LordFlagPoleCrabTree's legacy

[lordflagpoledaughter]

Hi all!

My name is Emily and I am the daughter of the late LordFlagPoleCrabTree, or as he was known to me, Dad, real name Dani. 

Bit of background - I am 27 and live in Kent, England, my Dad passed away when I was 21 and I am now the proud owner of his watch collection.

It has taken me a long time to be in a place where I feel comfortable to reach out to everyone, but I know that Dad spent many many MANY hours on Wrist sushi and his big watch collection which he was so proud of. It has been nearly 6 years now since my Dad passed away, and I have now come to terms with the fact that I can't in reality hang on to/look after/house all of his watch collection forever!! 

I know that before he passed, he was culling his collection anyway and that he wanted to sell quite a few of them. I have his spreadsheet that he kept (yes very organised) so I know which ones were special, how much he paid for each, specific details like age, which ones he'd already sold etc. 
I have gone through them all and separated out the ones I wish to keep (the ones that were special to him and also the ones I like!!!, or have gifted to family members) but am now at a point where I have lots of lovely watches that are just sitting in boxes. They have been well kept but not serviced or anything as I am unsure how to do that. 
I have done lots of research into what is worth what, and used Dad's spreadsheet as a reference and to keep track of what's what. 

So, I am very aware that I am a bit of an amateur (but I am trying to learn and took on lots of info when Dad was alive as he was always teaching me things!), but I am now looking for some honest advise/opinions on where to go/what to do next! I want to make sure the watches go to people who appreciate them and don't want to get ripped off as I know some of them are very valuable (money or sentimental wise or special editions etc), and I don't want them to waste away when they are so lovely. 

Where would be best to attempt getting them valued/sell? 
Is there anyone who could help me to navigate doing this? 
Were there any specific watches of my Dads that you can remember being interested in/were particularly special?!

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! And I look forward to hearing from you as I know Dad had many dear friends on here! 

[victor]

Hi lordflagpoledaughter,

Welcome!

I'm not one that can answer your questions, and I wasn't a member of WS back when your father was active here, but I'm certain that there are many others who will be glad to help you out.

It's really wonderful that you were able to enjoy the hobby with your father, and to learn from him.  Those special watches that you held onto will hopefully remain treasured mementos of your father and the memories you have of him.  It's great that you got an opportunity to enjoy them with him.

Anyway, once again, welcome, and looking forward to seeing your posts, questions, and some of the watches that are special to you.

[nordlys]

Welcome to the forums and sorry for your loss. I know it was a while ago now, but their memory is always with you (I lost my mom 3 years ago).

You're very fortunate that your dad left you a detailed spreadsheet with the models listed out. That's a great place to start, and is a lot more than many people who inherit watches receive. Some just get a sock drawer full of watches that they know nothing about.

If you have model numbers, you can begin by typing the model numbers into ebay and looking at prices for current listings. Watchcharts.com can also be helpful for valuing certain references and looking at prior sales prices, although it is less helpful for esoteric models that may not have many historical listings. watchrecon.com is also a good resource to see if there's any current active listings for the models in your collection.

Of course, if you have questions about particular models, I know the people here would be happy to help. I had just started lurking on wristsushi around 2016, so I never directly interacted with your dad, but judging by his posts it looks like he was a very active member of this community. I'm sure people will be happy to help ensure his collection is disbursed to good homes.

[dapellegrini]

Welcome, and sorry to hear about your dad.  I hope my kids do what you are doing some day!

I'll send you some pricing resources via PM and am happy to help out if possible.  

[leffemonster]

Welcome Emily! Glad to hear Dani’s collection is in safe hands! I’ve sent you a PM as well.

[tritto]

Welcome. There’s been quite a turnover in members here over six years, but quite a few will remember lordflagpolecrabtree (Dani). Selling a large collection of nice watches is quite a challenge. Take your time and do your research first. Given the amount of time that has passed, the prices in Dani’s spreadsheet are likely to be lower than the current values.

[small]

Hey Emily, I was pretty new back then, and didn't have much if any interaction, except for a comment here or there, or a like on a post. That said I saw a book at a flea market??? on Laurel and Hardy, and had to pick it up for some reason. Sits on my book shelf... 

I will second the fact that in Six years prices have most certainly gone up and the vast majority of Vintage Seiko watches. While not linear, those in better shape have gained more then those that are just an example of. I think you will be surprised. That said, opinions will vary as to value. Some will say not to sell for less then a certain amount, but you maybe holding out for sometime until the buyer comes along that agrees to what it is worth. No one wants to be taken advantage of so do the research as other have said and test the waters. Listing them on eBay I feel is a good platform those others will tell you forums are better. I like to sell when I do on eBay with make an offer. I ask a bit more then what I'd take, as most I suspect do. and it leaves me room to bargain, but also tells me if I'm out of line. I've made a couple of mistakes thinking I sold too low but went ahead anyway...Do what you feel comfortable doing. What it's worth comes down to an agreement what someone is willing to pay and what someone is willing to take. Don't let the rest in. 

I say I avoid the four letter F word. "Fair" because it changes or at least can. I may be happy with the deal I got until I see I could have done better.


Good luck and hope to see you posting pictures, we always love pictures...      

[lordflagpoledaughter]

Hi all 

Merry Christmas! I've had a very busy time but managed to find some time to turn back to exploring and organising my Dad's watches, as well as learning my way around the forum! 
After meeting with Leffemonster who has been an absolute gem in helping me navigate the collection, I have done some organising. My plan is to keep some of my favourites (ones that I will actually love and wear), for my partner to keep some, and sell others. I know that Dad was in the process of selling quite a few, which makes me feel less guilty about culling the collection. 

I have come to realise there are some stunners but also some less interesting/(may I say ugly?!) watches but I suppose that's very much a matter of opinion. So my plan is to do some posting and share with you all. I imagine I may be repeating posts of watches my Dad has posted in the past, so I will be trying to find these first to see what he thought about them! 

Dad had a "special" box of watches which I know were his favourites and would wear more regularly than others . I have rearranged this a little bit based on what I will be classing as "special" and these are as below! 




Some close ups...







Some of these are too big for me to wear but I like them, and my partner will wear, but I may rotate others into the specials box depending on whether I do end up wearing/keeping them. Dad had a real mixed collection, with a few newer ones like the Bulovas, orients, Bradley, and fitfy five fathom mods. But also has a few JW bensons and many many seikos! There are 3 pogues in the collection, with the yellow one shown above which I think are lovely. 

The alpha really stumped me, took a while to find some information on it 

What are your thoughts? 

[dapellegrini]

So glad to hear that you were able to connect with leffemonster and get honest and helpful feedback.  A couple of those would sell easily, but most will take some time to find the right buyer.  It seems the market has really cooled off this year, but of course YMMV.

When you post up watches for sale here they are also picked up by watchrecon.com - so a much larger audience should see them.  

Good luck with the sales!

[trilo]

I have missed this completely!

I was actually thinking to myself couple of days ago, do we have a second generation posting here.

I too lost my dad in my 20's. It's nice to have something left behind from those who were important to us.

I'm glad to see that you are appreaciating the watches your father collected and that you have something that reminds you of him. I have one or two items, and they are very important to me as my father didn't leave that much behind.

I tell my kids "these will be yours one day" when ever they admire or play around with my watches.

Welcome to Wristsushi!

[camrok]

Thankyou [mention]trilo [/mention] for reviving this thread- [mention]lordflagpoledaughter [/mention] thank you for sharing your journey thus far.
I’m looking forward to read your updates and especially any reflections on how you feel doing it.