Item that you regret selling or giving away, etc.

Do you ever have a moment when you think:

"Oh my goodness! Why on earth did I get rid of that?"

 

A very telling question... sad to say... as one who suffers from Tossitosis, I have a pretty good list of stuff I'm sorry I let go!

 

Regrets I have a few ..... I think you will see a common theme here

I still kind of regret selling a Roseville Cremona vase that was the first expensive piece of pottery I ever bought. It was only $40.00 but that was a lot of money for me at the time. I kept this vase for years but eventually sold it when downsizing my collection several years ago. I made good profit on it so really no regrets. It was identical to this one ....



I sold a Roycroft Little Journeys bookstand at one point when I needed some money. Sold it too cheaply so that is the main regret. It would be a handy thing to have and use with an aesthetic I appreciate. It was like this one....



I sold this copper and silver humidor attributed to Joseph Heinrichs to my sister in a weak moment. I had loaned it to her for her husband's cremains for his memorial service. She consequently became quite attached to it and I really needed some money at the time. It now has a good home and noble purpose so I can't complain.



Lastly, I recently sold this Tiffany bronze lamp base that I have been hanging on to forever. It is missing some parts that I was never able to find and taxes were due .......

 

In my "early days" I sold a badly altered late 19th century country pine chest of drawers that had the most beautiful ormolu brass baroque cherub pulls (a total of 10 of them + 5 of those things that you put around the keyholes.. those had cherubs on them too).

I could've rescued the pulls and put them on a better chest of similar sort.

But no.

I still think about that when I can't get sleep at night.

 

I've got bills to pay......but even then, as a dealer , there are some works I maybe should have held on to longer...!

Still....no regrets.....cuz it's what I do !

Here's some that I'd take back willingly....

POMO basket.....not seen one like it. Early 1900's

Haida Argillite candlesticks....TDF..mid 1800's

Haida Argillite panel...DG.

Pipe bone breast plate....late 1890.s....( see how the hard use has dug the bone into the leather....it's the real deal ! )

Iroquois corn husk False Face Society mask...as nice as they come ! circa ...NOT NEW !

 

The only two I really regret letting go were two mens' jackets, believe it or not. On the other hand, they made the recipients incredibly happy, so I don't regret it all that much. The first was an 80s Ralph Lauren patchwork madras sport coat. Sold it off my back, literally, to a guy at an estate sale who'd been looking for one in his size for years. The other was a brand new Loden jacket from Austria. All I regret about that one, it was wool so I couldn't wear it anyway, is that I literally gave it away. OTOH the guy who has it is a professor and it was a perfect fit on him.

 

Hi,
Only one piece has bitten my memory so many times. It was a Teco vase. I found it at a yard sale for 1 dollar. I had it for a few years and when I was moving one of my friends begged me to sell it to him. I ended up selling it to him for 30 dollars. He was so happy to have it. I moved and his wife remained friends with mine. She ended up divorcing him and then I learned that he sold the vase one month after I gave it to him. He got 450 dollars for it. I finally realized why his wife left him.
greg

 

What a wipeass!!!

 

That one would hurt ...... .... and haunt for a long time

 

Every time something sells for less than I hoped.

 

Too many to count , but heres a few of my top ones.... A Tiffany clock with matching candelabras given to me by an elderly lady when I helped her clean up a mantel that had collapsed due to water damage ( I met her through meals on wheels ) , an arm on the candelabra had broken and when I took it to get it repaired the guy said it was $500 ( what 19 year old has $500 ?!? ) then he offered to buy it for that much , and like a FOOL I sold it to him . In my defense , I was young and knew about antiques , but not as much as I should have . That was 1983 and I still regret it !
The second one that really burns my heart is a gold doubloon from the Atocha that an ex had given me ,the rope chain it was on was on was massive so I rarely wore it and the first time gold was so high I sold it . What I wouldn't give for that back !
I also found a set of 4 silk Steven graphs at a garage sale for a $1 apiece that were as bright and vivid as the day they were made . I loved those things madly , but sold them when a guy offered me $250 apiece ! I mourn them too . Finally , a Scheier ceramic bowl that I sold on ebay and regretted the second I did it . The lines were perfection , and it rang like crystal when you pinged it .
In essence , everything I ever sold I regret !

 

So the solution is to never buy anything then that can't happen.

 

A gorgeous signed shell cameo pendant. I later asked the dealer who bought it if he regretted selling anything. "Funny you should say that" he said "but do you remember that cameo" I did'nt tell him that I later found the signature was that of Napoleons favourite cameo carver. I did say it was gorgeous. Otherwise there are lots of things. If you have a business and bills to pay, thing are sold.

 

Oh my! And how! There are a few pieces that I wish I hadn’t at the time needed to sell. But those don’t usually come up nearly as frequently as the damn beautiful and excellent antique Japanese cloisonné Totai teapot/sake pot. It was sublime in it’s craftsmanship and the colors of it’s flowers divine. I kick myself for it even today as I search for something like it always. Sigh

 

A necropost from 2016, but I like the topic.

I soooooooo regret trading in an 1860s mahogany washstand from Belgium that was one-of-a-kind. No pictures now, unfortunately. The white tile work in the backsplash was remarkable.

Anyway, I traded it for a J. and J. Meeks etagere, which is fantastic, but now I wish I had somehow come up with extra cash and kept the washstand. I'll never see it's like again