Diamonds in the Rough at Yard & Garage Sales

Continuing the new blog section titled, “Diamonds in the Rough,” covering many of the places in the world (maybe not quite all but many) where one finds, buys & sells antiques. Just look at your local and major newspapers in the Classified Sections to find the places that are hosting these events:

èAuctions  èAuction Sales  èIndividual Classified Sales èDownsizing Sales èFlea Markets èEstate Sales èGarage Sales èMoving Sales èYard Sales

Today, I will post about finding antiques at
Yard & Garage Sales   

Pick up any newspaper and there is a section for many weekend yard and garage sales. Some are listed individually, others are listed as Multi-Family Yard Sales, Moving Sales, Flea Markets, and some get fancy and call them Residential Estate Sales. Some will be specific, such as one ad that stated the sale was a Craft & Sportsman Show. How did a “show” get listed among the sales?

I guess it doesn’t matter, so whatever the event is called, you will find a plethora of things, some you need, others you want, and for that main reason you search out these sales, the bargain awaits. Better yet, it’s to find that diamond in the rough. So off you go!

In my local newspaper the yard sale page has a Locator Map. How convenient. Depending on how much time you have, how far you are willing to travel, and of course, how much money you can spend, you map out your routes and locations. To make it easier on yourself, because these excursions can be quite taxing, read what each sale has to offer. For instance, say you are looking for toys. As for a toy to be classified as an antique, the ad may read, vintage toys. 


The first ad in today’s paper offering toys is the moving sale. Not detailed at all and just the address is given. I look for it on the locator map, but the street name is not there. How can I find this place? No phone number either, so I guess I won’t be going there. Check that one off my list. Letting my fingers do the walking, I find an ad that lists antiques, furniture, porcelain dolls, etc. Now this looks promising. But once again, I can’t locate the street on the map and no phone number. This is getting frustrating and I haven’t even left the house. I better get a better map if I am going to find any toys at all.

Continuing my paper search, I find in bold print the word HUGH . . . HUGH Yard Sale with explicit directions, and it lists toys! Though there was still no phone number, the address was clear and I found it on my big map. 

Reading the next ad, I can tell the person who was conducting the multi-family yard sale knew what he/she was doing. It read, “Balloon on mailbox.” Now how clever is that. The ad even gave which entrance to use when entering the sub-division. Smart, indeed.  Found more toys in the next ad and this one, too, gave good directions.

Along with the fancy Residential Estate Sale ad, there was another unusual yard sale. This one said, in bold type, REMODELING SALE. The ad went on to say, NO EARLY BIRDS! Limited Quantity, Cash Only! Immediate Removal Required. Wow! Lots of rules. And no wonder why. It was some sort of resort that was obviously doing some updating. I’m sure there were many bargains there, but I wasn’t interested in beds and furniture, so I continued to read on.

Then the Estate Sale ad caught my eye because it listed “doll collection.” Now here may be a good place to start my scavenger trip.  You got to start somewhere and the sooner you get to where you want to go, there is more opportunity to find the good stuff. I had to laugh when a following ad read, in bold, of course, “The Best is First, Sat. 7am – 2 pm. I like the adage, First come, first serve. Or this one, The Early Bird gets the worm. So when you plan your yard sale search, do so days in advance. That way, as soon as you finish your coffee, the hunt is on.

After reading 29 ads, I found only three that interest me, and wouldn’t you know it, all places were at opposite sides of town. Oh well, as long as I can find at least one toy for my collection, I will be happy. I might even find things I don’t need, shouldn’t want, but will buy any way. So wish me luck and the same to you.

P.S. As I was looking for yard & garage sale signs on Google Images, I came across another moniker for this type of merchandise sale. It is called a Rummage Sale. Now I haven’t heard that word it years and laughed when I saw it. The word rummage means, (slang, U.S.) search, hunt, ransack, scour, look everywhere, look high & low, leave no stone unturned. Also, for all you yard sale buffs, here are two websites for you to investigate:
http://www.127yardsale.com/
August 7-10, 2014.
The 127 Yard Sale covers 690 miles from Addison, MI to Gadsden, AL and boasts thousands of vendors.

http://www.shenandoahcountychamber.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=136
http://youtube/UubWDb9eqqc
Yard Sale Ahead: The Route 11 Yard Crawl - The Movie

Next Post: Auction Sales
 

Collectibles

 What we collect reflects our personalities. 

As we go about amassing our collections, we study, view, review and handle them. Some collections even continue to have a life. Such as wearing the art deco jewelry and vintage clothing, using grandmother’s china, engaging old tools, reading first editions, or playing with our childhood toys and games.  (I personally enjoy playing the original Monopoly & Clue Games. Their boards and tokens are far more pleasurable to touch and there is something to be said about the scent that is emitted from their boxes. It’s like breathing in the scent of an old book. Takes you back to simpler time.) Most of all, collectors are emotionally involved with them. And that, more than anything, characterizes the true collector.

As I mentioned in Monday’s post, “The hunt is on,” you scan your local newspaper for a listing of garage and yard sales. You have your list of must haves for your collection. You map out the best route to get to as many as you can, and off you go. The anticipation and optimism of the hunt can be exhilarating. It’s all about the joy of possession. Then, if and when you decide to have your ‘find’ appraised, you may experience triumph or disappointment. But no matter the value, it is now yours to do with as you please, and that’s the beauty of ownership.

While you go about happily finding things that were part of your past that may have gone astray, you are actually building a museum about your personal life. There is something very satisfying about a personal, individual museum. Your collecting also offers generational bonding. The things you have saved, cherished and preserved, will be passed onto the next generation, who will in turn, keep your history alive, adding more dimension to the family’s heritage as time goes on.

Our family museum is an eclectic array of collections from the different stages of our lives. Because of what was able to be saved over the years and why,  resulted in putting together small tableau's of our life. It is simply amazing that as I was creating these displays, the museum almost reads like a mini autobiography. Here are a couple of pictures and the stories that go with them.

Keith's interest in the Untied States Space Program has been with him since he could remember. He saved only two of the many rocket models he had when a child, and when we moved to Florida, he was thrilled to have a license plate with a picture of the space shuttle blasting off. 
I was crazy about shoes. When I could, I bought designer shoes by Charles Jourdan and Maude Frizon, now both vintage shoes. I guess because of their superior construction, they have lasted many decades. How unfortunate for me that I can no longer wear them, but I certainly can look at them and recall my more fashionable days.

So as you go about collecting, displaying and preserving your past and present possessions, remember to record all the information about the item. Take pictures and write your memoires. It's fun, engaging, and historical. 

In Monday's post, I presented a listed of collections and tomorrow I will write about two of them. 

Next Post: Americana & Art