My kids don't want it!!! There reaches a point where you have to think

[Paper Roses]

about all this "stuff" you have hanging around. I have a set of China. Mixed marks. Nippon, Noritake pattern Mandarin. Easy to date, late 1800's early 1900's. About 150 pieces. I haven't used it for years and asked both of my kids if they wanted it. Nope. I called replacements Ltd and had a nice chat with them. Not interested.

This service, with their prices is worth over $4000. I know that is off base and I have stuff even they do not have. So, the question is, what the heck do I do with this?

[Vinca]

1. ebay it, take it to a live auction, take it to a consignment shop,

peddle it around to antique shops? We're trying to get rid of stuff, too, because we're thinking of selling our house. One thing I've discovered is that ebay has cheapened just about everything and if you really want to purge you might have to steel yourself for a loss. I might try selling a serving piece or 2 on ebay to see if there is any interest. You never know . . . it might be one of the few rare items people are willing to spend some money on.

[Paper Roses]

2. I actually put together a bunch of silver and victorian silver plate to try

e-bay and have been checking there for prices. The stuff I have to sell will not get anything worth the effort.
Boy, how things have changed. I put the stuff in the attic. Maybe another time. I think I'll just leave the china in the corner cupboard and let the kids worry about it.

If I sell my house, and the thought is in the back of my mind, I'll have a real problem.

[Vinca]

3. LOL - your kids will be cursing at mom after you're gone.

Do you have any group antique shops around where you could rent a booth? If the silverplate is good quality, it might be worth schlepping it to an upscale shop with decent security where higher priced stuff actually sells. Sometimes I find I do better selling at the shop than on ebay.

[Paper Roses]

4. Hi. There are so few shops left near me now. I'd have to rent space

or consign the stuff.

I don't want do go back into the business, that stage of my antiquing is over. This is stuff I have accumulated over the years and would like to sell it off and recoup some of my money.

This summer, I'll find someplace that will be in an area that gets good tourist traffic and see if I can find a dealer who will take these goodies on a reasonable commission.

It is not that I have a ton of stuff, it is just that it is no longer of use to me. What do I need with 3 opalescent glass sugar shakers? About 40 pieces of Victorian SP serving spoons of different types. Who else do you know that has a mashed potato spoon? And of course, there is always that china.

Like every dealers house, a little of this and a little of that.

Yes, the kids want the furniture---most of it anyway. It's the "smalls" that are the issue. Thats what I get for giving them old goodies and collectibles for presents as they grew up and since.

[grasswire]

5. how about donating it to a charity for the tax writeoff?

If that would help you financially, it might be the best thing. One of those charity auctions, ya know. You can print out the value of the items off replacements.com for documentation. The charity will give you a receipt.

Otherwise, you might just have to sell it at a poor price, sadly.

[eleny]

6. You gave good advice, I did that the other day

Over 25 years ago I bought a Rose Parade Hall teapot for 2 bucks at a church tag sale. Blue is not my house color and I've got too much stuff. Then I found a thrift shop where all the profits go to a shelter for the battered. That made it very easy to take it up there along with other smalls.

That teapot may be worth as much as $60 but you have to find somebody to purchase it. So I figured that since it's not a family item let the charity sell it for what they can get and help those in deep need. It was easier than I imagined to just give it up.

As for the four full sets of dinnerware from mom and my grandmothers, from Noritake to old Kresge (K-Mart) dishes, I got some china storage boxes, packed them and put them all up in the attic. It doesn't really take up that much space and my mind is at peace. But things that aren't from family? Pfft. If I don't use it or love it, it's going to my now favorite thrifts.

........
PS & OT -- The book, Wolf Willow, came in for me at the library. I started it last night and loved the first chapter. His ability to describe places is extraordinary. Thx. :hi:

[grasswire]

7. oh god, wolf willow

I told a family member they could only consider reading that on a hot summer week sitting out in the full sun.

The book had a profound effect on me. Either Stegner is able to make the reader feel one with the narrative, or there is something to that theory about memories affecting the genes of future generations (I guess that would be called "adaptation"). I felt as if those weeks spent enduring the winter of 1906 had been mine. I'll look forward to hearing more of what you think about it.

[eleny]

8. no kidding about the cold

i've been reading the book at night when i go to bed and i have a heating pad on my chest. no lie!