Checking furniture for items at auctions and resale shops.

[Illinois-Treasure-Hunter]

I was at a auction in St. Louis Mo, there was so much stuff it took several auctioneers hours to complete. We were getting to our max capacity for our truck and we were just making our last rounds when we saw a huge lot of mixed furniture come up for sale. I guess since it was nearing the end nobody had room for the stuff so I ended of getting it all for $2.50. All I wanted was the hardware from the dressers such, when I took out the drawers to the closed bottom dresser I noticed something in the back behind where the drawer went in. It was a rare WWII military issued 1911 handgun. Needless to say my $2.50 investment turned out good. The handgun appraised for $1500 . Never no just what you will find hiding in that old furniture.

 

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[willie d]

I delivered furniture for nearly 16 years. I would always check any furniture we removed or puchased at auction. Plenty of goodies.

Congrats on the 1911.

 

[AC1955]

Whoa! Great find! Are you selling the gun? Keeping it? I love to go to auctions. Unfortunately, the ones I go to the auction house checks EVERY nook and cranny. They even "clean" up the items - they will dust and lightly polish furniture, wash glassware, etc. Lots of work for them, but it brings in more $$$ for the items up for sale.

Again, neat find.

Anita

 

[Catobra]

Great find! Applies to items at Goodwill etc. too as well as a head's up to anyone out there who is cleaning out their own or a loved one's house-check everything, you never know what will turn up where!

 

[inspectorgadget]

Reminds me of when my uncle passed several years back. My mother & my two aunts (his 3 sisters) had a big yard sale at his house. They sold a lady an old sewing machine (my uncle had several), the lady gets it out to the car then after a few minutes she comes back with 8 film canisters full of quarters (about $50 worth), it was about the same if not more than what she bought the sewing machine for. She says they were in a hidden drawer/compartment in the sewing machine & gave them back to my mom, they weren't silver or at least not most of em & if I remember correct they were mostly if not all 1976 bicentennial's.

So anyway 2 things I learned that day, #1 yes things can be tucked away in furniture going unnoticed even when moved around & checked pretty well! & #2 Some people are very good honest people, the lady didn't have to return them, by all means they were hers after she paid for the machine & took it away but like I said some people are just GOOD people & it's people like that that make the world a better place!

 

[Illinois-Treasure-Hunter]

Whoa! Great find! Are you selling the gun? Keeping it? I love to go to auctions. Unfortunately, the ones I go to the auction house checks EVERY nook and cranny. They even "clean" up the items - they will dust and lightly polish furniture, wash glassware, etc. Lots of work for them, but it brings in more $$$ for the items up for sale.

Again, neat find.

Anita

Me and my wife had brought the 1911 with us to take to a dealer for inspection, but had stopped at a estate sale on the way and as we were looking around on the first level, we overheard a guy asking if there were any firearms included in the estate and the ladies replied "nope none that we found" so the guy just said ok and continued to the kitchen, I had asked if he had his FFL and long story short he had just gotten it the other day and was trying to get some stock since he could acquire and sell now. We went back to his shop and he looked over the gun said it was a beauty and asked how much. After much debating we settled on $1000 due to it not having a clip or issued military holster.