For serious collectors only!

I collect for money and the collection - if I saw, for example, an absolute bargain somewhere, I'd buy it to sell, whereas if I saw something I wanted, I'd pay however much it was worth to me.

WOW!! I am so overwhelmed by the responses!
Leah -- until Breakthru 2003, the worthiest Queen item I own are my bootlegs! (Vinyl of course) Now, it's the certificate I won for runner-up in the Costume Contest (as the Great Pretender Red-y Freddie), signed by both Brian and Roger in Sharpie marker, and that famous "rain-washed" Miracle t-shirt I won at the auction (that Brian signed, though it's a bit faded from the rainwater, and actually wore per my COA that Jacky finally sent).
Martin and Rusty: I collect for the fun of it also. I equate it to a hunt sometimes -- the more scarce the Queen item, the more I want it and pursue it until it's mine!! (LOL) I got prices from Eil.com, private collectors and those nice people at Goldmine Magazine and Great Escape in Nashville, TN.
BTW, value of the Queen collection was $23 K. My Beatle collection is appreciating again, worth $325 G now. Most worthy piece: original Butcher Block album cover, promo copy, mint condition (not wrapped), $10,500.
Note to collectors: the more original the item, the more it appreciates in value, especially those certified autographs!! (Freddie's is worth close to $1000 depending on age and condition.)

But when you collector's die, who's going to have your Queen collections, assuming they're worth equally as much as they are now, if not more in the future?

I'm going to have a mausuleum made and be buried with my collection..you won't put your sticky hands on it! ;)

"But when you collector's die, who's going to have your Queen collections, assuming they're worth equally as much as they are now, if not more in the future?"

I always wonder about that. The DVDs, the Queen stuff, and the porno. I hope it all ends up in good hands. I'm hoping I have a long drawn-out and fatal illness so I have time to sell stuff first.

Oooh, you know I'll outlive you, if you know what I mean ;)

Nah, maybe one of these days if I have the money, I'll buy your wonderful collection

But then, who would buy the records after I die? Questions, questions questions :P

I know I spent over 15 thousand dollars on my collection and due to a very bad run of luck I sold a lot of it for a lot less than I paid for them... and now I am down to just a handful of items and probably gonna sell them too.

When you've been collecting Beatle stuff since childhood and Queen stuff since your teenage years, it would be too hard to part with anything. So many memories associated with all that stuff, ya know!!

Lisa, don't get me wrong but are you sure your Queen collection is worth $23000 if your most valuable items are bootlegs and some signed items?

Look, I have plenty of signed items (incl. Freddie), concert contracts, many tour itineraries that I got from roadies, hundreds of old ticket stubs, rare programs, some stuff from making of Queen videos, invitation to Freddie's birthday party, scrapbooks from people who were hired by Queen, original setlists from the stage, original Roger's drumstick from the concert and heaps of other (not so rare) items and I estimate the total value to $8000-10000. What's in your collection that makes you think it's worth so much?

I'm with Lisa

Martin -- LOTS of original promotional material helped jack up the worth of everything! The Billboard ad, a simple, black page from December 1991 with only "Freddie Mercury -- 1946-1991" with the Queen crest in white was worth $550 alone since it ran only one issue. Magazines, books, concert T-shirts, ticket stubs, playing cards (a very rare promotional item!), Freddie signatures and other memorabilia, along with bootlegs, original promotional vinyl (+ 45s), picture discs, fan club merchandise...it adds up! I wish there were a book

The problem is that the prices should be set like "what would others pay for this if I wanted to sell it?", not like "it was a limited edition so it must be worth hundreds". That's why I for example suppose that each of my Freddie's signatures is worth $150-$200, not more. The prices between $500-$1000 that you mentioned are silly, nobody would ever pay that. I think same counts for the Billboard ad - even if your ad was the only surviving ad from that issue, it's still only a printed magazine ad. Do you seriously think it's worth much more than for example an original 1975 tour itinerary from a roadie (which I rated as a $150 item)? If you put this ad on ebay, would anybody pay more than $20 for it?

Again, don't get me wrong, I agree with you there should be some kind of book which would solve these discussions. On the other hand, there are so many thousands of Queen items that 99% of people don't know of. Making of the book would take forever.

A ten year old copy of of Billboard is not worth $550. Nothing the fanclub has produced is worth major amounts (Cross bootleg tapes probably the highest).

Having said that, I'm sure I speak for Martin as well when I say we're not criticising you, Lisa, we just feel that your assessor is being more than generous. If he valued my collection that generously, I'd burn it the following day, claim, and buy 3 replacements of everything....

I wonder.. is The Crown Jewels still worth the $135 most places charge for it when Disney has it at closeout on Ebay for $35? :)