I just acquired over 2,000 G1 ponies....no kidding!

[Psivampyr]

Hi Jeanne,
I knew Helen Kiker, I am sorry that she has passed. I went to her house long ago when her and I both lived in Arizona. She had invited me over to her home to see her pony room, it was the most amazing collection I ever saw. About a month after I had visited her, her husband was offered a job across the US, and they moved. She also collected cookie jars too, she had them displayed around the house on shelves. She was a very sweet and wonderful person I spent hours talking to online and at her home that one day I visited her. I am glad that her legacy lives on with another pony lover, though I know you and your family aren't as active as you once were.
I honestly don't know how to start selling that mass amount of ponies, but when I sold mine I just posted a list. You could maybe post them by type- Pegasus/Earth/Unicorn/baby and just whittle them down like that. Pricing would be difficult, even with those pricing guides that to me would not be useful unless you want an estimation because the economy is always fluctuating. I usually price things by ebay, find a happy middle between the highest and lowest of the completed items. Maybe get a "assistant" pony friend to help you price and post. Easier would be posting groups on ebay, with a starting bid of something that seems reasonable.
By the way do you have a new website? I used to frequent your website long ago, but it's not there anymore.
(((Hugs)))

[kissthethunder]

I'm so sorry to hear that this person has passed She sounds like the kind of person I would have adored. Sitting around with tea, talking ponies, enjoying good company... I feel a strange and intense sense of loss and I have not even met them.

Maybe it's the fact for a long time I felt alone in my pony collecting. The arena has helped me so much but on the same token, I've come to view fellow collectors as instant friends and family.

Rest in Peace Helen. I wish we had known each other and Wherever you may be now, you were loved, appreciated, and your legacy will be remembered

[Alatariel-Silimaure]

that's so sad v.v it always pains me to hear someone has passed away. I'm not even sure how to process everything and whether I should congratulate you on your acquisition or give you a hug and tell you I'm sorry. It's a great collection you acquired, but under very sad circumstances. I hope you can find wonderful homes for all of those ponies and spread Helen's joy of pony collecting with many other collectors that will cherish those ponies.

slightly selfish of me in a way, but I'll be keeping an eye out for sales and maybe give some of them a new home with me if I'm able to, I'm still fairly new in the collecting and there are many of my favorite ponies from my childhood that I'm still trying to find just one good pony of. It's amazing that she had so many.

[willa]

I'm so very sad to hear Helen passed away, I spoke to her many times last year : (  I have some of her ponies that I will treasure xxx

[Yurusumaji]

I am sorry to hear of your loss.


As for the selling, I wish you the best of luck. Someone like me who is new to collecting is pretty much looking for everything under the sun. Maybe you could just sell them in big lots without lists? Kind of a fun "Giant Blind Bag of Ponies" type thing?


I don't really know the best way to go about it, but I may be interested in finding out what you're getting rid of, since I have such a long way to go on my own collection.

[Cinnabar]

Congrats on the ponies, that many must be a sight to behold!

My sympathies to all of Helen's friends and family.

[Pickenprod]

What a strange feeling it must be, having lost a friend but now gained an enormous pile of things they once treasured.

If it were me, I'd start sorting the ponies into large bins. One each for babies, flat foot original releases, CF originals, unicorns, pegasi, other earth ponies, and so-softs (perhaps. just an example, and I know nothing about accessories so I won't suggest anything for that). Then I'd deal with each bin individually.

I know you said there were three truck loads - so you'd have to repeat the process when the first set of bins got full. But this way no ponies get crushed in a huge pile, and the task seems manageable, at least in the moment.

[Tiggums6]

I'm sorry to hear of Helen Kiker's passing.

[MsTwilight]

So sorry to hear about Helen. 

I guess we should all think about what will happen to our collections when it's our time and make appropriate plans.

I wish you luck with you sales, Jeanne! Are you close to Baltimore? You could rent a U-haul and come on up to Jewel's next year for the MD Pony Meet.

[Tiffoes]

I'm so sorry to hear she's not alive anymore, I know what pain it gives seeing someone very close deal with terminal cancer. It's a shame she couldn't stay with us for a longer time. I hope she's able to rest right now, she sounds like she was an amazing and kind person.


Rest in peace.
Goodluck with recovering from your loss and going trough all those ponies.

[Moonracer]

I'm sorry to hear of your friends passing, and major condolences to all the family members of Helen Kiker.


It's also very kind and generous of her family to give you this opportunity to have her entire collection - it's good to know that all those ponies have ended up in good hands.

[KarentheUnicorn]

Last Summer I was selling Nirvanas and MIB ponies for Helen Kiker; she had terminal cancer.  She died last Fall and her family is cleaning out her house.  Helen was a great lady; awesome collector, but she was a hoarder, big time.  They offered to let me buy it all for a four figure amount I'm not sharing  It took me 3 truck loads to haul all the ponies, structures, accessories, plushes, merchandise, books, puzzles, etc. etc all home.  How in the world am I going to sell all that stuff?  There are like 25 of some ponies.  I can't possibly photograph, inspect and write a description for that many thousands of things.  I did upgrade tons of my ponies and gained several dozen ponies I never had before.  She had some  incredible stuff.  There are 4 alternate color Pony Pals; Leafy the calf and the sheep (Wooley?) in wild colors.  There is a huge Merry-Go-Round from Germany that actually works; eight ponies can ride around on little platforms....it was some kind of special display thing at a store or convention.  I'm leaving on vacation and won't get around to listing anything until June 6th when I return....but I appreciate any advice on how to manage this HUGE bounty of ponies.  They are 90% common US released G1 ponies, but there are a hundred or so UKs and a few bags of Italy ponies...no other Nirvanas...I sold or bought them all last Summer.  I've spend many, many thousands of dollars this year on her legacy....I guess now it is my legacy, or I've become the hoarder.  My pony room bursts; I'l do photos of it in June.
Sorry for rambling.
Peace,
Jeanne

I emailed her a while back letting her know I was thinking about her, we had a nice back and forth email because I had just lost my uncle to cancer at that time. She even told me to come by and take a look at her ponies if I wanted but it's really hard for me to get away sometimes due to my work; plus I wouldn't have just wanted to come up there to get ponies because I wouldn't have felt right doing that.

If you need any help selling them Please let me know; in fact I might PM you as I'm working with Princessmaker on the Virginia Pony Meet and it might be a great place to bring them if you want to sell them.

[sabathamk]

I am so sorry for your loss.    I would have loved to meet her.

As far as selling ponies, I can't really help you since I haven't sold any myself.  Lots seem to be one of the easiest ways to go.  I think most everyone has offered some really good advice.  And I'd love to come help you out if you are anywhere near me... I love sorting things!

[babystarz]

So sorry to hear of Helen's death, but I'm also very glad that the ponies weren't thrown away and were instead left to someone who knows what to do with them so they can keep bringing people joy. Surely she would have wanted that!

It always comes down to whether you want to liquidate the ponies fast, or make the most money possible. Selling each pony and item individually will take forever, but bring in the most money. Selling in lots will go much faster. I guess I'd start by making a list and then posting it here and taking offers, then putting the remaining ponies on eBay? You can do it in chunks instead of all at once so it's not as overwhelming. I do this for my sets of sale items and it works well for me. You'll definitely have to keep the ponies well organized with so many multiples!

[Gypsy_Nights]

So sorry to hear of her passing.  I bet chatting ponies with her would have been awesome!
 
Awesome that they thought of you for the pony collection though!  You could probably swim in them huh?  For selling them maybe you could sell them in small lots.  Like sets of babies and sets of adults sorted by type, TAF, SS, Merry Go Round....  There seem to be so many new collectors out there, they could easily collect an entire set from you.  And then sell the more rare ones individually.  And you could try taking lots of pics of the rare ones so you don't have to descibe their condition to much.  Or even, if you are willing, allow people to return the pony if they don't like it for a refund.  However that may end up being a pain if it happens alot.