UNEARTHING TREASURES:
THE THRILL OF ESTATE SALES
TREASURE HUNTS:
Depending on the sale you choose to go to you could walk into a house full of rare antiques, or just a bunch of garage sale items.
Depending on your area and the type of homes that are holding estate sales, you can find vintage clothing and items that are getting very hard to find.
This is the magic of the estate sales process, where you never know what kinds of items you will find.
How about a Marvin Gaye Passport? It was purchased at a sale for 50¢ in Detroit, and later estimated as worth $20,000 by Antiques Roadshow.
Maybe even a Benjamin Franklin book, this book was from 1732 which was written by Franklin himself, a man in Pennsylvania bought it at his grandfather’s estate sale, and it later was apprised and auctioned for $40,000.
While these are rare events, every sale may hold some treasures worth plenty.
Before we formed the company to hold sales for other people, we had some interesting buys ourselves which also turned us some respectable profits.
WHAT IS AN ESTATE SALE?
An estate sale is or can be a remarkable event that unfolds when the contents of a household are put up for sale, often due to any variety of circumstances such as elderly people downsizing, relocation, or the passing of one of the owners.
Many times, they may be also called moving sales, where an older person needs to go into a care facility or live with relatives.
They simply cannot take a life’s worth of belongings to the new residence.
This creates the opportunity for individuals to explore the belongings of someone’s life, preserved for decades sometimes, and they are able to acquire a piece of history for themselves.
THE HUNT BEGINS:
When you step into your first or many estate sales, it almost always greets you with an electrifying sense of anticipation. The air can be thick with excitement when you and other treasure hunters juggle around each other waiting for a glimpse of what you might find within.
Plus, you never know what you are going to see next!
A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME:
Sometimes.
Again, depending on where you are in the country, sales vary differently from each other.
Occasionally there may be items for sale that people will push you aside from as they are usually regulars, and many times each one has items of specific interest that they always look for.
Some homes are living museums, while others may only have things you can purchase anywhere.
Every home and the items being sold reveals a different chapter of life from the person that lived there.
COLLECTIBLES:
Not every home is filled with rare collectibles, and younger people don’t seem to be collecting as much as their parents did.
Rare coins and vintage stamps may not appeal to everyone’s tastes, but the people that seem to buy these things know there is a market for them to be resold or they wouldn’t be looking for them.
Estates hold items that can make a serious reseller a living.
UNIQUE FINDS THAT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE:
The chance to score an incredible deal may be right for you.
Interior designers look for unique furnishings, items like original works of art that might appeal to their choice of clients, or materials for clothing to repurpose, sales can be a goldmine for these people.
You could even fill your own space with mid-century modern furniture, or a special lamp that you don’t just see everywhere, all down to that one-of-a-kind piece you just have to have.
A FEW TIPS FOR THE ADVENTURE:
Arrive Early:
To secure some of the best finds, know what time the sale starts and be there when it opens.
Some sales draw large crowds, and first come, first served at most sales.
Bring Cash:
Modern times bring modern advances, although some sales companies do accept credit cards and online payment, not all will. Make sure you have cash on hand. (You may be charged an additional fee for using a credit card).
INSPECT YOUR PURCHASES:
Carefully examine anything you intend to buy. Most sales are as-is and there are no refunds.
Look for excessive or worn areas that may affect this purchase. A missing part or piece of something may not be worth the asking price.
The older the item is, this is important to know before committing money to it.
Always do your own research on an item to clearly understand the value, don’t take the word of the person trying to sell it to you.
Final words on this,
Estate Sales are not always about just purchasing possessions, it’s about preserving history of these items and connecting with the past. I know I have seen many items that were in our house while growing up.
It can also just be about the hunt for something valuable or collectible to yourself or someone you know.
Take your time and look around to see what hides in plain sight next or move on to other sales in the area if there are any.
If you know the pricing of something, attempt to make a deal with the selling company, especially if it is the last day of the sale and in the last hours of the sale also, you may get a very good deal that you were not expecting.
You just may find the next Tiffany Vase worth $100,000. In someone’s collection for a modest sum. Or maybe even an antique game table found in Rhode Island worth $350,000.
Enjoy the Hunt.