Community Chat

[RetRN]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

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@AuntG wrote:

Troubling in that she was spending money on things she did not need or use. There had to be an underlying issue with that lady.

There is.  It's called being lonely.

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As usual, you have all the answers. What makes you an expert on so many topics? As if you have all of the facts. The buyer may have had many friends and socialized a great deal. 

[Sooner]

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@pouncypeters wrote:

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@novamc1 wrote:

@RespectLife

Was interested in your comment about not seeing a large market or good prices for carefully collected and curated Civil War relics and memorabilia.

Those items would probably sell pretty well in the part of the country where I'm now living.  Perhaps they were just being marketed a little too far North to get much interest.

Guns, controversial  flags, reminders of the old days in this country, are probably very saleable down here. 

Having come from Virginia (where old history still ranks high in interest) and then moving even further south,  I can understand that  there probably is a natural difference in what interests history buffs in northern areas vs. southern.

History is history, and no matter what political beliefs a person might have, it's important to remember history.......and I know plenty of people who value education in past history.

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They show up on Antiques Roadshow often. Some valued high some valued low.

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What I get from AR, just watched one by the way, is that collectibles and many antiques and art object are rapidly losing value and becoming hard to unload.  You can see the price changes on ebay in particular.  You're lucky to get anything for china, crystal, etc.  

I think some older people still buy this stuff sort of as a hobby, or because they always wanted one, but people younger than 50 just aren't at all interested by the way.

If you have this stuff, if you don't love it, unload it now! 

[novamc1]

When I commented on the post about disposing of historical artifacts, I wasn't referring to china and silver.

My comment was based on my family's experience with  having to dispose of my dad's antique gun collection.  My  BIL who knows something about guns, took charge of that project.

 None of us, of course, were licensed to even try to sell firearms.

 By contacting the right organization (whose name I won't mention because someone will almost surely "take a shot" at me just for saying it), two of those guns are now sitting in a museum  and the rest were professionally appraised and sent  by the organization to appropriate auctions where they brought a considerable amount of money for the heirs to split up.

These weren't the types of guns that people use these days to kill people.  They were examples of old craftsmanship and historical provenance.

You sure can't do that with china and silver.

[PilatesLover]

A family in my town rented a STORE for two years and sold the deceased woman's stockpile of QVC merchandise. Most of it had never been opened.

[novamc1]

From today's local newspaper...........apparently a great deal of interest  still exists in historical items at a local antique show......

https://www.mdjonline.com/news/historical-relics-wow-crowd-at-civic-center/article_faa0a94a-9e79-11e...

[LUVNLIFE]

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@FastDogWalker2 wrote:

Was visiting family in Western NY and in the morning newspaper there was an article about an estate sale being conducted in a nearby town.  The man running the sale had cleaned out the home of an elderly woman and among the contents of the home was $700,000 worth of brand new, never used, still packaged QVC goods!  Sounded like a lot  of D and B purses among other things.  Wow!

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@FastDogWalker2
This sounds like a sale I would love to go to. Wish I lived there.

[novamc1]

@sidsmom

I'm no gun fan myself and am terrified by them, even as I grew up in a house full of them which were kept out of sight and never used

............but the United States would never have been settled from East to West  by humans if they couldn't hunt for food, trade furs for a livelihood and sell them to Europeans, kill predatory wildlife,  thwart thieves who would steal just about anything from a small family raising their own livestock and crops for sustenance, and so on.

That's history, like it or not.  Maybe we should wish the U.S. were still a British colony governed by a King?

[busymom22]

The truth is QVC is much more than a shopping channel.  For many it's their only "human interaction" and the shows are like having friends in their home. Items are presented in a way that makes the viewer have hope for the future if they just buy that item. They do a very good job with this. For example, once I was watching with my mother-in-law as they presented some blouse.  The hosts kept saying "this is such a perfect piece for when you go out to brunch with your friends after church".  MIL at the time had been an invalid and unable to go to church for several years yet held on to hope that she'd get better.  She bought that blouse but never got out to use it.

Same with an exerciser machine.  MIL was in a wheelchair but thought if she bought this eliptical machine she'd "get better", never mind there was no way she could ever stand on the thing. She bought a full Nutrisystem TSV with hopes of losing weight so she'd "get better" but never ate any of the food. She had a modest income yet spent about $1000 a month on home shopping.  At least that never bankrupted her.

Both my mother and mother-in-law were shoppers like this as they spent a good number of years being homebound.  QVC allowed them to feel like they were a part of the world and could still be active with what was new and trendy.  Both passed away and we found tons of QVC stuff to clean out. It was hard to see the literally thousands of pieces of costume jewelry my MIL had bought from QVC as in our minds we calculated the money that must have cost.  But then we realized her shopping gave her joy.  And for that we were grateful.

[RespectLife]

Thanks @novamc1

My BIL travelled extensively while collecting.  He kept detailed records of every dealer, vendor, antique store etc from up North down to FL.  He cataloged every item down to the last button listing purchase price and dealer/seller.

My sis contacted just about everyone that was still reachable.  The majority were from WV & VA and then every state on down south.

Some were interested in buying at pennies on the dollar.....most flat out refused...some aided her in donating.

It was heartbreaking for her to go through.  Not only sad because it was his passion, but she was disheartened for him because he thought he had invested in Historical Preservation that would give his family a bit of a nest egg.  It did not.  No item was sold for more or equal to what he paid...most half or less.

The greatest joy was in donating as some were so appreciative to add his items to their little museums!

I have a Civil War Pistol of his proudly displayed in my home.

On to my Carnival Glass...purchased from shows, antique barns/vendors, ebay.

Sold my extras at garage sale prices about 1/2 what I paid 10 yrs. ago.

Actually decided to USE some of the dishes I would only get pittance for.  Why 'give' away that Candy Dish!  Put candy in it!  LOL  Put flowers in those vases!