collectibles Archives %- – Rock The Wrinkle

Why do we collect things?

We baby boomers and beyond love to have collections. Maybe we think it’s going to be worth a whole lot of money today. Or we really enjoy looking at magazine covers that span 50 years.

Or maybe it’s just fun. That’s a good enough reason for me.

Freud probably has another theory. But let’s not go there. And I’m not talking about hoarding, when the inability to throw something away begins to destroy lives.

I’m just talking collecting. Just about all of us do it, and in many cases, we began as children.

Did you have a big stack of comic books? Were you waiting at the store when the next Hot Wheels car came out? Do you have every concert poster from the Grateful Dead tours?

Do you secretly tape every episode of Antiques Roadshow to see if that missing piece of memorabilia you’ve been hunting forever shows up?

I think some of the things we collect take us back in time, bringing up pleasant memories of people and events we want to keep alive. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to remember how good it felt to hear your favorite band live the first time. Or be drawn to war memorabilia that still feels familiar after many years. Or maybe it’s a pattern of china that takes you back to when Mom set the table for special occasions.

It’s interesting to walk into one home and see several collections of figurines, model cars, or rare books…and then go next door and see no collections of any kind. Maybe the people who live in the Spartan home just do a better job of hiding their collections. Or maybe buying more than one of something sparks too much guilt in them and they can’t do it.

Animals collect too. Rats. Magpies. Even dogs know where their favorite chew bones are located. Cats…well, I think cats collect people. But that’s another story

Humans still win the prize for collecting the weirdest things, and no, I’m not going to list some of them. You are online; you can indulge your need to know the creepy.

The American Philatelic Society says that shortly after adhesive postage stamps were introduced by Great Britain in 1840, people began to collect them. I did this as a child. It was a great way to spend the time, and an easy way to learn the countries of the world as well as their leaders, often shown on the stamps. I still find it interesting that for so many years, stamps from even the tiniest nations were adorned in bright colors, with flowers, animals, and people on them. While American stamps were plain, unexciting and predictable.

That all changed eventually, but for many years, the U.S. won the award for boring.

As for the rich and/or famous, rumor has it Tom Hanks collects typewriters. Jan Leno of course collects cars and motorcycles. John Quincy Adams collected coins. Musician Rod Stewart is said to be crazy about model trains.

Today, I like finding original Russell Wright plates, bowls, and cups. I have a hiking hat with pins for every state in which I’ve hiked. I still pick up LPs now and then. I confess I don’t have a major serious collection of anything, though I’m related to someone who does, and all her collections give her great joy.

Great collectors love to see each other’s collections. You can go to museums, galleries, and libraries. Or you can go online to sites like The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things to see what you’ve been missing.

In his wonderful poem Hector The Collector, Shel Silverstein captures the allure of collecting:

Hector the Collector
Collected bits of string,
Collected dolls with broken heads
And rusty bells that would not ring. Bent-up nails and ice-cream sticks,
Twists of wires, worn-out tires,
Paper bags and broken bricks.
Old chipped vases, half shoelaces,
Gatlin’ guns that wouldn’t shoot,
Leaky boasts that wouldn’t float
And stopped-up horns that wouldn’t toot. Butter knives that had no handles,
Copper keys that fit no locks
Rings that were too small for fingers,
Dried-up leaves and patched-up socks.
Worn-out belts that had no buckles,
‘Lectric trains that had no tracks,
Airplane models, broken bottles,
Three-legged chairs and cups with cracks.
Hector the Collector
Loved these things with all his soul–
Loved them more then shining diamonds,
Loved them more then glistenin’ gold.
Hector called to all the people,
‘Come and share my treasure trunk!’
And all the silly sightless people
Came and looked … and called it junk.

As in anything, it’s all in the eyes of the beholder…if it brings you joy, it’s your treasure.

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue those.”

Unknown

Like to look for rare treasures? Want a new hobby that gets you out of the house and lets you make friends with other boomers, see the insides of some historic homes, and maybe happen upon that unusual find?

Then you might be interested in learning the art of estate sales.

We boomers love nostalgia. We lived through some fascinating trends…LPs, Time/Life books, Slinky, percolators, rotary phones, sewing machines, bean bag chairs….

For some, estate sales are an addiction, for others, just a way to pass the time. I confess occasionally I enjoy the whole process though I am a novice. Which is why I recently interviewed a boomer couple who are true estate sale sharks…and they have the purchases to prove it.

Over the years, they’ve found stunning antique cabinets and other large pieces of furniture. Valuable collectibles like Lladro, Hummel and Beatrix Potter. Old books and posters. Classic records, vintage toys and more. In some cases, for amazingly low prices. (I think boomers appreciate bargains more than anybody!)

And along the way, they’ve come to know the “regulars”…people they see in line at many estate sales. It’s a close-knit society. Members of this society often will cooperate with one another because after a while, you know who’s looking for what and they know what you’re looking for.

But how do you go about successfully sniffing out and cruising an estate sale? Here are some tips from my experts:

Sign up on websites like estatesales.net, estatesales.org and gslar.com. You can receive emails that will list sales in your area, often with photos of items. Plus, on gsalr.com, you can enter key words that might come up in descriptions of items for sale in a particular house. That can really narrow your search.

Decide which sale you are most interested in and make that your first stop. Even if you don’t sign up to receive emails, you can still visit websites like estatesales.net, estatesales.org and gsalr.com the night before a sale to check out the locations of sales, and look at photos of items.

Get there early. At least an hour early if you really want something and you think others might also be interested. You’ll have to stand in line, but most likely you can pass the time talking to others there. Dress for the weather.
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See if anyone is standing outside that represents the sale. If so, ask where you desired item is. For example, is the antique desk in the master bedroom? Upstairs? Knowing where it is before the door opens can be a major advantage.

Bring cash just in case. Some sales take credit cards and checks. Some are cash only. Don’t be disappointed.

Bring a big or box if you are anticipating picking up something fragile.

If you do see something you think you might want, go ahead and pick it up while you decide. You can always put it back after you’ve walked around the house. But if someone else gets it, you’re out of luck.

Pricing: most dealers will not come down on the price the first day. You can ask, and if it’s something that they think won’t sell quickly, they might make a deal, especially if you’re already buying other items. But in most cases, it’s the second or third day when you get the deals.

Why go to estate sales if you’re really not looking for anything?

One reason is sometimes the sale is in a beautiful old home in a beautiful neighborhood, and it’s interesting to see the architecture and furnishings. Another reason is sometimes it’s just fun to see what you might find…a memory from the past like an old record, toy or cooking tool you haven’t seen in years. Plus if you have grandchildren, you often can find children’s clothing and toys in great condition for a very low price. Same thing with gardening tools, golfing items, and kitchen utensils.

My finds have been everything from an ornate handheld fan (my church doesn’t have air conditioning) to perfectly good garden pots for two dollars to an original Russell Wright pitcher that matches a set I inherited from my mother. In some ways, it’s bittersweet to look at items that were once possessions of another person…you wonder what happened to them, and you wonder if the same thing will happen to your stuff. But then I think most of the people who frequent estate sales really treasure what they find, so at least the items are getting a good home.

And finally, another great benefit of going to estate sales: you can go to breakfast afterwards!