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Need Some Help Selling Rare Swords

ZebraZebra Member Posts: 5,762
edited February 2012 in General Discussion
We have some swords and a few knives made by the late Phill Hartsfield of California. Does anyone know where I can begin to go about selling them? One sword was purchased in 2005 for $12,000.
His work has become very sought after from what I've read, but can't find where to sell them.
My wife got an email from a dealer today wanting us to send them one sword and they will charge a 30% commission!

We don't spent much time online due to our work schedules. Any help would be appreciated. Anyone that steers us in the right direction will get an envelope with some green stuff in it as a finders fee!

Once again THANKS! [:D]
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Comments

  • OakieOakie Member Posts: 40,538 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Try Gunbroker[;)]
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  • Sooeyman2035Sooeyman2035 Member Posts: 3,226
    edited November -1
    Another vote for Gunbroker!
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  • p3skykingp3skyking Member Posts: 23,916 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I looked at eBay and that guy isn't listed. If he's not there, it's going to be a tough sell wherever you try.
    On the other hand, 12K worth of Japanese swords from 2005 would net you quite a sizeable profit!
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  • RadarRadar Member Posts: 2,312 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would put up a couple websites but it may get the mods all upset. Email me and i will email the sites back.
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  • steve45steve45 Member Posts: 2,940 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Try Bernard Levine www.knife-expert.com 541-484-0294 he has written books about knives. He sold an expensive knife for me. I dont know if he does swords.
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  • bigdaddyjuniorbigdaddyjunior Member Posts: 11,233
    edited November -1
    You can negotiate commission rates. 30% is way up on the high end for a consignment deal. Better off paying 10% and get listed with a reputable auction house that specializes in edged weapons and guns.
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  • GuvamintCheeseGuvamintCheese Member Posts: 38,932 ✭
    edited November -1
    If I ever pay $12,000 for a sword, it better have alot of single malt scotch and giesha girls to help me swallow it.
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  • TheBrassManTheBrassMan Member Posts: 3,807 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    GunBroker! We have a couple listed on GunBroker[;)]
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  • hk-91hk-91 Member Posts: 10,050
    edited November -1
    Another vote for Gunbroker. They sell guns that go for a lot more then those swords. I dont see you having problems selling them here. Bet you can do better here then taking at 30% cut from some dealer. That and if they dont sell your not out anything
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  • roswellnativeroswellnative Member Posts: 10,191 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have to get in the swordmaking business...
    Although always described as a cowboy, Roswellnative generally acts as a righter of wrongs or bodyguard of some sort, where he excels thanks to his resourcefulness and incredible gun prowesses.
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  • saserbysaserby Member Posts: 1,873 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Pawn Stars![:D]
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  • roswellnativeroswellnative Member Posts: 10,191 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Wait put it up on GB, at a small price, draw a large bunch of watchers, and sell it for what the market will bear... I think that 5 figures for a sword would be tough... Unless ... you cant put a price on somebodys taste sometimes...

    So put me in for the givaway of cash please
    Although always described as a cowboy, Roswellnative generally acts as a righter of wrongs or bodyguard of some sort, where he excels thanks to his resourcefulness and incredible gun prowesses.
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  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    To maximize your profit, you need to list them where they will get the most attention from your target audience. Gunbroker isn't the best place to sell everything on the Internet....

    For that kind of money, I personally would look at a high end auction house. Sotheby's, Christie's etc. maybe eBay or gb, but if we're talking tens of thousands of dollars, I wouldn't do the penny start no reserve idea. No way to know if you have the right audience here. You'd be a fool to risk it. A highly collectible firearm, sure. It's a safe bet. This is where people go for that sort of thing; but *****gun***** broker isn't the first place I'd go to find high end swords(or collectible stamps, a carburetor, or any of a million other things).

    Know your audience and place your wares in the best place to get the most traffic. Gunbroker is hands down the best place to find a firearm of any type on the net. No questions asked. They should be quite happy with that and be objective enough to realize that that's where their dominance ends. This isn't the best place to sell everything and diluting the market by trying to dominate every catagory will only lead to a degredation in the quality of the environment we have here.
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  • yoshmysteryoshmyster Member Posts: 21,996 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Trying to sell something from the "Fat Old Days" in todays I gotta save up to buy a can of Spam? Good luck if you can get $8K.
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  • RustyBonesRustyBones Member Posts: 4,956
    edited November -1
    http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/678-Custom-amp-Handmade-Knives is a good place to start.
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  • jev1969jev1969 Member Posts: 2,691
    edited November -1
    You could try GB with a reserve price and then go around to all knife/sword forums and do shameless plugs.
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