Are you the designated antique guy or girl in your family?

bennybravo

My wife's mom recently passed, so we have a house full of things to figure out what to do with. I'm the designated "antique guy", which i don't mind at all, who knows what to do with things accumulated over the years whether it's in my field of expertise or not. Are you that person? As an example, here's an early coke bottle made from 1900-1920. Knowing nothing of antique bottles, I'm giving myself the crash course with research as I've got a bunch of these to figure out. Pretty overwhelming my PCGS forum friends!. Taking on the task one piece at a time. I haven't even started on the antique mason jars yet. Are you that person in your family?

airplanenut

Not just my family... among many of my friends, as well. While I know very little outside coins, I think my experience selling on eBay and generally understanding how collectibles/antiques work gives me a starting point to help.

Two weeks ago some friends cleaning out one of their parents' houses asked me about a sealed toy they found. I know nothing about toys, learned a bit (including about how they're graded... easier for me to understand since it's similar to coins), and now it's in the hands of Heritage to hopefully earn them a bit of a windfall.

bennybravo

What was the toy!!?

Downtown1974

I’m definitely “that guy” in my family. I’ve got little collections of many antiques.

erscolo

Being the only one left in my family, I wear all the hats. Being the only one left in my family, all the hats are empty.

bennybravo

@erscolo said:
Being the only one left in my family, I wear all the hats. Being the only one left in my family, all the hats are empty.

Hate that man. PM me if you wanna talk.

airplanenut

@bennybravo said:
What was the toy!!?

1985 Transformers Devastator set, sealed.

bennybravo

That is freaking awesome! Twelve year old 1985 Bennybravo is very jealous of whoever got that set!

TimNH

Yes I am, and while I know coins very well (well not compared w/ you guys, but in general) I know very little about other collectibles. But I have found that if your item is truly collectible, there are many-many eyes on eBay and as long as you put it in the right category, take good pics and write a good honest description, you pretty much always get fair market value. Better than local dealer offers, that's for sure.

bennybravo

@TimNH said:
Yes I am, and while I know coins very well (well not compared w/ you guys, but in general) I know very little about other collectibles. But I have found that if your item is truly collectible, there are many-many eyes on eBay and as long as you put it in the right category, take good pics and write a good honest description, you pretty much always get fair market value. Better than local dealer offers, that's for sure.

Awesome man! Being straight with folks, being fair in pricing, and not trying to squeeze out every penny is the best road to go down always. This forum has so many people with those attributes, and I love making posts like this just to hear from them and people like you.

oldabeintx

Yes and I myself am the antique of the family.
Just coins now, but have always been a student of history and had an affinity for old things.

fastfreddie

Benny,

My sincere condolences. I am an only child so yes, I am it. I love all antiques!

bennybravo

@fastfreddie said:
Benny,

My sincere condolences. I am an only child so yes, I am it. I love all antiques!

Man, thanks so much. She was a really sweet lady with a great eye for the flea market, yard sale finds. Gonna do my best to sort through and help my wife in putting these items back out there among collectors.

seatedlib3991

i know coins but my wife collects many, many other things and I tag along to the antique stores , flea markets and junk stores. Neat bottles. James

fastfreddie

My advice: Take your time. Research things best you can. If you have space to store some items until you have a better frame of mind to determine value and use or resale/donation. My mother-in-law passed two years ago and we regret selling/throwing/donating some items in our haste.

bennybravo

@fastfreddie said:
My advice: Take your time. Research things best you can. If you have space to store some items until you have a better frame of mind to determine value and use or resale/donation. My mother-in-law passed two years ago and we regret selling/throwing/donating some items in our haste.

Great advice sir.

ChangeInHistory

Yes, it just ended up that way. My wife and I had to clean out 3 generations of stuff from mom's house about 25 years ago-baptism by fire- but we learned a lot. Ever since, we seem to be the ones to come to first.

jfriedm56

Yes, I am that person for my family. I’ve always taken on the role of family archivist. When my Dad passed 45 years ago, I got to take care of all his belongings, from my Mother. All his WW2 military and personal items came to me. And when Mom passed 3 years ago, no one wanted the furniture, jewelry or antiques. I kept most, but we sold some items and split everything. I grew up with these things and were part of my past. Here are a few things out of hundreds that I have stored.





Sorry for so many pictures. See my dilemma?

Barberian

I have recently become the designated antique guy and collector guy and I'm swamped with my gf's recently deceased father's collectibles. I have a 10x12 room full of phonographic records, 400 lbs of sports cards including many unopened boxes, Miami Dolphins stuff (trinkets, coins, gold leaf cards, and Dan Marino silver coins galore), figurines, and a gun or two. There are also gold eagles, silver eagles, silver bars, and foreign coins by the pound. The best numismatic items are an 1831 quarter, a DMPL 1886 that has had its rim filed (ouch), and a Miami Dolphins clock with all MS silver dimes quarters, a 1964 kennedy half, and a 1922 Peace dollar ($2.80 face). The coins are choice MS63-MS64 but the clock is missing its "hands."

I have to do some research and find a reputable sports card buyer and a reputable record collector/dealer. The record collection was his main interest, is large, and probably his best collectible in terms of value. Any suggestions on who are where to disperse these items would be appreciated?

1851 Navy .38 (EIG Italian replica)

coinkat

Look into the records- some Jazz and R&B 10” LP’s from the 1950’s can bring decent money if they are clean.

Knell

@airplanenut
@bennybravo

Wow that transformer sealed set is probably worth at least $500 - could be more. I sold an opened complete Transformer jetfire (most desirable of all 1984 Transformer sets) for $250 last year. I still have two (2) of these Transformer Jetfire to sell on eBay but not complete.

airplanenut

@Knell said:
@airplanenut
@bennybravo

Wow that transformer sealed set is probably worth at least $500 - could be more. I sold an opened complete Transformer jetfire (most desirable of all 1984 Transformer sets) for $250 last year. I still have two (2) of these Transformer Jetfire to sell on eBay but not complete.

HA’s estimate was 10k+

Knell

WOW - I wouldn't be a buyer @ 10K+, maybe those eBay sellers should sell at HA instead.
Thanks.

bennybravo

Great replies all! Very encouraging words all around. Being a coin collector gives you a pretty good understanding of antiquities whether it's something you're interested in or not, and the markets that exists, but it can still be a bit daunting. So many awesome folks here. Thanks for all of the posts!

renomedphys

In spite of the fact that I’m always telling people that my professional expertise ends at cents 🤦🏻‍♂️

pursuitofliberty

I think old glass is pretty cool, but a daunting research mountain I'm sure.

Between my Brother and I, we know a fair amount about different things, so between us we are probably the primary resource for the family, and extended family. But like most people I suppose, our knowledge is limited by our exposure to different the different things we know, and have seen and collected.

Sorry for your loss @bennybravo

asheland

I do antiques along with coins. Mainly silverwares, etc.

bennybravo

Great replies all!!!

lablover

Yes, my wife say's I'm an antique.