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Current Inventory: · Books · Maps · Ephemera |
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Services: · Antiquity & Artifact
Appraisal · About |
Re-Homing Collections
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Does your family have Great Lakes maritime
history material that needs a new home?
This is a common scenario as elderly collectors begin to part with
their materials or families need to free up space. I have helped dozens of families and
individuals find new homes for their collections in the way that best suits
their situations and needs. There are
often many issues to consider, particularly if the original collector has
passed. Re-homing a collection usually involves two
options which are not mutually exclusive: 1.
Donate the material to a public
institution – Many collections are appropriate for donation to a museum,
library or archive. One of the key
steps in pursuing this option is finding an institution that will accept the
material. It is important to know if
your material falls within that institution’s mission, if the institution is
accredited and financially solvent, if the institution already has examples
of the material and will simply sell yours, and how and if your material will
be displayed or made available to the public.
I have relationships with most of the maritime museums, historical
societies and archives on the Great Lakes, and can usually recommend an
institution that will be pleased to take your material. I can provide appraisal services if you
wish to use the donation for tax deduction purposes and can help you
negotiate any concerns. If your
material is best distributed across multiple institutions, I can help with
finding the right institutions, contacting the correct staff and ensuring
that the material is utilized according to your wishes. In instances where a tax-deductible
donation isn’t beneficial, I can sometimes help institutions find funding to
acquire material. The key benefit
of donating material for a tax-deduction is that you can claim the full
appraised value of the material and you can deduct the donation over multiple
years if necessary. 2.
Sell the material to knowledgeable
collectors – Just because an antiquity could be in a museum doesn’t mean
it needs to be. Private collectors can
be excellent stewards of important historical material. Many people looking to re-home collections
aren’t in a position to benefit from a tax deduction and are seeking to sell
their material. As an experienced
dealer with access to a large community of collectors, I can generally find
buyers that are passionate and knowledgeable about most types of historical
Great Lakes maritime material. There
are usually three options for monetizing antiquities through private
collectors: a.
I can buy the material directly from
you and resell it – I will generally offer considerably less than the
material would appraise for because of the cost and effort required to list
it and ship it. b.
I can sell the material on your behalf
– I will usually charge a fee for this because of the effort required to
list and ship the material. It will be
a percentage of the sales from items that sell successfully. c.
I can find buyers for your material –
I can hook you up with collectors and you can negotiate with them. I generally do this for large or highly
valuable items. If I find a buyer and
the sale is successful, I will ask for a modest commission. To discuss finding a new home for your family’s material, email me at baillod@shipwreck.info. For large collections or highly valuable items, I may ask that we have a contractual agreement. |
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Baillod Maritime Antiquities Venmo / Paypal: baillod@gmail.com |