"if my 30 yrs. of hanging onto this stuff could pay off, it could mean the difference between a roof over our heads and homelessness."
Sorry to hear that! It would be sad to have to part with a family antique in exchange for a roof, but you do what you have to do. I recently had to part with my lifelong collection of vinyl records, accumulated over a period of decades, for a similar reason.
Hang in there and things will get better!!