Why I hate spring cleaning

debodun said:
Those that sneer at knickknacks - there is an item on this shelf that is worth hundreds of dollars. A Gold star if you can discern what it is.

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I don't sneer at knickknacks, but neither do I want to own them or heaven forbid, have to dust them.

Mountains of "stuff" make my brain hurt. I'd personally find that shelf much more appealing if had only five items on it, but that's a singular perspective from someone with ADHD. You gotta do you.

As for value, unless a buyer with ready cash is on your doorstep, there's no way to know the financial value.

My late sister-in-law bought, traded, collected and owned many "valuable" Hummels. When she died her step children could barely give them away. eBay listings made it seem like they were worth a lot of money, but they quickly learned that's only true when you can find a buyer. Turned out they're plenty scarce for mass produced knickknacks. I think they donated most of the Hummels and other collectibles.
 
debodun said:
No one wants to pay a fair market price. :(
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Fair market price is what it is worth to someone not to you. As I said earlier - we all have things that are important to us but not all of us have the same thing in mind. Enjoy your treasures. Maybe shelf liners might make your life easier. You can find some as vinyl tablecloth by the yard and it looks lacy.
 
That's what my executor said - everything is going in the dumpster. He doesn't have the time or patience to sort through things and try to find buyers. I told him some are family heirlooms and some are fairly valuable items and people that appreciate them should try to be located and suggested he hire an estate seller. All I got was a scowl.
 
Years ago, I donated a large Rubbermaid container to a hospital for their bazaar. It was filled with collectibles .. from The Wizard of Oz, to Carousel horses on a turntable. Also, a large collection of dog figurines (Beswick, etc). There just wasn't anywhere to display them in the condo.

Anyway .. to get back on topic - it has cut down greatly on dusting.
 
Twostep said:
Fair market price is what it is worth to someone not to you. As I said earlier - we all have things that are important to us but not all of us have the same thing in mind. Enjoy your treasures. Maybe shelf liners might make your life easier. You can find some as vinyl tablecloth by the yard and it looks lacy.
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I get an average value looking on antique and selling web sites.
 
I won't go into the whole ugly story, but that my sister, better able than I to get to our deceased parents' home to empty it, said I could have their ancient old fashioned foot pump sewing machine. Whoopy. I knew she did not want it, but I had my daughter bring it here. Split cords, paint specks over it, sewing motor gunked up with nicotine. Anyway, I called a place that might buy it & was told that many people had been trying to sell that type of sewing machine. My sister said I could get $95.00 for it. Yeah, right.
 
Pinky said:
Years ago, I donated a large Rubbermaid container to a hospital for their bazaar. It was filled with collectibles .. from The Wizard of Oz, to Carousel horses on a turntable.
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My mom had the complete set of "The Wizard of Oz" collector plates made by the Bradford Exchange. There were 6 plates and she paid $25 apiece for them. After she passed, I sent them to an auction and they got $2 for the whole lot!
 
Last year a dealer came to buy items I had advertised online. While he was here, I thought I could sell him two antique chairs (one is a rocking chair) that are taking up a lot of room in the extra bedroom. When I showed them to him, he sadly shook his head and said something to the effect that he had a whole room full of chairs he can't sell. He did, however, buy the Art Deco brass lamp for $25.

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debodun said:
My mom had the complete set of "The Wizard of Oz" collector plates made by the Bradford Exchange. There were 6 plates and she paid $25 apiece for them. After she passed, I sent them to an auction and they got $2 for the whole lot!
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debodun said:
Last year a dealer came to buy items I had advertised online. While he was here, I thought I could sell him two antique chairs (one is a rocking chair) that are taking up a lot of room in the extra bedroom. When I showed them to him, he sadly shook his head and said something to ten effect that he had a whole room full of chairs he can't sell. He did, however, buy the Art Deco brass lamp for $25.
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Both of these prove the point in my post above.

If you love these things, enjoy them without concerning yourself with their value. Holding onto them because you think they can be converted into hard cash? That's likely a pipe dream.
 
I have few items left in my living room and dining room, such as my 2 large area carpets now gone, two couches, most of my books. Recliner (have new one). Bedroom bed, and other things gone, all since 2022, because a friend gave me some of her unused canned goods when she moved and in a few weeks (?) I discovered bedbugs in my bed. And then in every room.

My younger daughter went ballistic in searching them out & proceeded to get rid of all the above. She sprayed bug killer in many places. The landlord had a guy spray the apartment twice....little help. It was mostly my daughter's hard work that got rid of them all. I now have few items to dust, or vacuum in living room and dining room. Good, I don't have the energy to do it anyway. 🙃
 
StarSong said:
I don't sneer at knickknacks, but neither do I want to own them or heaven forbid, have to dust them.

Mountains of "stuff" make my brain hurt. I'd personally find that shelf much more appealing if had only five items on it, but that's a singular perspective from someone with ADHD. You gotta do you.

As for value, unless a buyer with ready cash is on your doorstep, there's no way to know the financial value.
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Same here. A few carefully curated pieces have a greater impact than dozens and dozens of tchotchkis.
A friend once said: If everything is special, nothing is special!
 
debodun said:
Why have people lost interest in antiques and collectibles?
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I know an answer to that! (but don't shoot the messenger LOL!)
That came up in a discussion I had with young mothers who ranged in age from 22 to around 36 years old.


They indicated several reasons:
1. They don't want to waste all the money their parents did on "worthless things that add to the landfills".
2. They don't care to take the time cleaning them.
3. They don't want to obsess about them... what if this breaks? I need another for the collection! etc.
4. They don't want to pack and move them (as that generation is fairly mobile).
 
debodun said:
Into the delicate stuff. Each knickknack has to be removed from the shelf and dusted, the shelf dusted and the pieces replaced. Of course, they never go back exactly as they were before. Now imaging doing this dozens of times for all my precious keepsakes.

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I'd say it's not worth doing, get rid of them--but they look fabulous! My aunt used to collect this size animals and every time I was at her home I'd play with them.
 

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