Trash or treasure?

[Orchidflower]

Nords, if you had tossed those silver spoons away for little money I would have been really upset for you. Those were, I knew, worth something. I'm not a spoon affecianado but many women are. Glad you're making some money off great grandma's hard collecting.
If the spoons don't sell--and assuming your daughter doesn't want them NOW--why not keep them for your future granddaughter? My grandma wanted to give me crocheting when she was dying of cancer and I, being 15, snarled my nose at it. Now I so wish I had had her make something like a tablecloth for me. You change your mind when you get older and realize the sentimental value of things, and your daughter might also. They're small and storable.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Nords, if you had tossed those silver spoons away for little money I would have been really upset for you. Those were, I knew, worth something.

We're going to have to wait until the bidding ends before making any conclusions about their value!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orchidflower Glad you're making some money off great grandma's hard collecting. If the spoons don't sell--and assuming your daughter doesn't want them NOW--why not keep them for your future granddaughter? My grandma wanted to give me crocheting when she was dying of cancer and I, being 15, snarled my nose at it. Now I so wish I had had her make something like a tablecloth for me. You change your mind when you get older and realize the sentimental value of things, and your daughter might also. They're small and storable.

Knowing my GG, the spoons were acquired in a frenzy of souvenir-hunting. She was much more focused on the "stuff collecting" than on the experience collecting. Her explorer's attitude was along the lines of "OK, nice sunset, now where's the souvenir stores?"

Our attic is full of the crap valuable family collectibles foisted on me by at least four generations of Nords ancestors. (In my grandmother's case it was knitting. Not much use for sweaters and afghans around here.) Having made 19 moves with the Navy, it's no fun to take care of. While it may appreciate in value, it's nowhere near the compounding value of equities. So as our kid contemplates joining the Navy, I'd rather spare her my experiences with this particular area.

Aside from actual cash value, the only other prospective worth of these heirlooms is sentimental-- and we're keeping the items that have family stories. The rest of it is outta here before yet another "collectibles crime" is foisted on the next (clueless) generation.

[Orchidflower]

I get you. If you have enough items with sentimental value then I would sell what you don't think anyone would want either. I didn't realize you had so much. I wish I had some as I am literally scraping up scraps to put together some items from my Grandma on Mom's side and have absolutely zero from Dad's. Big difference and different viewpoint then.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Our attic is full of the crap valuable family collectibles foisted on me by at least four generations of Nords ancestors.

My sympathies. When stuff begins to accumulate like that, moving it and storing it can become such a PITA. I used to have a lot too, but somehow my ex ended up with everything and that included the collectibles, paintings, furniture, and other nearly worthless stuff that my family expected me to keep. So what to do? My solution was just not telling family members that I didn't have the stuff. That might work for you as well. After all, even if they visit they aren't going to go through your attic with a checklist.

Anyway, to make a long story short I am really glad that I am not going to have to lug all that junk stuff with me on my next move.

On a similar yet related note, I have discovered that since ruthlessly going through my closets and throwing out my OWN worthless stuff, I actually have closet space. Amazing. I thought this house didn't have enough closet space, but it actually has plenty.

[heyduke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg If you have anything vintage it's a gold mine .So wives hang on to your husbands they may sell on ebay for a fortune some day !

what if they don't work?

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyduke what if they don't work?

That's why there's a returns policy...

[Rustic23]

I see both items are still at their $.99 starting bid. Hope things pick up, or that the spoons are not a part of DW's college tuition.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyduke what if they don't work?

Well they probably have some good vintage clothes in their closet . Check for leisure suits ,Nehru jackets , vintage Hawaiian shirts , old concert tees and of course disco outfits . Plus if your guy is a star wars collector you have hit the relationship jack pot .If you find any of these you have a winner . You can secretly remove the items and sell them for something you really want .

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 I see both items are still at their $.99 starting bid. Hope things pick up, or that the spoons are not a part of DW's college tuition.

Nah, our kid had her chance to save them for yet another generation. This money's going straight to the parental attic-cleanout fund so that she doesn't have to do it herself someday.

Note that I've volunteered to pay the shipping, too, so right now I'm paying bidders to take my stuff. I won't make that mistake again.

From what I've read & seen, the vultures will swoop in at the last minute. For their shopping convenience, I timed the auction to end Sunday after 4 PM PDT/7 PM EDT.

Some of this stuff has been sitting on my desk for over five years. Putting up this thread is like telling my friends that I'm going to the gym-- I'm much more likely to follow through on the commitment when it's public. It's what kept me plugging away yesterday instead of my previous months of finding other "more important" things to do.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustic23 I see both items are still at their $.99 starting bid. Hope things pick up, or that the spoons are not a part of DW's college tuition.

Lately on ebay people watch items and then there is a flurry of biding at the last minute . I've had things listed with no watchers and then bingo it sells for a lot more than I listed it for . As they say "It's not over till the Fat lady sings "

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

It is so nice to know that a much more rational man than I also has collected odd diddlies.

My wife has been after me for years to sell my SOL-20 computer.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Lately on ebay people watch items and then there is a flurry of biding at the last minute . I've had things listed with no watchers and then bingo it sells for a lot more than I listed it for . As they say "It's not over till the Fat lady sings "

Sure enough. eBay lets sellers track the number of people who are "watching" the item, so you know when there's going to be a bidding frenzy.

The spoon sat at 99 cents for six days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. Then it whipped through five more bids and sold for $9.38, of which I gave 57 cents to eBay and I was planning to give another $4.80 to the U.S. Postal Service. The buyer suggested a cheaper shipping method which should save a few bucks for us both. His payment was at PayPal within 10 minutes of the auction's end. Good learning experience.

The Jamaican coins went through a similar dry spell and then zipped through a dozen bids the day before. No last-second sniping but they sold at $15.38. Still awaiting the buyer's payment, but probably similar fees and shipping expenses.

I put up the graphics card and two more spoons at the same time, so we'll be going through this again next Sunday afternoon. Turns out one of the spoons dates from around 1898-1901, the construction dates of the Indianapolis Soldiers & Sailors Memorial. The other spoon's only identifying info is an embossed cityscape in the bowl labeled "Bremen", and a key symbol on the handle. No makers mark-- of all the spoons it's the smallest, plainest, and with the least identifying info. Best guess (after two hours of searching both the Internet and our family archives) is that it really did come from Bremen, which would mean that my great-great-grandfather brought it over in 1880 and passed it down through two grandmothers.
300351828882
300351826567

[heyduke]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Sure enough. eBay lets sellers track the number of people who are "watching" the item, so you know when there's going to be a bidding frenzy. The spoon sat at 99 cents for six days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. Then it whipped through five more bids and sold for $9.38, of which I gave 57 cents to eBay and I was planning to give another $4.80 to the U.S. Postal Service. The buyer suggested a cheaper shipping method which should save a few bucks for us both. His payment was at PayPal within 10 minutes of the auction's end. Good learning experience. ...

you should charge the shipper to the buyer ....

[W2R]

Nords, once you have sold or disposed of everything, let us know the total amount you got for everything! Sounds like you are making some good money on many of these items.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heyduke you should charge the shipper to the buyer ....

Some buyers are apparently attracted to "free" shipping.

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Originally Posted by Want2retire Nords, once you have sold or disposed of everything, let us know the total amount you got for everything! Sounds like you are making some good money on many of these items.

After shipping and including the RAM I sold on Craigslist, a bit under $50 so far.

My spouse makes me look like an amateur. Three weeks ago she found a Kenmore Elite drop-in convection oven on Craigslist, but the seller wanted to keep it until a certain date so she'd sort of discouraged the typical buyers. By the time spouse swooped in on the deal it was down to $150. We brought it home yesterday.

Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel 30 in. Slide-In Electric Range
Four years old, nearly perfect condition, uses much less energy than our 20-year-old Frigidaire. Should fit like a glove in our counter.

The sellers ran out of storage space. They're demolishing their 1959 house in "old" Ewa Beach (what you used to know as the "new" part of Ewa Beach!) and rebuilding a two-story four-bedroom 4000 sq ft modern. $250K worth of construction but on their lot it's worth it. We've been invited to the blessing, which they hope will occur during 2010.

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords My spouse makes me look like an amateur. Three weeks ago she found a Kenmore Elite drop-in convection oven on Craigslist, but the seller wanted to keep it until a certain date so she'd sort of discouraged the typical buyers. By the time spouse swooped in on the deal it was down to $150. We brought it home yesterday. Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel 30 in. Slide-In Electric Range

Wow! Does she have a sister?

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Some buyers are apparently attracted to "free" shipping. After shipping and including the RAM I sold on Craigslist, a bit under $50 so far. My spouse makes me look like an amateur. Three weeks ago she found a Kenmore Elite drop-in convection oven on Craigslist, but the seller wanted to keep it until a certain date so she'd sort of discouraged the typical buyers. By the time spouse swooped in on the deal it was down to $150. We brought it home yesterday. Kenmore Elite Stainless Steel 30 in. Slide-In Electric Range Four years old, nearly perfect condition, uses much less energy than our 20-year-old Frigidaire. Should fit like a glove in our counter. The sellers ran out of storage space. They're demolishing their 1959 house in "old" Ewa Beach (what you used to know as the "new" part of Ewa Beach!) and rebuilding a two-story four-bedroom 4000 sq ft modern. $250K worth of construction but on their lot it's worth it. We've been invited to the blessing, which they hope will occur during 2010.

FYI, I have that range. I don't really like the controls on the front, too easy to have a button pushed accidentally. But maybe you don't have to lean over the stove to clean it like I do, as a short person.

I do like the glass cooktop.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords Sure enough. eBay lets sellers track the number of people who are "watching" the item, so you know when there's going to be a bidding frenzy. The spoon sat at 99 cents for six days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds. Then it whipped through five more bids and sold for $9.38, of which I gave 57 cents to eBay and I was planning to give another $4.80 to the U.S. Postal Service.

I have a lot of my sales go like that . I'll have a ton of watchers and at the last minute I'll get a flurry of bids . The other day I had no watchers and at the last minute it was bid up like crazy . I was so surprised .

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha FYI, I have that range. I don't really like the controls on the front, too easy to have a button pushed accidentally. But maybe you don't have to lean over the stove to clean it like I do, as a short person. I do like the glass cooktop.

Yeah, that's a concern, especially with our short-attention-span teen who once left the oven on all night. I'm hoping to find some kind of lock button or program setting to minimize that. Either that or I'll be obsessively checking settings six times a day.

We could no longer get parts for our old stove, so every time a neighbor put one out on the curb (for bulk trash pickup) we'd cannibalize it and store the parts in our attic. I spent an hour today backhauling all those parts and inviting the few neighbors who still have that stove to help themselves.

Spouse put several hours into the glass top (oven cleaner and a razor blade) in exchange for me promising to wire it correctly and to trim away just the right amount of Corian countertop to make it fit. We'll see how that goes...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg I have a lot of my sales go like that . I'll have a ton of watchers and at the last minute I'll get a flurry of bids . The other day I had no watchers and at the last minute it was bid up like crazy . I was so surprised .

Looking at some of those eBayer profiles and purchases is verrrrrrry interesting. I can see how it could suck down all their free time and then some more.

[heyduke]

Curious then about how long might be optimal to put something on ebay since most are watching till the closing... seems a shorter sale period my be the key to higher turnover of product.... not too short of a period to be missed though.