...to do this for the most money I would clean every piece of equipment and test working condition and then take excellent pics with a detailed honest description,then you have to package and ship...and then I would would want half the money for my trouble.. Big job to do properly.
I would NOT recommend doing much cleaning on the antique pieces. Most serious collectors prefer to receive the item as is, and then do their own cleaning and polishing to whatever degree they wish to see done. An improper cleaning job can do permanent damage, and sometimes removing the natural patina that has developed over the decades will cause a piece to drop in value.
Many years ago I acquired a 1935 National HRO receiver via the old Ham Trader Yellow Sheets. The package arrived in good working condition along with a note from the seller that he had "cleaned up" the German silver main tuning dial and metal skirts on the knobs for me before shipping it. He used some kind of abrasive like fine grit sandpaper and not only removed the tarnish, but managed to erode away about 50% of the etched calibration markings, damaging the dial and all the knobs beyond repair.
It would probably be OK to wipe away any dust, loose dirt and spider webs with a soft damp cloth and brush out any mouse droppings, but I wouldn't recommend going beyond that. Above all, don't ever use a solvent type cleaner like Fantastik or 409. I learnt that the hard way the time I used the stuff to clean some rare old National bakelite dials. It took off the dirt all right, along with the glossy sheen as it dissolved the outer skin of the bakelite, leaving a dull flat finish that was impossible to ever polish back to its original shine.
I just received a message explaining why the QRZ.com search is not finding him:
http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=816578Apparently W7FMJ became a SK more than 18 months ago, and someone else is left to clean up the shack.
All the more reason to make sure that the persons attempting to dispose of the estate are given good advice. And the problem remains, how to contact those persons.
