Featured Thought you had a collecting problem? Look at this...

Now girls, let's just tell it like it is, rather than the way you wish it was.
I call this hoarding, not collecting. Anytime you see shelving all over the house storing doo-dads up the ying-yang, we got a problem here, it's called SHOPPING!

 

My daughter was here from Atlanta a week ago. She's an advocate of Marie Kondo and she started telling me I didn't "need" all the stuff I have and my house is minimalist compared to this! I'm going to send her the link and tell her this is my dream house.

 

But......but.....look how well it's displayed!!!!!

 

Yep, I am goin with Grateful on this one.

 

My daughter too........

Too funny about the LINK!

 

There ain't no BUT to this! Read @Grateful post!..... just sayin

 

Ah...but James there are so many reasons one might collect something. For example, I have rather a lot of 18th C pots (though also quite a lot earlier and later too). I have a particular interest in ceramics of that time period that might have been in Virginia, partly because I just like them, but also because I was quite involved in archaeology (avocational) and understanding what bit was pulled from the ground and how that told the history of the site was quite important. I started collecting "examples" to help with that and am happy to share them where it helps.

Then there was a time period where I wasn't sure how our income might be impacted by a family medical condition and collected some things for resale if need be.

So....I have lots and lots of stuff that isn't really about the joy of shopping

 

OK, I am easy, have it your way.............

 

I've watched an enormous and pricey estate sale change tactics several times in the past 48 hrs. All they show on Marketplace (yep, Marketplace), is a picture of a huge gorgeous home (massive yard w/ massive fountain, etc.) and a few photos. Those photos were all they needed to draw big interest. So, they were overwhelmed and said ok, ok, just one sale (not individual showings), gave out community gate code & their personal phone numbers. Fast-forward a few hours, back to individual listings on Marketplace. No code (neighbors probably had heart attacks), phone info, etc. Not well thought out at all. To your comment, I told my husband so much would be stolen with a houseful of strangers. Probably more $$ in their barware than my house costs.

 

I totally agree. I love collecting with a purpose. It's fun, educational, and within reason, an enjoyable hobby. There just are some people who love to spend and end up with lovely things that unfortunately become clutter. My husband thinks with my Mother's passing, I'm a little too into it, but you should see his tools...

 

You say that because you aren't the "normal" collector
In your eyes, the Rothschilds must have been considered hoarders too

 

Nice sale! I would probably make a bee-line to the attic. Chances are there are no bargains in the main house. Some of my best finds have been in attics and basements at these types of sales.

 

Class and taste ... and money. What a marvellous collection. Sigh!

 

LOL, I AM a normal collector! but i only collect one thing, early american furniture! It's you that's not "normal", you want to cover every square inch of the house with your "collection", which i call a hoarder, not a collector! So there!

 

Wouldn't you hoard early American furniture if you had opportunity to buy as much as you want I know I would

 

In our loft you might even get a few dessicated mice as well.

 

I so want to be there.

 

That's because at heart, you are a HOARDER! who can't seem to admit it and, it appears around here, you are NOT ALONE on that score!
If I had unlimited resources would i hoard? NO! I would just "trade up" to better example pieces.
First off, it would be tough to hoard early american pieces because it's rare to start with and two, even if one had millions to purchase, it doesn't really matter if it's not for sale.
Most early american furniture pieces fall into that NFS category, particularly the better examples. It's in a museum, a private collection who has NO intention of selling, etc.
Most early american furniture collectors fully understand that 99% of the time, they will only have ONE CHANCE in their lifetime if and when a piece does come to market. Which is probably a main reason why prices sometimes reach the stratosphere, it's NOW or NEVER!

 

There is only 1 thing that would describe this sale, OMG!!!!!!!!

I also agree with James that this person wasn't really a collector but someone who had a real shopping problem. There does seem to be certain items that they were drawn to but I really think that shopping was their social activity.

This estate reminds me of the one the auction house where I work dealt with most of last year. This lady just went shopping all of the time. She also attended auctions at another house here in Columbia that dealt only in higher end items. They also sold a good deal of her stuff over a 3 day sale. Money was no object since her husband had a 7 figure job & she thought her job was to spend it as fast as he could make it.

All of that being said, I would love to be the first in line because I would knock people out of my way to get to the attic & all the vintage Christmas stuff.

One final thought, @James Conrad if you were referring to the items arranged on the plastic shelving, something tells me this person did not have those all over the house.

My guess is some of this stuff was "stored" off site at some storage facility & the estate sale company brought them in because they had to have somewhere to put all of the stuff. That was the case of the woman I was talking about. She would buy stuff, it would be taken to the warehouse her family owned & she likely never saw it again.