billjustbill
Bronze Member
Went to an estate sale 3 miles from the house on Saturday morning and went back Saturday afternoon.
Saw some of those anti-tarnish silverware cloth bags rolled up in front of the silver plate punch bowl. I unrolled the cloth bags and saw "Sterling" stamped on a set of 8 butter knives. Asked how much for all of it. The three ladies conferred and answered, "$40 for all of it." With the feeling of a need for a pair of cardiac paddles, I put the two boxes in the truck and came back for more.... Looking back at me, there were two 5-gallon buckets filled with pieces of scrap yellow brass. They wanted $20.00 a bucket. Thank goodness they had a two-wheel dolly so I could get each bucket to the truck. I had to unload one bucket before I could lift it up and into the truck! Finding 1" thick by 4" wide solid Brass bar stock is a rarity. My $5 grocery store scales show the bar stock weighing 26 pounds, I'm keeping them! The rest of the buckets will be sold. Scrap yellow brass is bringing $2 a pound. The amount I've separated and has no steel bolts or control rods totals 146 pounds with about 30+ lbs. of brass parts of valves and faucets yet to be disassembled.
The silver plate punch bowl set and the coffee & tea serving set are made by Oneida with and assorted set of plated serving spoons, ladles, and pie/cake serving pieces. After making other sales and stopping at a local greasy spoon for late breakfast, we came back later that afternoon to look some more. One of the tired and overheated owners said, "We found this platter that went with the set." I said even though it went with the set, I'd give them $10 for it, just because....
When I got home Saturday afternoon, I began with the rolls of silverware. The words caught my eye: "Gorham", "Sterling", with the pattern "Camellia" name stamped on back of each piece. With a 4-piece place setting of a Sterling handle knife, dinner fork, salad fork, and short tea spoon, there is a complete set for 12 people. Plus, 8 sterling butter knives, a sugar spoon and two large serving spoons of the same pattern and some smaller salt spoons and an odd fork appear to be sterling. The set was made in 1941-42.
As I put back the sterling pieces in their storage cloth pockets, I weighed each piece and then conservatively estimated that the knife handle would weigh 13 grams if removed and emptied. The sterling would refine out to 59 ounces of pure silver.
The refined sterling silver is worth: $980.00 While keeping the thick bars of brass, the rest of the Saturday morning's buckets of yellow brass will bring : $350.00
Bought some other things in a cardboard box on Friday, and with the box came 2 cans of hot beer and half a bottle of car wax.... So, I opened the old beer cans and poured them into holes hand dug next to the June's Flea Market's 12 tomato plants I bought for only $2. The half bottle of 'free' automotive wax was applied to my filled and working $20 rotary garage sale composter I bought several months ago.... It did make it a bit prettier....
Not to mention this weekend's gas powered post hole digger, or the "Kennedy" brand of multi-drawer Machinist toolbox & micrometers, or the $5 cost of a 14kt white gold Bulova ladies' watch, assorted gold and silver jewelry I've yet to weigh and take pics of, I never thought there was such a wide world of discovery hidden behind the words: "GARAGE SALE"......
Saw some of those anti-tarnish silverware cloth bags rolled up in front of the silver plate punch bowl. I unrolled the cloth bags and saw "Sterling" stamped on a set of 8 butter knives. Asked how much for all of it. The three ladies conferred and answered, "$40 for all of it." With the feeling of a need for a pair of cardiac paddles, I put the two boxes in the truck and came back for more.... Looking back at me, there were two 5-gallon buckets filled with pieces of scrap yellow brass. They wanted $20.00 a bucket. Thank goodness they had a two-wheel dolly so I could get each bucket to the truck. I had to unload one bucket before I could lift it up and into the truck! Finding 1" thick by 4" wide solid Brass bar stock is a rarity. My $5 grocery store scales show the bar stock weighing 26 pounds, I'm keeping them! The rest of the buckets will be sold. Scrap yellow brass is bringing $2 a pound. The amount I've separated and has no steel bolts or control rods totals 146 pounds with about 30+ lbs. of brass parts of valves and faucets yet to be disassembled.
The silver plate punch bowl set and the coffee & tea serving set are made by Oneida with and assorted set of plated serving spoons, ladles, and pie/cake serving pieces. After making other sales and stopping at a local greasy spoon for late breakfast, we came back later that afternoon to look some more. One of the tired and overheated owners said, "We found this platter that went with the set." I said even though it went with the set, I'd give them $10 for it, just because....
When I got home Saturday afternoon, I began with the rolls of silverware. The words caught my eye: "Gorham", "Sterling", with the pattern "Camellia" name stamped on back of each piece. With a 4-piece place setting of a Sterling handle knife, dinner fork, salad fork, and short tea spoon, there is a complete set for 12 people. Plus, 8 sterling butter knives, a sugar spoon and two large serving spoons of the same pattern and some smaller salt spoons and an odd fork appear to be sterling. The set was made in 1941-42.
As I put back the sterling pieces in their storage cloth pockets, I weighed each piece and then conservatively estimated that the knife handle would weigh 13 grams if removed and emptied. The sterling would refine out to 59 ounces of pure silver.
The refined sterling silver is worth: $980.00 While keeping the thick bars of brass, the rest of the Saturday morning's buckets of yellow brass will bring : $350.00
Bought some other things in a cardboard box on Friday, and with the box came 2 cans of hot beer and half a bottle of car wax.... So, I opened the old beer cans and poured them into holes hand dug next to the June's Flea Market's 12 tomato plants I bought for only $2. The half bottle of 'free' automotive wax was applied to my filled and working $20 rotary garage sale composter I bought several months ago.... It did make it a bit prettier....
Not to mention this weekend's gas powered post hole digger, or the "Kennedy" brand of multi-drawer Machinist toolbox & micrometers, or the $5 cost of a 14kt white gold Bulova ladies' watch, assorted gold and silver jewelry I've yet to weigh and take pics of, I never thought there was such a wide world of discovery hidden behind the words: "GARAGE SALE"......
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