The personal possession purge continues. A cedar chest we acquired and have no room for; a barnboard-and-bulb-cage chandelier made by Derek; an extra motorcycle windshield we boxed up and stored – it’s all going, going, gone!
Occasionally I’ll happen upon a pile of … something… and it stumps me for the moment. For example, between us we have loads of coins. We can deal with the Canadian and US change. Even the pennies will be useful again as I’m pretty sure I’ll do another penny floor one day. But what about the old European coins, or the collections Derek’s late Aunt gave him when he was a child? Do we just take them to a coin dude and take his word on what they’re worth? Or do I set aside a day – or a weekend – to look them up one by one? After that, I’ll have to lug them off to a coin guy anyway.
Then there are my Kiddles. Remember Little Kiddles? They’re little dolls I was given as a little girl, and kept because I was certain they would increase in value. Mine are from the Locket Collection of the late 1960s. Ebay sellers claim they are worth $40-$50 bucks. But that’s what they’re listed for, not a true representation of value. Who knows what a Kiddle actually sells for, or if it sells at all? They’re called collectibles but that’s the name given by those who are selling them. I’m in the realism business. I don’t want to keep hanging onto this stuff out of some delusion that it’s worth something. If it’s not, that’s fine. But I also don’t want to find out later that I sold an old oil painting with a PIcasso behind it, know what I mean?
I have Barbie stuff (including a couple of vintage dolls) and cigarette company logo lighters (outlawed long ago) and all sorts of things that may be worth nothing or something. We know the value of furniture and our original creations. But these other items are a pain in the butt to research. Especially the coins. So many coins!
As an experiment, I researched a MacLean’s magazine I’d kept that was pulled from shelves. It’s the one proclaiming Ben Johnson “The King of Seoul” that was replaced soon after with one about his doping scandal. Meticulous research showed this 1988 magazine was worth $200. Oh really? I posted it on eBay with a starting auction bid of $35 or “buy it now” for $100. No bites. Something’s only worth what the market will bear. But it’s truly a guessing game sometimes. Tiny dolls, anyone?
OMG I remember those dolls. Were they scented????
I think they might have been! Not any more…lol