Common Questions
Find answers to common questions regarding our work and store policies.
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Visiting Our Store
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Buying and Selling
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Evaluating the Collections
visiting our store
Why do I need an appointment to visit?
What are your hours?
We stay quite busy at the store - there is a lot going on between serving clients and managing our eBay page. Appointments help us ensure mutually meaningful interaction with you so you can get our best expertise.
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Help us help you - make an appointment!
We operate by appointment during the hours below. Please give us a call at (248) 399-1930 to schedule an appointment.
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We welcome walk-ins on Saturdays but appointments are still encouraged.
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We are open Wednesday-Saturday between 10 AM and 6 PM.
What items do you buy?
Buying & Selling
What can I buy in your store?
Our store combines a lot of diverse items from postal history to trading cards to posters. It’s a little bit of a mystery what you can find here!
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If you are looking for specific items, give us a call and we will discuss how we can help you best. Alternatively, you can look at our online eBay store and purchase directly from there.
Please keep in mind that not everything we have is displayed on eBay!
We are interested in a wide range of items such as coins, stamps, military items, vintage collectibles, pop culture memorabilia, and more! You can find a fuller yet not exhaustive list on this page, but we encourage you to email us photos of what you have even if it is not listed up there.
I would like to sell my collectibles. What should I do?
Do you offer appraisals?
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Please email us 5-6 photos of your collection. Your first photo should be a wide image of everything together. It can be just taken on your phone. The rest can focus on individual items of your choice.
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We understand you may not be able to take a photo of everything. However, having a preview helps us better understand what you have and if we could help you!
We will contact you after reviewing the photos.
We offer free initial evaluations. We can provide formal appraisals, too - however, written appraisals are time-consuming, quite costly, and in many cases are not necessary. Please email us to discuss what you have so we can guide you in whether a formal appraisal would be the best option for you.
EVALUATING THE COLLECTIONS
How do you evaluate the value of an item?
What are some signs of
a high-value collection?
When you bring items in our store, we evaluate their value based on their condition, context, and the market price.
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Click here for an example of a commonly misidentified stamp.
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A lot goes into determining what something is worth. Generally, we look at the historical context and the condition of an item. Small details such as color shades or fonts can make an item lose or gain hundreds of dollars in value! But these differences often go unnoticed without a professional eye.
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Many items may be interesting or meaningful but may not hold significant financial value. Contributing factors include the items' condition and the right combination of scarcity and demand. Old and rare does not necessarily equal high monetary value - this is a common misconception.
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Please understand that we value our time as well as yours and may choose to not view or purchase your items.
Advanced collections with extremely valuable items almost always have some sort of documentation that goes with it (such as certifications, receipts, ledges, or spreadsheets) that provides verified information about its ownership history or where it comes from.
I saw an item like mine on eBay at a higher price.
I used Google Lens and it looks like my item is highly valuable.
Typically, Google will overestimate how valuable an item is.
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While Google Lens and AI could be a good start for learning about what might possess, it is tremendously misleading. It’s not a reliable reference for a multitude of reasons. There is more accurate information available on the internet but identifying it often requires expertise.
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For instance, Google or AI may not consider the condition of your piece, the time and place it is from, the color tones, the paper used, etc., all of which affect the price.
An exact match is illusive. Before any price can be established, proper identification needs to be recognized.
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In fact, the best reference tools don’t provide pricing. Only once you know exactly what you have and understand its condition, can you assess the potential value on an item.
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An unprofessional eye may overlook significant differences between similar items that are likely to decrease its value. Moreover, if an item is on sale on eBay for a high price, it does not mean it will sell.
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Pro tip: Filter your eBay search by "Sold Items" to see what similar items have already sold and at what price.