Hubby and I went to numerous rummage sales today. It had rained a lot overnight and we were concerned that they would not be open, but as luck would have it, every one was set up and ready. One of the sales we got to was actually an Estate Sale and the lady had a large grouping of collector’s plates such as Norman Rockwell, various movie stars, and Parisian ladies. Aunty also had a substantial collection of Precious Moments figurines. We picked up a few of them, but quite frankly, they were priced way too high. We learned that the gent running it was her nephew and he shared with us a ‘thought’ we’ve often had – he was very surprised at what had NOT sold.
He mentioned the plates that he knew she had paid over $50 each for ‘these years back’ and thought they would have escalated greatly. They had $45-70 price tags. I never feel that it is my place to lecture or make people feel badly, but I gently hinted that the Franklin Mint items, for example, were made in the 100’s of thousands, perhaps millions, and there was just too much volume to increase the value by a great deal. He seemed surprised by that, but agreed that it made some sense.
He then moved to a table of glassware and said he thought that the ‘cut glass’ bowls and crystal trays would surely bring a pretty penny. But this was the second day of the sale and not one had been purchased. Once again, I passed on speaking out but when I checked them over found a lot of chipping and also determined it was mostly pressed glass, which is a mega-difference from cut glass or crystal.
The next piece he showed off was a large green glass bowl which he identified as “depression glass.” It was not. It was newer and of poor quality. The whopper of a price tag was $75. Sorry, I don’t think so.
We bought a book, a little figurine, small bowl, then headed to the van. I looked back and thought to myself that these poor folks would be sitting there until Sunday evening, without a clue, and would probably continue to sell very little. People often possess a unique sense of value on ‘antiques’ and collectibles. If the item was of poor quality to begin with, it probably has not gone up in value, no matter how old it is (of course there are exceptions.)
I have often heard complaints about ‘those darn dealers’ coming early and buying up everything, or the folks who run estate sales taking a ‘huge chunk’ of the family’s profits. But, gee, they are a necessary evil. The line at the door before the sale starts makes or breaks a sale because the late-arrivals looking for pots, pans, clothing and utilitarian items will not make the sale profitable. It is the dealers who do that. And it just makes sense to hire someone who is a ‘pro’ to at least eyeball your treasures and point you in the right direction. We’ve run several estate sales and were amazed at what was going to be discarded. One item was a large wooden shipping box that once held an Evinrude boat motor. The gent asked for help to drag it to the curb but we declined and it netted about $150! Some items he had placed into a box as ‘very high-end’ turned out to be pretty commonplace and we were able to convince him to pass them on to family members as keepsakes or price them in a realistic manner.
If at all possible, before you start your sale, do a little research. Go to a few malls and try to find similar items, then price yours lower than those found. Check out the internet. If your mass-produced figurines are bringing less than $5, why put them out at 7 times that? They will not be purchased. Consider hiring a professional to help out, even if it is to appraise your ‘best items’, and a service may be the answer if you have a large inventory.
Having sold antiques and collectibles in various venues for over 25 years, I know the trends swing like crazy and many items just do not hold their value. Better to pass these on to family as a pleasant memory. A little bit of up-front work can truly help your “no sales” to turn into cash!
