperfections are probably different, they are essentially the same item. They are a novelty that collectors might like to have but their overall appeal is not that great. I doubt an auction company would see much worth in selling them off and my advice about seeking such a firm probably doesn't apply. The market can get saturated pretty quickly with such items.

 

Try Ebay.

 

Brad, sorry if my description was confusing. No, these are not just factory blem bottles. These were actually special made, with very unique features. All the bottles are the same.

Consider it like this. A company that makes only round plates, but one time only in the history of the company, some guys in the factory made some odd square plates. The plates were never even intended to be "official limited plates", but some got out because they were so odd.

 

Your quote is spot on, AF, thank you. This has been my same experience in the states. I used to strive to pay 10% (or less) for each item I planned to sell (unless I was certain by experience with selling the item quickly and then I might have paid 30-40%).

In summary: I take it you have nearly a thousand empty bottles on 2 pallets, so with this bulk, your bottles would be worth 10% (or less) of their anticipated retail value to most dealers.

I think if you expect 5-figures for the lot, you'd be better off listing one a week on auction format on ebay (plus shipping). After you saturate the market with those bidding wars and bidders become savvy to the fact that you apparently have MORE, you can settle into a BIN on ebay with the bottles.

Also, I don't know if beer BOTTLES are as collectible as the cans used to be?
Anyone know?

 

I "get" what you're trying to say about them being unique, but,,

I cannot consider it like your example because PLATES generally come in a box of 4 or 8 at a time. Even if they are sold as "singles" = that is the amount most people will buy to make for a nice table setting. Your bottles have no utilitarian purpose so only beer bottle collectors would have an interest, thus narrowing the field considerably.

Do these already have the labels glued on? --If not, perhaps a beer brewing club or society would buy them all to hand bottle their brewed beers into.

 

If you need a tax deduction, you could donate them to a charity and get your 5-figures that way.

This is probably what I would do, even if I had to donate only one pallet at a time because perhaps I didn't have the income to write off against it. I'd choose a charity that will come out and pick up, even if the pallet must be broken down.

Please let us know what you decide to do so we can learn from you.