Yes, but do I have to wake up and leave ALL THE TREASURES & GOODIES I JUST FOUND IN MY DREAMS??!! We've all had them, right? You know, the dream where you found an attic full of Grandma's Victorian textiles and Antique dolls. Oh, & Uncle Al's old trains and wind-up tin toys from the 1930's. Or how about the basement full of fabulous old primitives & guy stuff. Not to mention the kitchen with its original built-in cabinets full of great old yelloware & Art Deco pottery, & graniteware (lavender swirl, no less). And Jeeze, we just might be able to get that cupboard off the wall with the help of another picker friend. If you've been at this for a while, you know what I'm talking about, & being a little younger, you just might be looking for those great old toys & games from the 70's & 80's, or the mushroom canisters. The "THRILL OF THE HUNT", isn't that what it's called? How about "Boy, I bet I could get at least $50.00 for this on Ebay". Things really haven't changed much since the mid 1980's when we started, it's still the best fun you could have for folks like us. It's still a kick to find something to add to a favorite collection, even when you're trying to downsize. And can we really do THAT? I guess when we get tired of tripping over the boxes & bags attempting to wash clothes ... that's when we begin to think "I've got to get rid of some of this stuff". That's what motivated most of us to start selling in the first place, right? And haven't we met the nicest people along the way. We've all learned by "doing", & from the price books we bought before we had computers. What about the estate sales that are on your list of the best ever: "You should see the ton of neat old stuff I got at an estate sale last week. I was there by myself for an hour before anyone else came, & I filled the kitchen with all my goodies. And they only wanted $50.00 for it all!" We all have that list, & if you're lucky, your list is a long one. One of our favorite estate sales was run by a fellow named Russell, a nephew of the deceased. The house looked to have been unlived in for a while, & as luck would have it, the inhabitants
NEVER THREW ANYTHING AWAY! You name it, it was there, & we bought it. We filled the truck, came back with the car and filled it too, a couple of times. We climbed over bags, under beds, through shelves, inside the bowels of cabinets, and I almost got lost walking on top of the contents of the garage (my head was almost touching the ceiling, & I'm under 5 feet tall). And Russell, bless him, seemed to know that what he had was a house full of treasures, but his task was to empty the house as soon as he could. And he was grateful to anyone who carted the stuff out, & charged accordingly, which is to say, cheap. We spent most the that weekend there, we've enjoyed some of the treasures from that sale for many years, and have sold some too. Yep, Russell's sale is near the top of our "all timers". Living in Pittsburgh, we're all lucky that folks around here tend to hang onto to things. Makes it fun to see "our people" in those lines, & for all of us to keep hunting. And don't be jealous of the treasures that other buyers find ... just be glad that someone rescued it from the dump, or worse, from someone who will turn it into a lamp, a Gee-Gaw, or heaven forbid, that lady is going to use that chenille to cover her sofa when she paints!! So, get in line, have your coffee. ("Gee, I wonder if they'll let me use the bathroom?) and maybe Russell will open the door and say "The house is loaded, come on in, and watch your step".
Pittsburgh Estate Sales thanks the author, who is a regular with us and although a SHORT we do hope "REGULAR" contributor. Remember, all the area estate sales can be found on our website. Updated weekly.
