On numerous occasions I’ve had the good fortune to be the first attendee at an estate sale where the home is open, and every single item in the house is being offered for sale. This scenario is becoming very difficult to find as more and more people are buying and selling online for resale, than ever before. Thus, the search for artwork, unusual vintage items, nostalgic items, collectables, and other antiques has become quite competitive.
It’s an overwhelming feeling when you’re in a house at 6:30 am on a Friday morning, when you have to be to work at 8:30, and you’re facing a lifetime accumulation of “stuff” that’s now for sale. Every drawer, every tool, all of the garage, the China, every fork and knife in the kitchen, makeup and perfumes, jewelry, liquor…everything! I’m always so adrenalized I can barely think straight. Some dealers are arriving; some are running through the house. Others are tearing through everything they see. It’s quite the stampede if you haven’t been to an open house estate sale.
Here are a few of my techniques to make the search efficient, when confronted with a house full of stuff:
Ask the seller/operator if it’s ok to take a box or bag in to carry your merchandise.
Be specific. If you are hunting for a specific class or category of things, ask the seller if they know if the house contains those items. For example, ask if they have musical instruments, jewelry, old photos, vintage toys, military clothing, stamps, lunch boxes, glassware etc. This will save you time and lead you directly to the items quickly, so you can negotiate a deal, and then explore the remainder of the sale.
Here are a few places that you should immediately check:
The walls. Closely examine all the paintings, posters and other art in the house. Carry a small magnifying glass and look for signatures or other identifying marks of the painter, artist or sculptor. If you can find a name you can perform an immediate search on your mobile device to check for price ranges for the work, or similar works from the artist or creator.
The knife drawer in the kitchen. At a time when formal dining was popular in the United States, most families owned expensive presentation cutlery. Sometimes the knives came in presentation boxes beautifully lined with silk, and the knives were in many cases decorated with intricate carvings, on unusual materials like horn, bone, tusk and ivory. Old high quality hand made knives are great for resale, especially when you get them inexpensively. I like old Sheffield knives. I used to own a vintage Sheffield cheese and sausage knife. I just liked the idea that it was such a specialized knife; I don’t really eat much sausage. Antique and vintage knives are their own specialty with many people collecting knives. If you’re a reseller, they are an important category.
The silverware cabinet. You’ll be looking to determine whether the utensils and serving trays are silver plate or solid silver. Many dealers will bring “pocket chemical test kits” to estate sales and garage sales to determine a precious metals authenticity or grade. It also helps to have a loop or magnifying glass with you at all times when examining metals (and China, and glassware). Look for the maker’s marks that could help you identify the manufacturer or source of the item you’re looking at and perform some instant research on your phone or tablet to gain an understanding of price ranges. You’ll often find items on various online marketplaces are being offered and in many cases sold for 10 times the price offered at the estate sale.
The vintage appliances. With a little cleaning these are easily sold online, and many antique cooking implements are still worthy of use. Mixers, traditional waffle irons, antique cast iron pans and skillets, interesting food tins or spice boxes, and specialty or vintage barware are the things I grab first. Old fans are collectable also and are frequently found in the kitchen pantry closet as they were used as supplemental exhaust fans while cooking or baking. If you discover vintage butcher blocks and cutting boards, they are very popular “antiques” and can be cleaned easily for resale (use a damp cloth with warm soapy water, dry quickly). I picked up a vintage butcher block for $25 at a garage sale because it was too heavy for the family to take with them: it weighed about 200 lbs. and was large. Since I had my hand truck (dolly) in my Jeep, I was able to purchase it and take it away. I sold it for $250 to a dealer who was probably going to resell it again, for more.
The bedrooms. Check under all the mattresses, in all the shoes in the closets, in all the pockets in the clothes hanging, in and behind all drawers, and in every pocket book, purse, or bag. You will discover an amazing variety of items. Some sales have “monitors” from the estate sale company watching each room. Always ask them if it’s ok to explore a little.
The boiler room and basement. If you’re really a compulsive estate sale hunter, you’ll likely have your own flashlight to help you illuminate those dark areas. Search under and around any boiler or other machinery. Basements are great for outdoor products, games, sporting goods, recreational equipment, vintage tools, toys and nostalgic items like wood milk crates, vintage advertising, old bottles and glassware. Beware of old paper from basements. Sometimes books and other paper products begin to mold and can produce a moldy smell. Make sure you’re not paying too much for something that’s going to create a bad odor in your car or house.
The attic. The attic is always overlooked. I have found boxes of antique stamps, baseball gloves from the 30’s, taxidermy, antique firearms, prohibition era liquor and lots of other fun stuff.
The office. Many traditional early and mid century American homes had a dedicated office where dad would often retreat to escape the kids and the monotony of his life. If you can identify where the office was, you can rummage through the desk and preliminarily identify whose house you’re traipsing through. The desk and every drawer in it will reveal the mystery behind the family, the owners occupation and hobbies, their assets, their bills, and much more. The office desk will often contain valuables and collectables.
Stomp the floors. When you have the opportunity to search through an old house, don’t forget to stomp the floors. Many older Americans who lived through the Great Depression tucked away precious or important items underneath the floorboards. There: I gave away another one of my estate sale secrets.
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