Expert: Melvin Mills - 1/12/2009

Question
I inherited a antique watch makers kit from my father, and it has documented proof dating back to 1901!. it is a hand crafted wood box measuring 12" wide and about 8" tall.
it is filled with thousands of springs,hands,screws,dials,jewelery,hand tools,winding keys, this box is literaly full of items. also has three pocket watches, one of which keeps time and also has a small bag of gold powder. there is to much to list.
i was wondering if you have or know someone who would be interested in guessing at a value, or even give me an idea as to if there are people with a watch making or collectors who would have interest in giving value. if need be i can attach picture in a follow up.

thank you for any information that you could give.. scott

Answer
Scott,

There is quite a market for antique watchmakers tools and parts.

I hesitate to give you a value because, without a physical inspection (or at a minimum, seeing the items), it would be irresponsible to take a guess.

I have two suggestions for you, though. First, I would suggest searching eBay. Look for similar goods. What they sell for is the market value. If you don't find any this week, look again next week. They come up from time to time. (If I'm not mistaken, the last time I looked, they were selling for a couple hundred dollars).

Next, find a local watchmaker and ask him to give you an appraisal.

If you're going to look for the local watchmaker, I would still strongly suggest using eBay first to have a rough idea of the value. That way, no one will take advantage of you.

If you would like to send some extra photos, I would like to take a look at what you have.  

Kind regards,

Melvin