NavList:

You wrote:
"I didn’t catch the detail that you did of an extensive museum quality collection hitting the market."

Hmmm.

You should think twice about calling this a "museum quality collection." If it's "museum quality" then it wouldn't be selling on ebay, would it? Museums often receive donations that they cannot add to their permanent collections either due to maintenance costs, poor material quality, low significance, or duplication (who needs another rust-encrusted cannon?). Such donations often come from wealthy collectors or their heirs so they must, at minimum, accept the donation and send out a formal "thank you" letter. Minor, personal collections like these are often sold as lots to third parties for a modest price, or sometimes after a respectful period, they are returned to the collector's heirs. Be skeptical when you hear something is coming from a museum. That doesn't imply significance unless the items were part of their permanent accessioned collection.

That out of the way, there could easily be gems in that collection. There could also be interesting junk.

Frank Reed