On two separate occasions I have liquidated my collection because I felt the value was getting too be too much for me to justify. Now to be fair, in my case we were talking about significantly smaller values, but when I looked at having a safe with $3-5K of cardboard in it and outstanding student loans, car payments, etc. it was too much.
In one case I sold the collection off in pieces (also traded some of it), and in another, I sold to a dealer. Both routes worked. Both routes got me reasonably fair value (selling in pieces was better than to a dealer, but I knew that going in and wanted the money fast with no hassle).
In the end, I only had one regret: Because I wasn't leaving the hobby, I kept a few cards that I knew I'd never replace. There are a couple others that I wish I had kept that would not have drastically affected the net value. Five years later, I am still in the hobby, my student loans and car payments are gone, and I sure wish I had a couple of those cards back. In some cases, I *could* buy them back for more than I sold them for, but in at least a couple cases, I know those cards aren't for sale. My saving grace is that I know they have found "good homes".
Bottom line: Regardless of how you sell, if there's a chance you may still collect, or you aren't selling because you need the money, keep the ones you think you may regret selling later.
Regardless of what route you take, good luck.
Regards,
Richard.
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