A big collection

That happens with a lot of stuff people keep.  Having helped neighbors, friends and relatives dispose of a half dozen estates, the decedents indeed would be saddened by how much of the stuff they thought worth keeping wound up in a dumpster or, at best, was donated to Goodwill or other such charities.  Good argument for minimalist lifestyles as we approach the ends of our journeys.

What, me worry?

Having helped neighbors, friends and relatives dispose of a half dozen estates, the decedents indeed would be saddened by how much of the stuff they thought worth keeping wound up in a dumpster or, at best, was donated to Goodwill or other such charities.  Good argument for minimalist lifestyles as we approach the ends of our journeys.

Sorry, I don't see it, even though I know of people who liquidated their stuff so their heirs wouldn't have to deal with it.
As long as I am able to derive pleasure from owning my stuff, I will keep it. My heirs can deal with the stuff as they wish. They can keep it, sell it, give it away or throw it out, makes no difference to me.

All that written, I have been getting rid of things that I don't care about.

I disposed of almost 1,000 Tyco/Bachmann type HO cars on Ebay by using the Flat Rate large box - Since the cars were without boxes I was able to wrap them in tissue paper and fit approximately 30 cars per box with auctions beginning at .99 cents and shipping set at $17.50

Craigslist would be the 1st option, take a bunch of photos and sell it all as one lot ~ No cherry picking.

second option is to contact those train auction houses to dispose of a large collection and get something for them.

My friend is big in rail photography and doesn't know how good this stuff is. He got the guy's photo albums but there are books and videos. I think the sons would like to get some $$ for it but don't want to be bothered.   Too typical.  And I am sure not getting involved.

 And I am sure not getting involved

Very wise.

If the kids were involved with their father's hobby, or showed the slightest interest, they'd probably have an idea of what was likely to be of value, what it was worth, and how to get rid of it.

I can relate to this as my parents have passed away in the last 18 months, my dad just a week after thanksgiving.  In going through their house, I have been stunned at all the stuff they have, both nice items and junk.

My humble perspective is this, effort = realized value.  If you put in the effort to catalogue, sort, identify, and post for sale and ship, you will get the most $$.  This approach can quickly become overwhelming.  If you hire an auction house, they will do it for your, taking a sizable chunk for their efforts.  You could post the entire collection and maybe find one buyer who wants everything, imho that is a long shot. 

The key to realizing value will be to first catalogue the entire collection.

Here are some additional ideas or opportunities:

1. Box it all up, get a table at a local train show, and play salesperson for one day. 
2. Post it on an HO forum similar to this one.
3. Contact local train shop for local HO clubs, you may find some train enthusiast that would be willing to help, Maybe trade a few items to help catalogue and box the entire collection.  Also you may get a good ballpark idea of the value of the collection.
4. Sort by value and action.  Nice expensive items you could sell individually.  Good condition, sell as a group, grouping by either road name or type of car, etc., items will less value, just box up and sell as grab bag or donate to local club.

Again, getting resources to help could be the key to getting the job done.

Good luck and my condolences for the family.

Sounds like an engagement that will be quite a lot of work. Unless it is high-end stuff, I would not get involved.

I have a small side business which offers liquidation services of train collections, and I get 90% of my business from estates. Sometimes I just come in, do a quick assessment and give some recommendation on options for the collection. other times the engagement continues and I either purchase the collection or am contracted on an hourly basis to sell it off. People are often shocked that the time and expense it takes to sell items individually. They'll expect me to know someone who will come in with a big check, but that seldom happens. I'll contract local hobby shops and resellers I know, and their bids are often so low they try to the piece-buy-piece sell off option.

The costliest job I had in terms of expenses against sale price had the fees and expenses around 66% of sales price. This was a collection that started as a contract from the lawyer representing the state of Massachusetts, but then 18 months into it they found a couple heirs. They thought they hit the lottery because there were a lot of "old Lionels" Thankfully, i keep careful record, so there was proof of the time and out of pockets to get rid of thousands of mostly MPC items. I was so happy when it finally ended almost 2 years after my first visit to the property.

My only experience with HO has been in high-end brass pieces. They often go at prices as high as nice O-gauge. Dealing with consumer level HO isn't something I get into as it takes far too much time for too little return. 

Best bet for your friends is to find someone who will take it all, and if they offer anything for it be happy. Clean out services are not cheap and they will just put it all in dumpsters.

Tim

Thanks for the insight because it reinforces what I told my friend. He is a good photographer but not a modeler and wouldn't know values. Plus in a situation like this it is all junk, really. they made a lot of cheap stuff in the 70s and 80s. Plus time on this is limited. But it just illustrates what can and doeshappen.

Jim,

    If there are any train clubs in your area give them a call to see if they purchase collections. My club the Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers in Bethlehem Pa purchases collections large and small to resell in our company store. Revenue from the store keeps our membership fees low and helps pay the bills.

    If your friends family is located near Bethlehem send me an email. As far as pricing goes they can figure on getting .25c on the dollars as we try to sell at half the retail selling prices. My email is in my profile, drop me a line and I will put you in touch with my clubs purchasing people.

JohnB

According to my friend, several people have been approached plus a club or two.  This is in western Pa. and shipping would be expensive-a full house of stuff !!  The HO club I belonged to is very picky about what they run and not sure they would want to or could, store all this stuff to sell.  They, too, sell most donated items but only at their xmas Open House. I am not sure how good these train items are. My friend says the house in disrepair.  Thanks for the offer.

Unfortunately this is a much more common problem than many realize.  We are contacted fairly often by widows or family members that don't know where to start.  It is easier with O gauge collections, but HO is more common due to the popularity.  If family members want to get maximum value, it can be a lot of work and take a lot of time.  Selling at local monthly train shows, on Ebay, and through the forum.  Far easier to have a buyer make an offer for it all, but don't expect more than 10 cents on the dollar if even that.  Good luck and try to keep expectations low to avoid disappointment.  

Art