Featured A bird figurine I picked up at a garage sale years ago

@evelyb30
Truly! I was heartsick when I saw those (Lladro) pieces in the dumpster - broken into too many pieces to repair. Sigh! Water under the bridge now.

 

When my grandfather's home was being sold in the 1970s, my father went over to help with the cleanout- he said he pulled up, and other family members were already there, and....

There was a bonfire going with old furniture already in it...

The family had owned the home since 1923. My father said he immediately ran for things that he knew were valuable, one being a Regulator clock that came to the family in 1918. That clock was in my childhood home, and it was given to me in 2003. I had it repaired and it hangs in our dining room.

I shared this story because people only focused on money do these quick cleanouts all of the time. You just need to be ready to act when you get wind of one coming up.

 

It seems the younger generations don't want to be bothered with antiques which they see as old used junk. I shudder to think of all the neat things that are trashed every day by relatives who are in a hurry to clean out the estate or look for buyers.

 

@Tiquer
I think you are right to some degree; but there are a few more factors. Having dispersed sales for quite some time, we often ran into families who:

#1. didn't want to pay someone else to run a sale for them and figured that the "stuff" wasn't worth that much anyway. Those sales tend to way overpriced or way underpriced and in the end - it ends up in the dumpster, getting dirtballed out because they just did a slap dash job with no research, set up or thought other than make a couple bucks or they lose money because they had no idea of it's true value.

I've been to a number of estate sales like this: often not priced at all, no change at hand, no packing material at hand, no "in" or "out", no one really "in charge" to make a decision, no research done on items - just their own "best guess" (often way to high, or way to low), no one paying attention to any customers in the estate, nothing displayed (people just paw through contents of closets and drawers), no "trash" thrown out (empty packing and cardboard boxes just dumped around rooms), items are dirty, broken or sticky, odd item here and it's mate over there.

Even if they "thought" there wasn't much monetary value per item; it would have served them well, to make a modicum of effort to wash a few things, get rid of some trash, make tables of like priced items with a big sign over it stating the price, have 1 person in charge of wheeler dealer prices and a real change box with a person and an adding machine AND some packing materials at hand and a specific IN and OUT. I've seen so many sales where people just walk in and out the back door without paying for anything. I've also seen sales where family just sits clustered together talking and really not paying ANY attention to customers...who either leave unnoticed or frustrated with the sale.

#2. would "LIKE" to have held a sale or auction; but distance from the location and time away from their jobs didn't permit it. What often happens in this case; is that the realtor gets to the decedents first and tells them that the "house looks better furnished" (so don't empty the house). Then the house sells, and BOOM, they might have 2 weeks or a month to get things sorted out and for an average size 3 bedroom, basement, garage, kitchen, 2 bath, living room, family room home that has 70 years worth of "collection"... that just ISN'T much time to get it all coordinated and priced. Especially when branches of the family live in opposite sides of the country.

We had been called to a home to quote disbursement of the estate. Beautifully appointed older home in a historic area of town. Multiple bedrooms, basement, two living rooms, 3 car garage.. absolutely CHUCK full! Not hoarders - too tidy for that...in fact "spotless". Clean, modern furniture, lovely antiques, lots and LOTS of local collectibles...2 cars, riding lawnmower, 2 sets of nice patio furniture... but they needed the sale to be Friday (it was Wednesday) and we were in the middle of preparing another sale. There wouldn't have even had time to advertise!

We had looked in the fridge and freezer, and they were full! We assumed that "Grandma" had just passed away "recently". "Oh, no they said.. she passed away last EASTER!" So now it was late September and apparently they hadn't bothered to even empty the refrigerator! ...But the realtor said "that it sells better with furniture".

Even a disbursal company with a large crew would need more time than that!!

And no, we didn't end up with the sale. But curious, as we never heard what happened to all the "stuff". All we can think of is that perhaps an auction company came in and hauled it to another location.

Oh, the stuff ya learn!!
Cheerio,
Leslie

 

I stopped at an estate sale last fall that I just happened to see signs for. It looked like the family was running it. No prices on anything. They had some plastic storage bins in the outside yard. I've been looking for them since when my cellar flooded and everything in cardboard boxes was ruined. There was a man standing out there and I asked the price of the bins. he said "$10 each." I replied that that was the price at WalMart for new ones. His only response - "Take 'em of leave 'em."

 

Cleanout companies holding sales can be sources of goldmines for antique junkies. They know enough to keep the jewelery box and look for gold, but often don't look a the rest. Most times they're a source of rage, because they toss everything. The local auction house that used to handle estate cleanout merch doesn't do it any more, which makes matters worse.

 

Cleanout companies holding sales can be sources of goldmines for antique junkies. They know enough to keep the jewelery box and look for gold, but often don't look a the rest. Most times they're a source of rage, because they toss everything. The local auction house that used to handle estate cleanout merch doesn't do it any more, which makes matters worse.

 

502 gateway error double post strikes again.

 

@Deb. D the "8" wide with handles bowl" etch is:
https://chataboutdg.com/gallery/details.php?image_id=4493

 

I can't tell you how many times people have come up to me at the local flea market, look at all the vintage costume jewelry I have, and tell me when their mother died they took all her jewelry to the dump

 

Yikes

 

Makes me want to cry!!!!!

 

Cry, because homicide is illegal.

 

When my mom passed, I sent most her jewelry to auction. It was sold as a lot for $2.

 

Yep, Duncan Miller "Language of Flowers". I had already looked it up, but thanks for the confirmation.

 

On the one hand WAHHHH. On the other, I wish I'd been the buyer!

 

I have been fortunate my Grandma gave me a good amount as did quite a few other relatives. I can’t imagine dumping anything of my relatives things. Yes including pictures. With that being said I still have a 2 story house 4 spare rooms & closets & a weather proof attic & we are empty nesters!

 

Of all the fascinating stories , told here over the years, Davey's estate clean outs have been some of the most eye opening tales of how families dispose of a loved ones property ..... and what gets left behind !! ...

 

That auction was a bust. I went to it to see what happened. I was shocked that mom's dining room set (8 foot long pine table and 6 ladderback chairs) sold for $20. A curved glass curio cabinet went for $5. An antique Bible from the 1800s sold for $3. Many things no one even bid on - and this was 19 years ago. That auctioneer was highly recommended to me. He took many nice things and never returned them or indicated they were sold like a mural of Greek charioteers and some chandelier lamps.

 

what a crook..