advice, you can modify your evaluations toward more realistic market pricing.  Keep in mind that such information from trusted sources is valuable to you and you should offer to pay for their expenses and time to do this evaluation for you.  In many cases these people will decline the offer but you should make the offer anyway.

Important!  If you are not completely familiar with the hobby, don’t make any assumptions about the possible “collectability” or value of any items associated with the estate before getting outside consultation.  On a number of occasions I have been told that someone in the family has already hauled pick-up truck loads of “junk” and “tons of old paper” to the dump.  Let you advisor  to the hobby determine if there is value worth extracting from any of the items you view as ‘junk’.

Also remember that the vintage radio hobby contains within it a surprising number of specialist interests.  In my own case, my greatest level of knowledge deals with home broadcast receivers made in the US and Europe from 1920 to 1950.  When I am called on to evaluate an estate, I am careful to note areas of the hobby where I may not be the best judge of current market  values.  Don’t hesitate to ask your advisor about their familiarity with the various types of equipment or documentation that may be in your estate.

1.  When should I dispose of the estate?

In most cases the best advice is dispose of the items as soon as legal ownership has been determined.   If there is no one that is in a position to protect and preserve the items of a collection, they can suffer damage that can have a serious impact on the market value.
Don’t forget today’s emphasis on intellectual property and copyrighted materials of the estate that may need legal releases.

2.  What are the methods of disposing of an estate?

 Selling off piece-by-piece
 Selling off as a lot.
 Holding an on-site auction
 Holding an auction at a remote site
 Holding an auction in conjunction with a vintage radio conference
 Internet auction sales
 Donation to an individual, organization or museum.