George we always say an auction sets the price that day. Most people want to buy wholesale at an auction. If an item is rare they pay retail plus. Perhaps you have just run into a very soft market with prices which are not what they use to be. It is what it is.
My late mother had a fine China collection which 15 or more years ago would have easily sold for 200-300k plus. She passed away six years ago and prices were down a lot then. They continued going down. I doubt I could get 50k for it. So I'm stuck for now but am watching the prices to see if they start to recover which they should in time. But antiques are very, very soft right now. I'm looking at adding to it out of a friend's estate but am having a real hard time getting the urge to make what most likely will be a 20 year investment at my age. Still what would have sold for 50-60k is being offered for 12-15 and I expect they'd take 10k. Like I said it is not a sellers market in many antique right now.
Many of my guns may be in the same boat. Some up and many down from a few years ago. I could cherry pick them and send them out on consignment which might take years to sell them. I could split them up into groups and send them to two or three auctions. But to get them sold I'd have to accept many prices which would upset me more than I want to admit. So my boys are instructed to do it after my death. You can't disappoint a dead man more, after he's dead. I wish you luck on your sale and maybe the prices will pick up in the next year or two.
