Royal Dux nude figurine

http://www.trocadero.com/accents/items/564966/item564966store.html

I am not quibbling at all. I just showed you the item selling for $450.00. I have no interest in this item. I am not intending to buy it (if it where for sale) but, if I was there would be no sense in paying $2,000 for it when I can get it for $450.00.

I'm going to take this point by point and reply because I feel you've mistaken taken my response as a personal attack. Your comments are in quotes.

"Ok, let me stand back and restate the obvious. I have NOT seen the identical item listed for $450.00 online. That said, my house is not for sale, if my neighbor wants to list their house for any amount, if my house is "not for sale" and "not for auction" the value of the house is highly speculative and contingent on market conditions."

It's value is not highly speculative, it's determined by values of comparable houses sold within your local market. For example nobody in their right mind is going to pay you $300,000 for your house in a declining market, when all houses comparable yours has sold for under $180,000 in the past month.

"While quibbling with "self appointed experts" can be entertaining (myself included) the fact is that we are spending allot of time discussing a hypothetical sale that has not taken place".

The discussion centers around the fact you made a claim of value that is not backed up by any standard reference sources or sales data and you seem put out when you were called on it ;~).

"First point, everything sells at auction" That statement is patendly ridiculous and answering any subsequent supposition based on that premise a waste of time, it is disingenious, lurid, and insidious. If I sell a piece of real estate, I list it at a price, it is not auctioned!"

Everything has been sold at auction at one time or another, including the being the Emperor of Rome (Didius Julianus bought the Empire at Auction, 193 CE). In the case of your house, you can list it privately for whatever you want, but a Real Estate agent will try to list it according to the current market.

The Real Estate market is very much like an auction, you are given a pre-sale estimate ( the current market for comparables), you set a reserve
( asking price), and then take bids. If your asking price is too high it doesn't sell.

"On the comp price of $450.00 what I see is a "motivated seller" they feel that there is money left in the item above and beyond the price to be sold."

If it's being sold retail in a declining market and the majority of comparables list for similar amounts, then there is very little " Money left in the item", it's being sold for what it currently is worth in the market of highest value.

"What I really sense here is that I'm getting an emotional response that is reflected in some previous replies. I almost get a sense that the objections go beyond the price of eastimate of worth, not the 2x as the comp reflects and was insinuated, and that 2x reply to an inquiry that cleary stated: "The Item was not for sale" and what appears to me an attempt to say: "hey we offer a community of opinions of value" and in essence two people stating that differing opines are unwelcome."

Anyone can offer their opinion here, what you are getting here is a simple statement that you are off the mark on this piece by a substantial margin,
along with documentation to back it up. Nothing personal intended.

"Why not contact the person who posted the item and ask them to sell at $450.00, double the price and come to $900 and see if they sell? That scenario is not too damn far off from my estimate"

I for one can't do that, I am not a Dealer. As an Appraiser it is unethical to offer to purchase items you have provided valuations for.
In any event, if this piece retails for $450.00 by dealers that specialize in such figurines, there is very little chance of flipping it for $900.00
in a declining market.

"Your ascribed value, actual sale value, and value to the owner are three different things."

Value to the individual owner means very little to the market. For example, if you feel your Hummel 47/0 TM3 Goose Girl is worth
$500.00, that's fine, but you are not going to sell it for that in a market to an informed buyer where dealers that specialize in Hummels retail it for $175.00 or less.

"I think really the objections both of you make are petty. I think they are hidden objections to another issue that is in fact emotionally driven.
Let's call this "Lovejoy and Kathybeh world" where the "price of everything and the value of nothing" is determined."

As I said in my first reply to you, "With all due respect, how do you come to the conclusion this particular piece should have a thousand dollar reserve? " It was a simple statement asking for verification of how you determined value for the piece in question. The objections made were based on the realities of the current market, and backed up on current sales data, nothing petty about it.

"And in closing, if you think that some of the items that I hve are for sale at "auction" you are wrong! I have items that are privately held and for sale by appointment only!!! These sales are performed in strict confidentiality with no databses. If I owned this identical item and you state that it is worth $450 that doesn't entitle you to it if you show up at my door and the price is $1000.00. It doesn't mean anything if the item is NOT FOR SALE!"

Nobody asked about your collection or how you run your business, nor did anyone suggest anything other than the state of the current market
for comparable figuirnes by Royal Dux.

"One thing is for certain however, this was indeed a nice item as I initially responded and if you can get them at the price that you state at your "auctions" are a real bargain!"

It is indeed a nice piece, but not exceptional for a Royal Dux. It's a bargain compared to what similar pieces sold for at the peak of the market, but it's as pointed out earlier the value I listed is what the majority of comparable Royal Dux nudes are selling for at auctions that specialize in Decorative Art.

"Not all of us run from one low-income auction zipcode and buy and drag it to a high-inome zipcode for subsequent resale, many collectors "buy and hold" and once they have done so will not relinguish a piece of value unless a "premium" is offered for that item."

When some one generally asks for a appraisal they are asking for the value in the current market, which is what we have been discussing.
The fact a buyer is not currently willing to sell has no bearing on the current value of an item unless it's very rare and there's a strong market
demand for it. In the case of this item there is no shortage of supply and the market demand is currently in decline.

"The piece reflects my sensibilities and what I find attractive and valuable. I find a concensus of that value out in the real market. Any serious "investor" in antiques would do well to have that piece in their portfolio. Pieces in private hands are not stocks of the Dow or Nasdaq sold on open markets, they are not spot-price bullion, and your ability to attain them is in equal part contingent on the seller."

The point being here is there are lots of Royal Dux sellers in this market, on any given day there are over 300 listings for Royal Dux
on just Ebay alone, Rubylane lists 89 and GoAntiques lists 102. Detemining their value in the future is pure speculation, personallyI buy pieces that I enjoy looking at, but that being said I'd never pay more than the going rate for anything.

"If anything~ The price at $450.00 is "priced to sell" I see a price of a motivated seller. I don't think any amount of counter arguments made by either of you will convince the person who owns the item to decide to sell it to you for $20.00."

The only claim I've made has been what comparable pieces currently list for at auction and retail. If the market were full of genuine Royal Dux Nudes selling for around $20.00, then that would be their value. Informed buyers would not be interested in paying more from collections private or
otherwise unless it had a provenance that enhanced it's value, EG. " Former property of Jackie Onassiss".

"In closing decide if this is an open community for responsible and differing opinions on value and worth or this is: "Lovejoy and Kathybeh world" where the "price of everything and the value of nothing" is determined."

This is an open forum, anyone can contribute. Nobody has attacked you, called you names, you were asked how you determined the value
because it didn't jive with what what I'm seeing in the market everyday.

"Your responses are frankly becoming more ridiculous and if you have a point to be made it is not about this piece. If I offended either of you by informing the person who requested a FREE opinion of the value of their item, I'll apologize to the person who posted the item but not to someone who insists it be a price for their ego, needs, or desire instead of the owners."

I don't get you here at all. It was simply pointed out your evaluation did not reflect the current market, and provided market data to illustrate that to you, but you have taken it as a personal insultrather than a what it was intended, a discussion of values in the current Decorative Arts Market.

"Something I value and have not for sale starts at 2X before we even BEGIN to initiate a discussion of selling it, maybe 3x, 4x.
If there is a hidden objection beyond the item, lets address it like adults. The quibling is frankly ridiculous. "

As pointed out repeatedly , your willingness or unwillingness to sell an item from your collection has little bearing on the value of items on the open market, unless you have something very rare with a large pool of buyers pounding on your door.

You are free to make any comment you wish regarding items
posted here at instappraisal, but you can't expect people not to question your response if they disagree.

Lovejoy