Lost a $2000 Watch at a Yard Sale

[1treasurehunter1]

Here is a quick story of my biggest loss ever garage sale-ing:


It happened at a church sale; a single mothers sale with one old man (70s) in the mix selling his stuff anyway.

I found a sterling spoon for $2, he also had watches and one was a Chronograph Zenith El Primero. I didn't know how much they were worth, I knew chronos sometimes sold for big bucks though. He was asking $15 for the watch but I couldn't figure out how to make it work so I passed.

I went home to look up the watch and found out it was selling for between $2000 and $3000 on eBay at auction. I quickly drove back but by the time I got there a man was standing over the watches, he had been negotiating with the old man for apparently 40 minutes (the old man told me) to get the watch for $10..(scum bag, just pay the $15).

He walked off after and I told him "you got the Zenith huh?". He went on to say that it's not what I think it is. A few months later he listed it on eBay and got a little over $2000 for it. I knew it was the same watch as it was listed in the same city and it was the exact same vintage one with the small scratch on the crystal face.

Damn I was so mad!!

The second worst thing that I lost were two Moorcroft vases. Who knows what they were worth, maybe a couple of hundred each, could have been very rare ones worth a couple thousand but I'm no expert. If I was at the sale literally 5 minutes earlier they would have been mine.

I do have some great finds though and will share them in the future. What's the worst thing you lost at a garage sale, estate sale, thrift store??

Here is a video if you want to see more stories of some great finds and subscribe to my youtube channel:

 

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[Iron Patch]

So you see the exact one selling for that amount?


I like watches, am very familiar with many many brand names, but it's not a game I want to be involved in. That said, I definitely would have bought that Zenith for $15.


Taking a quick look, vintage quartz Zeniths don't seem to get a lot of money, certainly nothing like what their more modern nicer automatic chronographs are worth.

 

[Joe777Cool]

Sometimes its worth the gamble. Your gut said it might be worth something and you passed it up over $15!

 

[Iron Patch]

Sometimes its worth the gamble. Your gut said it might be worth something and you passed it up over $15!

It drives me crazy when I see posts like that on here, because for so little money if you think it's interesting, so would someone else.... so you can't lose! Well maybe if it's a broken fake you are out $15, but if you take 10 gambles you can bet you'll be up so much you're not going to care about a couple going bad. Too many people on here get so caught up with the big profit margins they're scared to buy and maybe only make a little, and that mentality makes them terrified to lose. It's good the OP is kicking himself because it's a lesson that will probably serve him well for years to come.

 

[cheese]

Tuition. Every education comes at a price.

 

[tamrock]

The El Primo Chronograph movement is used in the Rolex Daytona Chronograph. That's why they fetch such a high price. Get this book soon and look it over very well. Complete Price Guide to Watches 2013: Tom Engle, Richard E. Gilbert, Cooksey Shugart: 9780982948729: Amazon.com: Books. I buy vintage watches as if I'm buying an investment. They out preform the market it seems, just know how much to spend. Also visit estate jewelry stores so you can inspect the real deals and not get burned by fakes. That ladies Movado doesn't look like a genuine Movado to me. I will say almost 8 out of 10 Movado's I see are fake. Excellent find on the Omega, but watch for fakes on the newer looking Omega's also.

 

[clovis97]

There have been so many mistakes that I've made over the years that I could probably write a book about it.

One that comes to mind: An ultra rare Indy 500 ashtray that was given out by the Speedway to corporate ticket buyers, in 1948, I think. I could have bought it for $1.

I found out a few months later that only a few are known to exist, and one sold for over $500.

I will spend the rest of my life knowing about those ashtrays, but I doubt that I ever see one again.

 

[1treasurehunter1]

It drives me crazy when I see posts like that on here, because for so little money if you think it's interesting, so would someone else.... so you can't lose! Well maybe if it's a broken fake you are out $15, but if you take 10 gambles you can bet you'll be up so much you're not going to care about a couple going bad. Too many people on here get so caught up with the big profit margins they're scared to buy and maybe only make a little, and that mentality makes them terrified to lose. It's good the OP is kicking himself because it's a lesson that will probably serve him well for years to come.

Unfortunately $15 was a lot for me at the time. I had $7000 debt to pay. The money I had at the end of the moth after all my expenses (mortgage, etc) were paid was around $100.

 

[1treasurehunter1]

Sometimes its worth the gamble. Your gut said it might be worth something and you passed it up over $15!

I was low on money at the time so I had to be stingy but it's a good lesson learned!

 

[gunsil]

Coulda woulda shoulda!!

 

[mugsisme]

You don't know for sure it was what it says it. I found an Omega watch, 18K. I had visions of $2-3K dancing in my head. My friend and I tested it, and it was coming out 18K. I took it to the jeweler. He looked it over, took it apart, and found a hallmark inside that was NOT Omega.

So maybe ... just maybe ... you didn't lose out. Besides, most of the name brand watches I got from my GoodWill jars are all fakes. Every one of them. Gucci, Gruen, even the stupid Anne Klein ones were fakes.

 

[tamaco]

Bummer. Sometimes any hesitation and the item is lost.

One yard sale I went to, there were a bunch of old original paintings (well, that's how it looked to my untrained eye) with fancy old looking frames for $5 - $10. Apparently, i was about 30 seconds too late because as I was looking at them this lady told me she had just bought them :O They might have been worth $0 or they might have been worth millions. I'll never know ...

 

[TreasureHunters]

Hey live and learn, I like your vids though thanks please keep posting them.... helped me learn a bit..

 

[1treasurehunter1]

Hey live and learn, I like your vids though thanks please keep posting them.... helped me learn a bit..

Thanks! I'll be posting more videos soon.