Featured Story About Estate Sales & Growing Up

I Spent My Childhood Helping My Mom Sell Dead People’s Junk (getpocket.com)

I thought that this was an interesting read.

 

A good read.

 

Agreed, with my whole heart...thanks.

 

Interesting article. I would have been the one to buy the letters, and probably gone looking for the guy's family.

 

I think we've all had those type of thought at times. Thank God I quickly dismiss them and commence to digging !

 

It is a good read. Every now and then I see a newbie at an estate sale saying it is sad to see a whole life of memories left in a house.

Ironically, I never felt that way really till I got older. But I still hunt and pick for treasure and try to keep those thoughts out of my mind.

 

It's very poignant to see someone's whole life in a dumpster or laying on a cheap card table.
Anguishing over a 25 cent half empty bottle of shampoo-tough way to make a buck.
When I worked at a grocery store someone asked for a refund on 7 bags of ice they'd bought,(lot's of no-shows at their party),they brought the 7 empty bags back in to prove they'd purchased it.
The shows,the song & dance buyers do to save a nickel-it's an art form ! Looks exhausting to me,I guess for them it's a rush.

 

shouldn't;t the bags have been filled with water........

" he said , choking back tears of laughter ..... "

 

Komo-Cracks me up.That skit belongs in Seinfeld or Parks & Rec.I knew the older couple for years (they weren't broke),and they really were a couple of sweeties (and married for like 60+ years !). Don't know why they decided they needed their 7 bucks back,but you know-the Depression babies never forget how tough times can get.

 

I am ashamed to say I did this.... my only excuse was being a newbie idiot to sales. This was when I first started out.

I went to a local yard sale and found a restaurant diner style sugar/salt bowl with the flip top lid, A couple sitting outside at their sale had not tagged anything with prices. I asked how much.

They said 50 cents, I asked if they would take a quarter. I still feel bad to this day.
Every time I drive by that street, where they lived, which is on my way to one supermarket I feel guilty. And yes they said ok to the 25 cents.

 

Watching pickers do their song & dance at sales is a crack-up.I knew a very knowledgeable dealer pre-internet (you all know how big his library was). He would very rarely make an offer,he was afraid if he intentionally low-balled a seller he might get sued !...and most times he definitely knew more than them (he was my pre-tech version of Antiquers.com). He'd simply ask-'How much do you need to get for this ?'.
I saw a dealer in a Collective offer an 80 year old lady $10-$20 apiece for some Gustav Stickley pieces ! I wanted to run over an immediately escort Grandma out of the store,but it was one of my fave pickin' holes and I knew the dealer,but boy,I never forgot that one-30 years ago !

 

At the time, Stickley was crazy white hot. OTOH she may just have wanted the "old stuff" out of her house. I've bought things that way before; the person knew darned well it was worth buck$ but they wanted it GONE. In one case it was jewelry bought by the ex-husband. He'd been kicked to the curb and the jewelry was going too.

 

I think she needed the dough,but I aint' preachin'.

 

In that case... GRRRRRR.

 

Evelyn- I've been to some well off-folks sales,the craziest are the 'Spite Sales' (Divorce). Like 'This ASSH*%# left all his art and rugs here,well Fu*% Him-anything you want's 5 Bucks !!!'...'Take that damn bronze Shang Dynasty ritual 3 foot tall wine pot-$7.50,that #@%*er !' (that one's a joke). Maybe I should get on the good side of some high-priced divorce lawyers (do a split with 'em).

 

This book was written by a friend of mine from Chicago. He is the co-owner of the antique mall I used to sell at. Entertaining read!

Selling Dead People's Things: Inexplicably True Tales, Vintage Fails & Objects of Objectionable Estates: Cerny, Duane Scott: 9780999894903: Amazon.com: Books

 

When push comes to shove, it's all just stuff. There have been enough comments on these boards about how your kids don't want your stuff. You go to an estate sale and the relatives are there - they've had their opportunity to take what they want.

And there are relatives enough who don't care and simply want to walk away from all of it.

Getting to know a person after they're dead... it's too late.

 

Forget revenge porn, revenge estate sales! Dang don't I wish!

 

It's official. I want to read that book, fake blood on the cover and all. My official business card that I never printed would have read "All the stuff Grandma threw out."

 

Great cover ! Looks very intriguing.