Vivian's Blog
Information about Estate Sales, antiques & collectibles, appraisals, local antique shops, and anything else that we feel like passing on. Most of the posts will be from me, but Michael and perhaps other team members may join us. Please join in and add your comments. We love hearing from you.
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Funny Thing Overheard at One of My Sales
Many of the people who come to our sales are looking for antiques and collectibles. I would venture to say that most of the people who line up to be first through the door are looking for things to add to their collections or looking for another treasure to add to their houseful of antiques. It is fun to hear their little expressions of pleasure when they find something especially nice.
I forget sometimes that not everyone thinks that way about "old stuff".
I have to tell you about a conversation that I overheard at a recent sale.
We had a Civil War rifle that was used by a confederate soldier. It was in great condition and a wonderful find. The rifle is highly prized by collectors. They are highly valued and usually do not last long at my sales.
They are also of interest to Civil War re-enactors. Many of the re-enactors would rather have an authenic Civil War rifle rather than a reproduction. (There is a big industry making reproduction Civil War rifles for the re-enactors)
As soon as we opened the door, there was a crowd of men around the rifle.
I heard one of them giving the particulars about it; about when it was made; and the caliber. Another man asked how much it was and when the man read the price off the tag, the man who asked said "Goodness. I could buy a new one for that".
Now, only those of us who collect or value antiques will understand why that is funny.
I couldn't help it, I laughed outloud.
See you at a sale soon.
Comments
It is in the same vein as another comment a few weeks ago.
A woman who obviously was not an estate sale regular, asked Lara for a discount because the piece that she wanted was "used". Lara pointed out that just about everything at an estate sale was used.
I enjoy your sales but it takes so long to get in sometimes. Why can't you let everyone in? Some people don't wait in line. They see how long it is and they leave.
I wish we could just open the doors and let everyone in, but when you have 279 in line as we did last week, it just isn't possible. We have to think about safety first. With too many people inside at once, there isn't room to walk, let alone room to shop. We do try to let in as many as we can and get the others in as soon as possible. When you have such good sales, it does attract a lot of people. The good news is that there will almost always be lots of good things left when you do get in. See you at a sale soon.
Too funny.