This afternoon, I got more serious about "sorting out stuff" in my home office (the big closet, really) — which has also become a sort of catch-all landing place for random items — and continued listing worthy items for sale on eBay.
The process is rather laborious, perhaps because I am particular about trying to sell anything that might be worth $8-$10 or more... rather than either getting 25 cents at a garage sale or merely giving them away.
I suppose that's just what you do when money is scarce...
Anyway, it is both amazing and slightly alarming just how much stuff we can accumulate in the course of living in the same house for 15 years... and dealing with the death and additional stuff of two sets of parents during that time period.
Sure, we are definitely collectors, in a manner of speaking, but we're not actual hoarders. That said, I am definitely accountable for having the mindset that if something has at least minimal financial value, I'm going to keep it and sell it, rather than just get rid of it, on the spot.
Of course, the downside to that philosophy is that it takes lots of time to process everything, and time is sometimes a luxury I don't have.
Of course, you also never know what you might discover!
Consider, for example, the item below... found in one of the boxes from my parents' house.
It is actually an early 1900s English "crumb sweeper" or "crumber," of the sort the butler in very swank manor houses would use to remove loose crumbs from the table without having to remove the tablecloth and settings.
Unusual — in and of itself — but even more unusual inasmuch as it is actually made of Sterling silver, rather than the more typical silver plate... even Meaning that even if it is no great rarity, it does have over $175 worth of silver in it.
The slightly sad thing about it is that it (most likely) will be purchased by someone who'll melt it down for the silver content.
Times change... everyday objects become irrelevant.
That said, I am definitely grateful that my approach of going through and carefully researching everything is not a waste of time.
Of course, other things claim to be collectible, but nobody cares. Like an Eisenhower era promotional copper coin bank... on paper it looks like it has value, but although there are over 20 of them for sale on eBay at $20-$80... not a single one has actually SOLD during the past 90 days.
I only ever base my research on "actually sold" values. That's the true value.
Which brings me to the point of how so many people in this world live by a system of "wishful thinking," with respect to what any- and everything they own is "worth."
Truth is, nothing is "worth" any more than someone is willing to pay for it. And that "worth" may turn out to be a pennies-on-the-dollar liquidation value because nobody is in the market for your allegedly "priceless treasures." Which could be anything from antique crumb catchers to "rare" NFTs.
I suppose it's not really surprising, given how many people are struggling financially... but I'm not going to let myself get caught up in the cloud of hopium.
I "made a deal with myself" to list — and SELL — at least 200 items from that closet, by the end of the year. Hopefully, it'll not only empty out the closet, but also bring in enough cash to pay a couple of tax bills.
And now, I'm going to get back it... because I still have a million miles to go.
Thanks for stopping by my blog for a visit, and have a great week ahead!
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Created at 2025.02.23 17:26 PST
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