Yard Sales - 2012 edition

[ironmountain]

toddrandolph I hear what you're saying. I used to only go to GW etc for books for reading and golf clubs. Dad and I would put a set together for neighborhood kids and take them golfing with their "new" set of clubs. Now I just go for books and workout clothes. For some reason our GW gets a ton of old books so I snag rare or first editions and just collect them until I decide to sell them off.

The GW here is ridiculous most of the time. Friend is the store manager. I go there to BS with him and see just pure junk on the shelves. He said there are quite a few people that go there 3-4x per day. And they have to send everything "good" that they get to Madison so it can go on their auction site. Some nice stuff on there, but people are bid crazy. I saw a guitar sell for 100 more than it costs brand new. And I'm not paying for 5lbs shipping for a watch.

I agree MI, SA is a good place to go. The closest one to us (Marquette...1 1/2hrs away) is quite large and their pricing is on par with normal thrift store. The SA and St Vinny stores at inlaws are nice and priced well.

You can score pretty well on clothes. My wife is a jacket fiend and I always buy her jackets/coats when I see them that I think she'd like. She's up to 50 or so now. I love finding old London Fog trenchcoats. I have 2 now. If I wanted to "clean house" I'd take all of the North Face, Eddie Bauer, Cabelas, Woolrich etc jackets I've bought her and sell them off.

 

[chazc50]

Goodwill here in the fort worth area is really hit and miss, and yes it depends on the day you go. I have found some really good items but it seems everyone that hunts like i do is there right ahead or behind me sometimes. Thriftown here is better than GW and salvation army rocks. But i have my best luck at the single location resale shops that support various charities around here. 90% of the things i find at those are 5-20% of what i see them go for online or at auction so thats where i spend 80% of my time

 

[accountantadam]

No yard sales in the area this weekend...Did hit a decent auction yesterday...no bottles or jars, but I did pick up several interesting things. Bought a whole shoebox full of matchbooks...lots of 3 and 4 digit phone numbers...a couple with beer advertising on them..a box of lighters and misc pieces...found a pair of wire rimmed glasses in there that are gold filled, some nice old local pictures, a longaberger basket, some griswold miniature pieces, and some other stuff. I attached a photo of some of the pictures. Check out the family in the hats on the left! Anybody else hit any sales this weekend??

 

[Rockhounder55]

That's freaky. Why is the dude wearing a hat? What kind of Griswold miniature pieces did you get? ~Mike

 

[LC]

ORIGINAL: accountantadam

No yard sales in the area this weekend...Did hit a decent auction yesterday...no bottles or jars, but I did pick up several interesting things. Bought a whole shoebox full of matchbooks...lots of 3 and 4 digit phone numbers...a couple with beer advertising on them..a box of lighters and misc pieces...found a pair of wire rimmed glasses in there that are gold filled, some nice old local pictures, a longaberger basket, some griswold miniature pieces, and some other stuff. I attached a photo of some of the pictures. Check out the family in the hats on the left! Anybody else hit any sales this weekend??

You and I have something in common Dan , we like too much of everything . I have bought like that for years although I have cut back some since my auction five years ago or so . I have a ten inch tin somewhere around here full of book matches from WW11 . A lot of them have battleships on them . I don't care a lot about them but here they are !

 

[toddrandolph]

I haven't gone out to the sales yet, just not enough, none that sound any good, and not worth the gas. I did stop at a picked over estate sale Friday on my way somewhere else and bought nothing. I picked up an oak dropleaf table off the curb today, long and narrow probably 50s, looks like it came out of a school or office. Should be good for $40 or so.

I got a LOT of match books a couple years ago at a yard sale. The lady was going to throw them out, and then informed me that she had already filled and had hauled away several 40 yard dumpsters with who knows what. Too late, oh well. I sold most of the matches but saved a boxfull that are old pre 1950 and have cool local advertising on them.

 

[accountantadam]

Mike - I was wondering the same thing. The rest of the photos look pretty normal, that was the only one I thought was a little....different. The griswold mini's are a kettle and a handled piece. both have 3 legs. I'll put a picture up this evening. I've not seen them before, I was thinking maybe part of a child's set or something.

LC - I tell people I specialize in anything I can make money on. I'll buy just about anything I think I can turn around for a profit. I'll bet there's at least 100 match books in there. A nice westinghouse advertising from hawaii, a hudson coal co. from PA, a couple with different beers.

Todd - I've been to some sales like that, where they've cleaned out and threw away tons of stuff. Makes me almost cry.

Did hit another auction yesterday, picked up 9 old kentucky derby glasses, A U.S. toy mfg co. clown noise maker, a dick tracy secret service club pin, a small iron, among some other things, nothing spectacular though. Hopefully the yard sales pick up soon.

 

[chazc50]

the guy in the hat kinda looks like will ferrell...and the woman to his left, a young woody allen

 

[ironmountain]

i've always found old pics like that eerie. granted they had to keep their pose for a long time, but man, seeing a little kid dressed like that in a photo with that stare...always creepy.

starting to round up all my stuff to sell....trying to get it all organized. Bottles are all in tubs, wrapped and ready to take pics and list. There's a semi-large amount of books (2 laundry baskets full or so). I have some stuff to throw on CL (antique tools and such) but i'm starting to hate CL. spam like crazy and very few solid offers.

Need to organize first though...HH if you get out

 

[toddrandolph]

Don't give up on CL for selling. I've sold a TON of stuff on there this winter. yes, there is spam, and yes, there are people who don't show up, but if you price your stuff reasonably it will sell. It's not good for stuff under $20 or so because it's not worth the gas for people to drive, but for furniture and larger items it's great. I need to start selling on ebay, I've never sold on there, the shipping, listing, fees, and payment seems like a hassle, but I have some items that I know would do much better there than on CL