It's the last day of March and that means changing of the calendars at my house. My wall calendars are all vintage, dating from 1929 into the early 1960s. I own several that match 2010; they include 1954, 1943, and 1999. My 1961 calendar began as a 2010 match, but leap year in February of that year ended the match.
My favorite calendar is a 1959 wall calendar from Saint Paul, MN advertising Sanitary Farm Dairy, the local milk company back then. The calendar is our family calendar for that year and lists all the family appointments and birthdays for that year.
People collect calendars for a variety of reasons. Some collect by advertising or the sponsor of the calendar. Others collect by subject matter. I collect calendars by year if the vintage look of the calendar appeals to me. Vintage calendars are generally worth $5 and up, more depending on condition and if they do not have writing on them. Those dated before 1980 may be sought after by collectors.
So, don't throw out those old calendars you come across. Chances are someone may be willing to buy them at your next garage sale!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Your Own Treasure Hunt
As garage sale season is about to begin in Minnesota, one thing I like to do is to prepare for my very own Treasure Hunt. You might like to try it also. Start by making a list of the items you want to find and purchase this year. If you want, you can also list the price you want to pay. You then carry this list with you all year to garage sales, flea markets, and estate sales as a reminder.
I put this into practice a few years ago when my uncle was reading western paperbacks by a specific author. He gave me a list of the titles to look for, and I enjoyed the search. I was able to locate many of the books on his list.
One variation of this is to use garage sales to do your Christmas shopping. By creating a Christmas shopping list and carrying it with you all year, you can find some nice vintage gifts for friends and family who are collectors. This eliminates the frantic early December search for gifts, can make your gifts more personal and special, and can save you money.
So what do you want to find this year? Chances are you can find it at a garage sale.
I put this into practice a few years ago when my uncle was reading western paperbacks by a specific author. He gave me a list of the titles to look for, and I enjoyed the search. I was able to locate many of the books on his list.
One variation of this is to use garage sales to do your Christmas shopping. By creating a Christmas shopping list and carrying it with you all year, you can find some nice vintage gifts for friends and family who are collectors. This eliminates the frantic early December search for gifts, can make your gifts more personal and special, and can save you money.
So what do you want to find this year? Chances are you can find it at a garage sale.
Monday, March 29, 2010
My First Find of 2010
I was walking my dog, Daniel, down the alley last week, when I noticed a trash bin overflowing with stuff. On the top of the pile were old scrapbooks, so I could not resist taking a look. Most of it was empty binders and scrapbooks, but near the top of the bin I found a vintage black scrapbook full of photos and postcards dating back to 1907. Photos include old cars, horse & buggy, cute kids of the 1920s, homes and gardens. About 50 photos in all. If I were to sell it, it might bring $25 or more. Again, someone's trash is my treasure!
10 Reasons Why Garage Sales Are Hotter Than Ever!
Garage sale fever continues to sweep across the United States. It’s a contagious virus because the word is out how profitable they can be for both buyers and sellers. Here’s ten reasons why record numbers of Americans are participating in the Great American Treasure Hunt.
Supplement the family budget.
People are fighting high gasoline prices and rising prices at the grocery store by selling unwanted and unused household items through a garage sale. Books, CDs, furniture, electronics, clothing and collectibles can be turned into cash in a matter of hours. What could be better than having strangers hand you money for stuff you no longer need?
It’s the smart way to de-clutter!
Too much stuff in your house or apartment? It’s a common problem for many. The smart solution is to pack up the clutter, stick a price tag on it, and turn it into cash. If you haven’t used an item in years, chances are you won’t even miss it. Your clutter goes to a new home and you can buy new clutter with the money you make!
Pay below retail for stuff you need.
Avoid paying discount store prices for common household items. Perfectly good gently-used items abound at garage sales. Why pay full retail for a plant stand, toaster or a small bookcase when you can buy them at a fraction of retail? Skip the sales tax too! Draw up a list of items you need for your home and you’ll be surprised at how many are readily available at garage sales.
Search for hidden treasures!
Only at garage sales can you find valuable collectibles at next to nothing prices. Many sellers don’t know the value of the old stuff they found in the attic or a closet. Many an item on Antiques Roadshow originated at a garage sale. If you enjoy hunting for treasure and know the real value of collectibles, garage sales can offer incredible discoveries!
Little work, high pay.
Many people who hold garage sales find they can earn fifteen to twenty dollars an hour for their efforts after the sale is over. A few books sold equal a few dollars in your wallet. A few CDs add to your income. Sell a couple twenty dollar items and it boosts your bottom line. And all you do is box your unwanted staff and haul it out to a few tables in the garage or on your lawn. The bottom line is that garage sales are so popular because they generate easy money.
Sell your finds on eBay!
Many people use garage sales as a source for what they sell online. They buy stuff for next to nothing at local sales and offer it online to people around the world. This type of never-ending garage sale lets you sell year-long regardless of the weather to a global audience. Instead of people coming to your garage sale, you bring your best stuff to them via the Internet. Bidding wars can even sweeten your profit. It’s the smart way to do business.
It’s the inexpensive way to build a collection.
Whether you collect salt and pepper shakers, tube radios, rare books, fishing lures, or military items, garage sales are the best way to avoid those high antique store prices. (And where do you think antique dealers buy their merchandise anyway)? Build your collection over time and enjoy the hunt for the treasure you seek!
Shop for gifts at garage sales.
As you shop at garage sales, keep in mind upcoming birthdays and Christmas. If a friend or family member is a collector pr desires a specific item, you can find the perfect gift for them at a bargain price. Why wait just before a birthday and search all over for a nice gift when you can leisurely look all year long and pay less than retail?
You can bargain and make offers at garage sales.
Unlike retail stores, prices are flexible at garage sales. You don’t always have to pay the sticker price. At garage sales, making an offer is just like using a coupon at a retail store. Sellers will often take off ten to fifty percent of a price, depending how much they want to sell it. All you have to do is just ask. If an item is priced at two dollars, offer one dollar. Chances are the seller will accept, and you will have just saved fifty percent of the tagged price!
You can be your own boss for the day.
When you hold a garage sale, you make the decisions. It’s like opening your own retail store for just a day. You set the prices and your hours. Your creativity (and luck) gets put to the test. You do the work and reap all the rewards. It’s an enjoyable way to spend the day that can be quite a profitable experience.
Supplement the family budget.
People are fighting high gasoline prices and rising prices at the grocery store by selling unwanted and unused household items through a garage sale. Books, CDs, furniture, electronics, clothing and collectibles can be turned into cash in a matter of hours. What could be better than having strangers hand you money for stuff you no longer need?
It’s the smart way to de-clutter!
Too much stuff in your house or apartment? It’s a common problem for many. The smart solution is to pack up the clutter, stick a price tag on it, and turn it into cash. If you haven’t used an item in years, chances are you won’t even miss it. Your clutter goes to a new home and you can buy new clutter with the money you make!
Pay below retail for stuff you need.
Avoid paying discount store prices for common household items. Perfectly good gently-used items abound at garage sales. Why pay full retail for a plant stand, toaster or a small bookcase when you can buy them at a fraction of retail? Skip the sales tax too! Draw up a list of items you need for your home and you’ll be surprised at how many are readily available at garage sales.
Search for hidden treasures!
Only at garage sales can you find valuable collectibles at next to nothing prices. Many sellers don’t know the value of the old stuff they found in the attic or a closet. Many an item on Antiques Roadshow originated at a garage sale. If you enjoy hunting for treasure and know the real value of collectibles, garage sales can offer incredible discoveries!
Little work, high pay.
Many people who hold garage sales find they can earn fifteen to twenty dollars an hour for their efforts after the sale is over. A few books sold equal a few dollars in your wallet. A few CDs add to your income. Sell a couple twenty dollar items and it boosts your bottom line. And all you do is box your unwanted staff and haul it out to a few tables in the garage or on your lawn. The bottom line is that garage sales are so popular because they generate easy money.
Sell your finds on eBay!
Many people use garage sales as a source for what they sell online. They buy stuff for next to nothing at local sales and offer it online to people around the world. This type of never-ending garage sale lets you sell year-long regardless of the weather to a global audience. Instead of people coming to your garage sale, you bring your best stuff to them via the Internet. Bidding wars can even sweeten your profit. It’s the smart way to do business.
It’s the inexpensive way to build a collection.
Whether you collect salt and pepper shakers, tube radios, rare books, fishing lures, or military items, garage sales are the best way to avoid those high antique store prices. (And where do you think antique dealers buy their merchandise anyway)? Build your collection over time and enjoy the hunt for the treasure you seek!
Shop for gifts at garage sales.
As you shop at garage sales, keep in mind upcoming birthdays and Christmas. If a friend or family member is a collector pr desires a specific item, you can find the perfect gift for them at a bargain price. Why wait just before a birthday and search all over for a nice gift when you can leisurely look all year long and pay less than retail?
You can bargain and make offers at garage sales.
Unlike retail stores, prices are flexible at garage sales. You don’t always have to pay the sticker price. At garage sales, making an offer is just like using a coupon at a retail store. Sellers will often take off ten to fifty percent of a price, depending how much they want to sell it. All you have to do is just ask. If an item is priced at two dollars, offer one dollar. Chances are the seller will accept, and you will have just saved fifty percent of the tagged price!
You can be your own boss for the day.
When you hold a garage sale, you make the decisions. It’s like opening your own retail store for just a day. You set the prices and your hours. Your creativity (and luck) gets put to the test. You do the work and reap all the rewards. It’s an enjoyable way to spend the day that can be quite a profitable experience.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Mysterious Trunk
In June of 2009, I became the owner of a large, heavy black trunk that probably dates back to the 1940s. I came across it while walking my dog down the alley and found it next to a trash container. It came from a house that had just been sold, the owners moving out of state, according to a neighbor. They had already tossed out a vintage lamp and wooden step-stool that I pulled from their trash bin. But there was something different about this big, black, trunk.
It has the initials A.W.J. Jr. painted in white on the top. You can read numerous stickers on it, one from the Univ. of Carolina and another from McCallie School. One label partially covers up a shipping label with the date 1943 with the last name of James.
And I can tell you it is really heavy. I had to have help getting it into the back of my car, then it stayed inside my garage for weeks until a friend helped me carry it into my kitchen. It has become a kitchen fixture, sitting in from of my stove. The trunk measures 41 inches in length, 22 inches in width and it is 14 inches deep.
The question is, what is inside? Five solid brass Yale locks are hiding the answer. Some who have seen it speculate the locked trunk is too heavy to be empty. Yet nothing shifts when it is lifted. And why would people toss it out? Did they know the contents of it? Was nothing of value inside? Did they once have the key and lose it? Or has it remained locked since the 1940s? I keep thinking it might contain personal items from a WWII serviceman.
So now it is 2010 and the big old trunk remains in my kitchen. I have tried to open it occasionally when I come across a Yale key. And I did check with a locksmith who offered to open it for thirty dollars.
I love a mystery and have decided to let the mystery build for a while. I will open it in 2010 one way or another, perhaps on a special occasion or during a party. When the grand opening happens, you’ll be the first to know.
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