I inherited a uke colection, and I need help IDing and appraising!

Go_Gaels

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*NOTE* I also posted this in the Uke beginners section, so if double posting violates any rules, please let me know and I'll happily delete this*

Hi everyone!

I'm new to this forum as of today, and was hoping you all could lend me your expertise. I recently inherited a collection of 60 ukuleles (along with some small guitars and other instruments and, as I know nothing about ukes, was wondering if you all would be willing to look and help me know what I have as well as what the individual instruments may be worth.

I've created an Imgur album here with multiple pictures of each instrument. For most of them I've included a DVD case to help give a sense of scale. If you wouldn't mind taking a look, that would be incredibly helpful. Each instrument is numbered for convenience as well.

I would also love to know what you think the best way would be to help these guys get out into the world. I'm not a musician, and even if I were to learn the uke, I definitely don't need 60 instruments. Would it be best to sell them piece by piece? Sell them as a lot to a music or uke specialty store? consignment?

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing what you all think of my mother's collection.
 
Well, your mother had an amazing collection of ukuleles!! If you are looking to get the most money for them, I would suggest selling them individually. You have a wide variety of high end, vintage, and custom instruments, with a few Kalas in between. I could try to go through them and get you a ballpark on them, but you definitely have tens of thousands of dollars in instruments there, and I am not even factoring in the guitars. If it were me, I would likely get as much information as possible on each one, and post them individually on Ebay. You have a large audience there, and even a mediocre description should get visibility. Just make sure to include the brand and scale (soprano, concert, tenor).
 
Oh my! That’s a very impressive collection you inherited! Several of those ukes are hand made and very desirable. (Many of the production ukes are desirable as well). I will write later with what I know (taking my son out for birthday dinner at the moment). You definitely want to take your time describing and selling these!
 
Totally agree with the above comment. Wow there is some really nice stuff in that collection! You should have no trouble selling those off individually. Personally I’d post a few at a time on eBay or even look into Reverb. Oh and if it were me I’d keep at least one of the Hawaiian brands. Good luck!
 
I can try to help.. You can reach me at kerneltime gmail
I will try to help as far as I can or forward you to other folks.
you can also post it here and get feedback in the forum..
 
First, there are some here that believe (and put their money where their mouth is) that 60 ukuleles may not be enough. This is a nice collection. Just eyeing some of them, there are many that would sell in the $500 - 1500 range. These include the Hawaiian Ks (Kamaka, Kanile'a, KoAloha, Koolau) and the G strings. Lo Prinzi and Silvas are sought after.

The real question is how to sell them. EBay if you want to spend half your life listing, selling, and then boxing and packing up ukuleles for the next year or more. And you still have to establish a value before listing usually. Listing some in this forum would likely move many along. Or you might find a shop that will either buy from you or sell on consignment. Ukulele Friend in Hawaii may want some of the better ones. I know Gryphon Guitars in Palo Alto, CA purchases and then resells. There must be others.

Do you want to let us know your location? Ukuleles are fun so make sure they do not become a burden to you. Maybe even take the proceeds for a nice trip somewhere or use it as fun money for you and the family.
 
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I know others who have reached out to Gryphon strings to sell the entire lot one at a time..
 
Or you might find a shop that will either buy from you or sell on consignment. Ukulele Friend in Hawaii may want some of the better ones. I know Gryphon Guitars in Palo Alto, CA purchases and then resells. There must be others.

Do you want to let us know your location? Ukuleles are fun so make sure they do not become a burden to you. Maybe even take the proceeds for a nice trip somewhere or use it as fun money for you and the family.

No worries, I'm in northern CA, a bit north of San Francisco.

Another question, if I were to go the consignment or bulk sale to a shop route, do you have any idea what percentage I'd lose over selling individually? I need to decide whether I should value money or my time more. Obviously I need to know what each uke is worth first regardless.
 
Selling via Gryphon (or Elderly) is a great suggestion. They will take all the photos and write the descriptions, and it’s in their best interest to get top dollar for them as well.
 
The banjo you asked if anyone can help identify is a Firefly banjolele made by the Magic Fluke Company.

Yes your mother had a very nice collection with a wide range of monetary value. If you have the time most with their label names can be found for researching their values.
 
The banjo you asked if anyone can help identify is a Firefly banjolele made by the Magic Fluke Company.

Yes your mother had a very nice collection with a wide range of monetary value. If you have the time most with their label names can be found for researching their values.

Thanks! I've gone through and googled all of the ukes with a label name, but I'm not 100% sure what the depreciation on things like this are from their new MSRP, I'm not sure if year matters, etc.
 
I missed the gallery first time around. Amazing collection, since you are in Northern California, gryphon is your best bet. They can take a look and discuss it out with you.
 
Thanks! I've gone through and googled all of the ukes with a label name, but I'm not 100% sure what the depreciation on things like this are from their new MSRP, I'm not sure if year matters, etc.

In general, expect to lose ~30% or so from "new" price when selling used. Wear and condition can drive that down. Vintage and highly sought after can drive that up.
 
Thanks! I've gone through and googled all of the ukes with a label name, but I'm not 100% sure what the depreciation on things like this are from their new MSRP, I'm not sure if year matters, etc.
usually mint condition ukes sell for ~20% less than retail price. Some of the rarer ukes might be closer to price. Some of the cheaper ukes can go lower.. the Kamaka, Koaloha, MyaMoe, Koolau should fetch you north of $1000 each and be close to 20%. The DaSilva ones are rare in the market and might be sellable at retail. Black bear and some of the other brands are rare as well but not pricey.
 
If you decide to sell individually, I would be interested in #17, the Black Bear concert.
 
The Larrivee parlor guitars are worth about $1,750 each +/- $300. Both Reverb and eBay have a way to check the prices on sold listings which will give you a rough idea. For the custom made ukes like the Graziano's you could contact the builder and they might list them for you.

You could sell or consign groups of instruments to various music stores in your area. Gryphons in Palo Alto has already been mentioned but there are a few other shops in the Bay Area like Schoenberg's in Tiburon, Tall Toad in Petaluma, Guitar Solo in SF, Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz and Guitar Show Case in San Jose. There is also a ukulele store in San Jose, the ukulele source.

If you do hold on to them for a bit you way want to make sure your insurance will cover them if something unexpected happens. You may also want to donate some of the less valuable instruments to worthy cause. There are groups that promote ukuleles in the schools. The stores listed might be able to give you suggestions on who might be interested.

You may want keep a couple of them to remind you of your Mum.

Good Luck!
 
That's a nice collection, some of which is worth good money.

I would say that generally, it isn't a good time to sell high end secondhand instruments. If you can afford to hang on for a while, I would wait.
 
What a nice collection your mother has! I like her taste in ukes.
 
For the DaSilvas and the Pohakus, you can likely track down the details of the individual ukes online. Both Mike DaSilva and Peter Hurney have done a nice job cataloguing their builds on their websites. That could be a source of valuable information (wood types, build details, etc.).
 
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