Hi old friends.
I have not posted on DU since the last election. Could not stand the in-fighting.
Here we are again and I hope the discourse is more civil.
That aside:
I miss posting, especially to Vinca and Brasswire.
As a long retired dealer, I miss the good old days. The current market situation has hit me hard, as well as others.
For years I collected things that I thought had merit. It is now time for this old timer to downsize and perhaps move from my 200 year old house.
I have posted things on local Facebook pages with little results. Perhaps if I had a house full of Ikea, I might have some interest.(snark)
I never collected any one thing. I just bought items that were of interest to me. Now I have a 9 room house fill of goodies for which there seems to me no market. Not only my great (centennial and period) mahogany furniture but also the accessories that are in keeping with my furniture. Worst example I can find: Period Brass candlesticks. Yikes, Push-ups in my neck of the woods are priced far below what I paid as a dealer years ago.
I guess I'll have to have a big yard sale...(never) Can't figure what to do. There are no consignment dealers in my area. If there were, they are probably facing the same problems.
I have to move stuff along, as all of you do. Who ever thought the market would be as it is.
I hope you all are having a good selling season. This old timer is looking at the stuff I have set aside to sell and wish I never had to see what is happening now. Best to all,
PR
PS, the only things that sells quickly in my neck of the woods are Cast Iron Skillets. Geeze, I have extra ones..no Griswold but still great pans. Maybe I'll try them and see what happens.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Us"old timers" are facing a common generational problem. The younger folks are not interested in the "old" furniture, pictures, lamps, etc.
They are interested in the "vintage" ( think "real"
pre-1990 stuff like those skillets, kitchen tools, linens, etc.
All that stuff we have had since we set up house 50 years ago.
Hell, I am interested in it when I have to replace stuff, and vintage sales on etsy/ebay are, as you know, doing well.
Like you, I have the problem of winnowing out the furniture and other heavy stuff. even the skillets...costs a fortune to sell/ship anything.
Worse yet, we live 2 hours from any city...large meaning 250,000 pop. of Mobile/Montgomery here in
Alabama. All of our offspring live in other states.
Everyone in our small area has the same issue; houses filled with antique/vintage stuff.
No auctions, and now no antique shops since the only place closed a few years ago.
Yard sales are filed with used clothes, cheap picture frames, plastic this and that. Same at the Goodwill, 'cause people around here are pretty thrifty already.
I am stymied.
