[Claire ex-ax]

The ultimatum has been given to my other half and that big box of Hong Kong memorabilia can no longer sit on the wardrobe collecting dust, as it has for the past six-plus years.

(Apparently) inside the box are postcards of Hong Kong (dating back some 70 years), bank notes nearly as old, pre-war map of Hong Kong, a limited edition of Betsy signed by artist (no idea who that is yet), and goodness knows what else. The box will be moved from its current resting place over Easter so I'll have a better idea then.

But where to get rid of the stuff? Really want to avoid the Ebay route. Local websites/classified... nah. Any ideas? Any local shops will buy this en masse? Want to make it as painless as possible to the reluctant 'donor'.

Cheers!

[PDLM]

Are you looking primarily to find a good home for it, or primarily to maximise the amount of money you can get? If the former then have you considered donating it to a museum of some sort?

[Gigglewater]

I agree with PDLM here...if the items really are over 70+ years, and you have Pre-war maps?? The Museums would love you for it. You may not get money for the "contribution" but on the brighter side, it means your reluctant donor will have a chance to see these items framed and maintained better than in a box collecting dust. Email/write/call the local museums in Hong Kong and see what they'll say about making donations. Good luck!

[PDLM]

I think the relevant bit of the LCSD is this one: About Us - Contact us

[Claire ex-ax]

Thanks for the replies thus far...

I think the postcards came from long-since closed-down shops on Hollywood Road. The pre-war map is not a rarity; him indoors said Picture This has it. He's just sent me an email saying there are also some old HK bank notes (including a few 1c notes) in box plus some Maple Leaf coins... in that case I might get the box down earlier instead of waiting till he gets back from his trip considering the way commodities are performing.

The stuff might have curiosity interest but I doubt we are talking museum quality. We're not sitting on a gold mine alas...

[jayinhongkong]

I'd be happy to take those one cent notes off your hands I had a few as a kid, but I haven't seen them in ages. I'd love to show them to the kids I teach and I promise I'd take care of them.

[Pekkerhead]

you could try contacting the nice fellows at Batgung.com

Batgung

it's another expat website that has a good focus on HK history and culture.

I am sure MrB or Mr Tall (the two people who run the site) would be happy to take it off your hands?

[KnowItAll]

Have you contacted the various dealers like Wattis (on Old Bailey) to see if they're interested in some of the more ... exotic items in the box?

[Claire ex-ax]

KIA, saw one of the maps on the Wattis website. Maybe they would buy it but a private sale would be more 'profitable' for us (no middle man). Perhaps we're stuck with Ebay, wish the HK one was a bit better...

As the metal prices are much better than the early 1990s, it might be time to sell the Maple Leafs (gold/silver/platinum). But jewellery shops or banks?

Also in the box (the stuff my old man keeps ) was a Giordano t-shirt from 1989 with the democracy slogan printed in Chinese in a red exclamation mark. It was produced as a protest against the Tiannamen "incident". Can't believe that was near twenty years ago.