What were your Top (3) picks for 2014?

[NWpickin]

Hey guys just curious what everyone's top (3) picks for 2014 were?

Price paid, eBay value, place bought/found?

 

[Beachkid23]

Nice thread idea!

Hmmm. Top 1 was a coin collection. Paid $3200 at a yard sale. Sold off most the silver and got to keep about 15 silver coins. Sold the extra for a total of $5600 but the 9 gold coins in the collection I got to keep, all ended up being free!!!
Their worth around $4000!

2nd was recent a nikon .... This... Paid $200 from a thrift store. Sold it for $1200.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=291310065869

Third is a jewelry collection when I'm still in the process of selling off. Paid $230 at a yard sale. $350 in scrap 14k, a coin sold for $250. A bracelet just sold for $600. I still have 20 to 30 pieces left over from this collection easily I have not even gotten on line yet!!

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=151493019653

There was a lot more I think but I can't really recall what happened the beginning of last year without looking back on my books!!

 

[Drmad7]

#3 Nutone Food Center-New Old Stock from 1972 paid $14.99, sold for $495, Goodwill
#2 50 Pieces of Sterling Silver for about $35, sold for over $700, Goodwill
#1 $80 for a jar of jewelry at a Goodwill auction. None of the "jewelry experts" saw anything worth that much in it. Sold just 3 pieces for over $1500. Yep…Goodwill

 

[tamrock]

?? ??

 

[dejapooh]

This week I picked up a new printer and a used one at the same garage sale. Paid $30 for both. The used one is listed at $124.99. The new one is listed at $449.99.

The others would have to be the John Nabor collection of Documents commemorating his performance and world records achieved at the 1976 Olympics, including a piece signed by Charles Schultz to John Nabor.

 

[bigcaddy64]

I've been picking a house a few doors down from me and the guy had tons of tools but not everyday stuff. The best so far was 5.00 for a monochromatic light source box, used with optical flats for detecting surface irregularities on machined parts

Sold for 300.00 and I have 2 more.

All said and done, I've spent about 600.00 but won't know the total amount until it's all sold

 

[bigcaddy64]

I forgot to mention, every time I go, i end up filling my trucks bed with things I can sell or use.

December is usually a slow month but not this year

 

[Tallone]

The items below were probably my three best buys of 2014.


Zuni Sterling Silver Bolo Tie. Picked at a garage sale (actually in a warehouse) for $2. Sold for $299.


1950s Casino Chips. I bought a pile of these for $10 at an estate sale. To date, I have sold almost $400 with more to go.


Meade ETX 90 Telescope Set. Not shown are several accessories sold separately. I paid $70 for this set at an estate sale. I sold the group pictured for $256, a tripod for $99, an electronic focus control for about $30, and an Autostar tracker for about $90. So, altogether, I got over $450 for the set.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I'm not sure what my top picks for the year were. I can't think of anything that really stood out. A couple weeks ago I picked up a 10k diamond tennis bracelet for 25 cents with a melt value of around $165. There were a bunch of similar deals over the last 12 months. On the non-jewelry end I had several somewhat memorable finds. Picked a painting for $20 & sold for $299, a stoneware jug for $3 that sold for $99, & a set of Saladmaster cookware for $20 that pieced out in the $200 range.

 

[randazzo1]

Tiffany 18k Ruby Brooch .50 cents




David Yurman necklace and ring for scrap value.










White gold ,diamond and sapphire set purchase in a box lot at an estate auction. Price isn't even quantifiable. Pennies

 

[Rodbuster209]

Mine are as follows: No#1 - 51pcs. Sterling Silverware that I got for $10.00. #2- A 21gram 14k Gold chain for .50cents along with some weighted Sterling Silver candlestick holders-I can't remember, not much though, and #3- a Sterling Silver Platter or Plate along with some Silver U.S. Coins - $20.00

 

[Fushek]

Found two boxed gold watches at a yard sale for total of $2. The 14K Omega sold for $415 and the 10K Lord Elgin sold for $150. Omega box sold for $63. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/garage-sale-finds/433221-s-about-time.html

Craigslist ad netted a HUGE lot of Amiga computer equipment/games. Bought it for $300 and resold bit by bit on eBay for over $2,600. Lots of work, but the geek in me enjoyed every moment of going through it all. Also, had a feel good story as I was able to sell a magazine from the lot to a guy in the UK whose brother had artwork featured in it and he couldn't find it ANYWHERE else. Made his day and made some nice money in the process. The Official "Thrift finds" Thread - Page 536 - Classic Gaming General - AtariAge Forums

Third find (again from Craigslist) is another lot of old computer stuff (this time a Commodore 64) for $100. Haven't sold everything yet, but the computer and drive alone will come close to getting my money back and the games should sell really well. Add in some other misc stuff that he included and I'll make an easy $500 from the lot. One game, M.U.L.E. alone should sell for $100. Commodore 64

 

[dejapooh]

One game, M.U.L.E. alone should sell for $100.

I love the game mule. Great game.

 

[clovis97]

My best picks are going to pale in comparison to the other finds posted here. I do this for a full time living, but don't mess with gold or silver.

Picked up a pair of industrial lights at an estate auction out in the boonies. Paid $50 for the pair, and flipped them a few days later for $350. I suspect that another dealer bought them. The funny part is that the exact lights on ebay weren't selling for $100 each.

I bought an agriculture related tester for a song, (less than $3), and flipped it for $329 or $349...I can't remember.

At the same auction in the boonies, I bought a horse drawn plow for $35, and flipped it for $200. It sat for months at that price, and was going to slash the price to $150 to move it. It sold before I could mark it down.

I've had tons of deals this year that were bought for cheap, but I broke them up to maximize the value. Bought a lot of N scale trains for $22, and listed them separately on ebay with a net of over $500.

I almost forgot: I bought a box of license plates at an estate sale for $25. I sold 3 plates for a grand total of almost $500. Have easily sold another $400 out of that lot.

#feelingblessedandthankful

 

[GibH]

Strictly monetary value would be a '91 Firebird I paid $300 for. It wasn't running, but it was an easy fix with a $20 VATS bypass module. With tow fee I am into it for $375 and could easily get $1500 with a quick sale. I'm giving it to my son though, so no profit will be realized.

 

[meanpc]

Paid $100 for a softball bat and sold it literally within 30 minutes for $375. Bought it from a guy who calls me when he finds interesting stuff. He knew what the bat was worth, and found it at a thrift store for 2 dollars. I offered to let him consign it with me, or I could give him $100 on the spot. Apparently he needed the money. 10 minutes after posting, this guy starts hitting me with best offers. The bat was worth about $500. So the guy I got it from made $98. I made $275. The guy I sold it to probably made $100. I love it when so many people can make money from a transaction. Plenty of meat on that bone and I was cool with a big quick-flip.

Paid $150 for a lot of 6 educational/industrial robot arms. Sold one for $600. Got around $600 total for the rest of them. The expensive one was a Scorbot w/ controller. Bought it from a guy on the street downtown during a festival. His dad owned the antique shop he was in front of. College kid whose engineering dept. gave him the bots because they were getting rid of them.

Bought a Domino's Pizza light up car topper sign for $5, sold it for $100. Got it from a weekly cheap-o country auction. Didn't have the power hookup for the sign that goes from the cigarette lighter to the sign. Tried to sell it for a month without it, couldn't even get $40. One weekend, I'm at a garage sale and I see the exact same sign stuck to the side of a metal water fountain. They guy doesn't want to sell the sign, but he does sell me the power cord. I get home, hook it up, reshoot the lit-up sign on top of my car, then sell it the next day for $100 on a BIN.

One more. Bought a 70's cop light bar from someone off of a Facebook for $20. A little scuffed up but still worked. It had spent 20 years on top of a snowball stand, trying to attract thirsty people. Had it on eBay at $300 OBO for 2 months. Finally a guy from Texas contacts me. He already had built a General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard and was about to build Rosco P. Coltrain's car. He's passing through my neck of the woods on business the next week, so he swings by and gives me $160 cash for it. Not the best score ever, but a damn good one. More importantly, it reminded me how we are performing a service for people that need things. Can't wait to see the car after he's through.

Not sure these are the best, but they are the first ones I thought of.

 

[nathan104]

1988 NATAS skateboard- Bought for $5 on local facebook garage sale group. Sold for $340 dlvd on ebay.

Estate sale junk box for $5, full of lots of stuff. After digging through it I found a broken 14k gold rope necklace, a tiny 10k gold baby ring and heavy silver ring. $275 of metals and a lot of other stuff from the box

Two adobe programs (photoshop and indesign). Paid $10 found on facebook group. sold them on ebay for $210

I actually made the most buying a John Deere mower at an estate sale for $600 and reselling for $1200, but it was a pain in the rear the haul it home, get it cleaned up, fix a few things and then sell it, I wont be buying something like that again. So, I don't consider it one of my top three.

 

[cyberdan]

Still working on my best buy. I posted about it about six weeks ago. I bought 210 pounds of jewelry for $1000. I am still going through every single piece one at a time looking for gold & silver. I am also separating out the junk from the good costume jewelry. I have some listed on ebay right now in one pound lots. In the photos below I have finished the cardboard box and am down about 3" in the tub. I have about 130-140 more pounds to go. I am already seeing a healthy profit.

As of this last weekend I have found:
about 2 ounces karat gold
about 10 ounces silver
about 16 ounces gold filled
5-6 pounds of brass
40-50 pounds junk jewelry
20-25 pounds nice costume jewelry

 

[diggummup]

Not necessarily the highest moneymakers but definitely the most memorable for the past year-

I sold this can for $300 that I got for .50-

Recent find was a pilot's life raft for $20, sold for $500-





Rare set of WW1 aviation wings paid $45 sold for $2250.00

 

[bdsawyer]

Those wings are incredible digg!