Railwayana help needed.

I had a surreal conversation in my local at lunchtime. Someone I know to say hello to came up to me and said "You're into old railway stuff aren't you?" I said yes and then he told me that his dad who was a "bit of a train spotter" had died eighteen months ago and left behind a few bits and pieces I might be interested in.
I thought he was talking about maybe his old Ian Allans and the like. When I asked him what there was he said that in his mothers attic was an old Tiverton Junction station sign some old platform number signs, a couple of old signs for waiting rooms and the like and about a dozen old posters.
I told him that what was there if genuine was worth a lot more than I could afford. And that I would make enquiries to try to get them independently valued. I know that there are plenty of railwayana auction houses, but I'm a bit out of my depth on this so any advice on how to get independent advice would be helpful.

 

Kevin,

I've just PM'ed you. with details of somebody that could help you.

 

Many thanks for the info Glynne. I'll pass it on.
Rather than just telling him to put it on ebay, without knowing whether the stuff is genuine or repro could be a minefield. Plus I should think he'd get a fairer price if sold within the railway community.

 

Kevin - pm now with you.

There could have been railwayana intelligence on this forum for years if a thread had been set up as requested - but paint and passing times seem to take pride of place

 

I have used this site recently for probate which gives valuations for free. They also have a regular internet auction with commission only payable by the purchaser. I cross checked the valuations given, with previous auction results and their estimates seemed pretty reasonable. One item in particular was quite valuable/desirable and the estimate was extremely accurate. As in all auctions, they are unpredictable. www.railwayana.net

 

Yes - I have stressed that to Kevin

A "Greenfield" totem struggled to make £500 at Crewe on the 26th March and easily made £1,000 more last Saturday at Stoneleigh. Value accurately in a market that can do that!

 

Eeee by gum this new thread appeared sharpish out of the blue.............let's see how it goes..............

 

There were quite a few lots at Crewe that didn't make the reserve price, maybe a sign (no pun intended) of the economic times, or just sellers expecting to much, at the end of the day anything is only worth what somebody will pay for it, and on the day if the right two people are in the auction room the skys the limit.

 

That is the essence of auctioneering

If you have spent your life in the game, as I have, not only will you have a fund of tales, but you will appreciate that auctioneering truly is an art form.

Until you have run an auction taking bids off "that pillar over there" and "that lamp shade" until someone joins in, or against bids on the book, which you will see every time, you don't know what fun it is coaxing money out of people.

The trick is knowing your market, an empathy with your audience, a judicious amount of mickey taking, and a knowledge of who buys what. A skilled auctioneers is a joy to watch - go to Malton for Harry Dimmy, a time served Chartered Surveyor, (like me) and cattle auctioneer, and a fount of dry Yorkshire wit honed over a lifetime, or to Derby,where Ian Wright's years in the schoolroom were a perfect training ground for keeping a room under control - but then there are some people who think that because they can wheel and deal a bit, that they can run a rostrum - who should be dragged off it - or realise that there is a reason for that empty auction room.

People will not stay and watch paint dry.

I'll post an auction calendar, and links, later, and let it be known more widely that this forum is now open to the hundreds of us of this persuasion and hope that this topic can add to the wide spread destinations where this enthusiasm can lead.

as I have said many times -

Stand on the rim of the Grand Canyon and you are on the verandah of the Santa Fe Railway El Tovar Hotel, Sip a cocktail while timing Old Faithful, and you are in the Great Northern's Yellowstone Lodge, or simply have a beer and a curry overlooking the harbour and you will be in the Canadian Pacific's Empress Hotel in Victoria with double deckers parked outside.

And you used to be able to sail in from Japan, cross Canada by rail and pitch up in Liverpool, all on one railway - the Canadian Pacific

There is a whole lot more to railways than engines and workshops!

 

I must admit I love live auctions particularly if you have a good auctioneer. One stands out in my mind that had everybody in stitches. The auction was in Huddersfield and in a farming area. The auctioneer was trying to sell a box of books..........nobody was budging ......he'd got down to 20p......still no takers.........his next comment was "naw cumon summat te leet fire wi"............

 

Many thanks for the replies in this thread and by PM . All I can do is pass the info onto him and hopefully give him some guidance as to how to proceed. I just don't want someone who has no real knowledge about the stuff in his mothers house getting ripped off.
From what I understand from my first conversation with him he has a veritable treasure trove (maybe not in monetary value but of interest to people who collect this sort of thing) of stuff from the days of British Railways. I'll be meeting him tomorrow and will pass on all the info I've been given on here.
Once again thank you to all who have given information that may be of some use.

 

Sounds like my situation,my cousin,s recently deceased husband has some real valuable gems as he used to work for BR in the late fifties/early sixties. Some items even have the BR bill of sale with them. I did'nt want her to be ripped of either

 

Talk to Chris France at Railwayana.net or Mike Soden at Great Central Auctions (Stoneleigh)

 

Agree - a raiwayana thread would be welcome

 

I think there were a lot of very unrealistic reserves at Crewe - prices at Stoneleigh last Saturday were not wild, but most things sold as the auctioneers had agreed realistic reserves.

 

Dont forget Sheffield Railwayana Auctions. http://www.sheffieldrailwayana.co.uk

Ian Wright the founder now only does the actual auctioneering, but there is a wealth of expertise there.

 

Your posting in it...