How to proceed with parent's estate

[debodun]

I'm an only child who has inherited a 2500 sq ft Victorian house filled with period furniture, glassware (Depression, Carnival, EAPG), china and porcelain, framed art (mainly prints), knickknacks (Occupied Japan & others) and lots of miscellaneous collectible items. After my mom passed, I contacted an auctioneer that was highly recommended to me. He came with a truck & trailer, loaded up with oak furniture and other items. However, he was unable to sell much and what he did went for a tenth of their real value. After retrieving the unsold items, I tried to get an estate liquidator or antique dealer to help clean out the house, but a consensus of their opinions was that my inheritance was not "high end" enough for them to bother with. I guess unless you have Chippendale, Duncan Phyfe or Louis XIV furniture, it's just junk. This past summer I tried to have several estate sales on my own (not every weekend), but it is slow going and a lot of work for a middle-aged couch potato to have to lug the items for sale in and out each time (I have to do it alone). I even advertised on Craig's List, a local classified ad magazine and in the local paper, but one weekend I sat there and not one car stopped and I'm on the main street, so people can see the sale as they drive by! I am in a quandary now what would be the best way to proceed. If anyone wants to see some of what I'm dealing with, I've made a Web page with photographs of many items in the house and a link to it can be posted here, if needed. Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks.

[CuriousCollector]

I wouldn't mind seeing the link.

If you are stuck on the "value" in a valuation book, you might be disappointed.  Such valuation is only good for top quality items, in a retail establishment (or for insurance purposes).  An individual person selling out of their garage is going to command much lower rates.

Also, antiques go in and out of fashion -- for example, Victorian furniture is "out" right now.  If your "period furniture" is Victorian, you're not likely to get very much for it right now -- it's considered too heavy and clunky, overly elaborate, etc -- people like simple lines these days (hence the rise of country furniture, the simplicity of some Duncan Pfyfe, as well as the revival of mid-century Modern).  

[Rauville]

I was faced with the same thing a few years ago. I too am an only child, and was unable to make any decisions for the first few months. First, I started with letting a friend set up and operate a couple of garage sales for me. I shared the proceeds with him, and we were both happy with the results. Next, I called in a good auctioneer that picked out the best furniture and smalls to have an off-site auction. The auction was a two day sale which I can say was a real "barn burner" in regard to prices.
The next phase was the hardest. I hired my Wife and Niece to help clean out the remainder. We had a big roll-off dumpster delivered, and at the end of most every day, it was filled. After a week, what was left in the house was sent to a local consignment auction. This entire process took me two years.
From what I discovered,  the best thing I did was let someone else help decide what needed to be auctioned off, hauled off, or thrown away.
Good luck, I know what you're going through.

[mart]

Excellent advice !!  Part of the problem may be in your geographic area !! What sells in one place may be hard to give away in others !!  Here in Texas just hang an estate sale sign up and it is like a pack of wolves at the door on sale day !!  There are certain people that handle estate sales for a percentage !!  That might be the way to go as they usually take care of everything and most have a good client list !! Ask around town for names !!  For small stuff and glassware there is always ebay !! You could even list furniture and instead of shipping,, use local pick up only !!  Many do this for large items !!

[frogpatch]

Please do not handle this yourself unless you are an expert. Find a reputable and honest estate liquidator. I do not know in what part of the county Victorian is "out" right now but where I live in the New York metro area it is far from out. I went to an estate sale when I was in Florida where someone put out a sign. I spent three hundred dollars and made a killing. One wooden turkey call brought 85.00 and the Fostoria American Glass brought us over 700.00. We had to make two trips with all the stuff we bought. If I had run that sale the folks there would have easily netted 5K. You may have a "turkey call" or a Japanese print or a piece of Holly Amber pressed glass that is worth more than the obvious oak dresser. There could be an Icart print or a piece of old advertising worth thousands. Do not listen to these people telling you that it is not worth it. They are greedy idiots. I wish you were nearby as I would be more than happy to run this sale for you for a 15 percent commission. I know that there is a sleeper piece in there and you do not want to lose it. Items from the 1950s can be worth more than items from the 1850s. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Most people you talk to will have a little knowledge. Belter is Victorian and can bring 5 figures. It is not "Out" and either is Gothic Victorian or good Renaissance or Eastlake Pieces. Quality is never "out."  PLEASE proceed with caution. Do your homework, check references and hire an honest liquidator.

[KC]

I have to agree with frogpatch.  In my neck of the woods Victorian is always in!  Wear/tear and quality of items makes a difference.  Things/Items you may think are worthless are things that will sell for more....unless you know what you are doing!

Over the years I have seen some items that are downright awful looking and they sell for big bucks!  So know your items or hire a reputable auction company to come in and sell the items off.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Same for the San Francisco bay area. Although things like Victorian sofas, chairs, rocking chairs and pianos can be hard to sell. I too would like to see the link.

[rockandrollrods]

I don't know of your location, but if you're close to me, I can handle the smalls for you. I don't have any way of selling furniture or large pieces, but I do have a bit of a following on my eBay auctions.

But whatever you do, find a professional. And just as important as the professional, remember that the market is soft on EVERYTHING right now. "Value" is a fluid term that changes on a regular basis. It's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

[debodun]

Thanks for all the input! I am in upstate New York near Albany and think people around here have a garage sale expectation - i.e. nothing at a garage sale should be over $1. When they come into mine and the first thing they see is a carnival glass bowl for $25, it's a huge turn-off. And no matter what price I put on something, people expect I will take at least 50% off for a sale. I am living in the huge monstrosity of a house and would like to sell it and get a smaller house, but to do that, I have to start getting over the emotional attachment I have to mom's things. I know how much she loved her glass and china. The green "Horseshoe" Depression glass luncheon set I have for sale I remember her driving 50 miles to buy and paid $200 for it in the mid-1970's. That about $1000 in today's money and I can't even get $150 for it now. I've done some research, mainly trying to identify glassware patterns and the markings in ceramics. Well, anyway, here is a link to the Web page I made with items I haven't yet decided on selling or what to ask for them. Near the bottom of this page is a link to the items I definitely want to sell right now.

http://estatesaler.angelfire.com/

[CuriousCollector]

Beautiful collection!

Here in the rural south, Victorian furniture is definitely "out"!   I think the reason is because it's so common -- every middle class household in the country thought it the most elegant style for AGES, and it has lasted in households as everyday furniture into the present era (and thus the children who grew up with this are rebelling in favor of different lines).  Plus, rural southerners keep everything -- if it works, no need to replace it.  My MIL still has all her mid-century modern pieces, the ones she got when she married in 1952, PLUS the Victorian pieces her mother left her.  Nowadays, when younger people keep Victorian they've inherited, they keep a single piece or two -- a marble top occasional table that can go in a hallway, for example -- rather than whole rooms' worth of Victorian.

For example, I have four chairs just like some of the ones you have on your website (along with 12 others not on your website), all collecting dust in a storage unit, because we chose to bring home seven other chairs (and one can only have so many chairs in a small house!).  A guy whose house I listed has two Eastlake settees I'd love to have, but (1) where would I put them?, and (2) he didn't like my offer, which was still the best of five offers he got on them (which tells me I offered too much!).  I offered $80 for one, $50 for the other.

[mart]

Couldn`t see all the glass but I think ebay or a specific collectors club might be the way to go on them !! Good carnival glass has a huge following as does some depression glass !!  It still sells high here in Texas !!

[debodun]

You would not believe the jumble of glassware and china pieces in the cupboards. I spent Thanksgiving weekend sorting through it all, culling out what I plan on selling this coming garage sale season, cleaning (some of it was probably there since the 1970s and had become quite dusty) and replacing what I'm keeping for now. I though to take before & after photos. Here are some:

[ANTIQUERAIDERS]

I am in NYC and have seen Carnival Glass go for low prices at thrift shops. Unfortunately, because of the estate sales and really below market value auctions, its hard to sell items like that above what is someone willing to pay for them. As for ebay, some items sell extremely well, others do not. I personally do not like ebay because of all the politics that are involved in it. I own a small shop in Brooklyn, NY.... everyone expects to come in and see $1.00 items rather then $25.00 items. I think the economy plays a huge role. I know up in Albany are a few auctions that I have been too and they let things go dirt cheap... but there are some that I worked with that can get all your stuff in one truck and auction it off. The truck will cost about 150- 200 bucks and they take 30% from everything that is auctioned off. As for an estate sale, we often throw them, but I am not sure whether any of my regular buyers will travel that far. By the way, how far from NYC are you?

[debodun]

I'm about 175 miles north of Manhattan.

[rockandrollrods]

I won't be able to help with your smalls. I'm on the West Coast.

Getting top dollar prices from five years ago just isn't going to happen now. No seller likes it, but it's a simple fact. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses. I sold an icebox a few months ago for a client. It sold for $100, and he paid $250 for it back in the late 60s-early 70s. I got full retail for it, but the demand has dropped significantly. The client had enjoyed it for many years, and felt lucky to be able to recoup some of his initial investment.