Pricing at Estate Sales

[trdhrdr007]

As few and far between as I find gold and silver, I'll agree. I think every estate sale company down here takes all the gold and silver and sells it online or steals it or something. Rarely do I find anything of that nature at an estate company run sale, other than a piece or two they missed.

In my neck of the woods I've got a good relationship with the people that run most of the estate sale companies. I'm the guy they call when they find jewelry or sterling at an estate. They know I'll pay a fair price and they don't have to worry about theft. Unfortunately that doesn't work out for me or them most of the time. The first thing a lot of heirs do is grab Mom's jewelry box & flatware & run to the "we buy gold" place or a pawn shop. What's left is the odds & ends that are hidden in a drawer or cigar box. In about 75% of the estate sales here there's less than $200 worth of gold and another 20% that might have $2-500 worth. It wouldn't even be worth doing if it wasn't for the last 5% of estates.

 

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[billjustbill]

You beat me to the punch line. Exactly right.

I avoid company run sales like the plague. Except maybe the garage. Many that I have been to the surviving spouse is shuffled off to the garage to sell on their own. Several good buys there.

I like family run sales. They all have one thing in common, sell grandma's stuff so they don't have to haul it to the trash. A best buy that I remember was an 1880's clock that was marked $20. I started looking at it and immediately a lady came up to me and said how about $10 I countered with $5 and got it. I tore it apart (except the movement), had the dial repainted, put it back together and it is now better than new. (the original factory builder was a little sloppy on the placement of the dial)

It is a Seth Thomas "City" series Chicago mantel clock, Value $250-350 and not for sale.
Don't know who the lady is but it would be worth more if she wasn't so homely.

Dan,

Beautiful clock!

I like your thinking. I ran into a fellow that went to all kinds of sales. One morning, as both of us arrived very early to get at the beginning of the line, we talked. He said his mission in the world of garage and estate sales was to go in and "find" that "one thing" the professionals didn't know what they had.... I told him I listened a lot as the sale owners talk to each other. I've found the things that had too many raw memories of another life that they wanted to get passed and just wanted "something for it" in order to get it out of their life.

Things of gold and silver are beginning to show up more and more, even at the local monthly flea market. I came home with a 750 rose gold necklace at 2.6gr that had a 585 yellow gold cross on it at 1.4gr., both for $40. Then a non working Omega 14kt white gold ladies watch for $30 and a Hamilton 10kt white gold and a Bulova 14kt rose gold watch for $27.50 each... The necklace was from a new vendor and the watches came from two regular vendors.

Maybe it's the economy that is putting people in a pinch and maybe that's why old/gold things one doesn't normally see are being sold...

Bill