Garage/Estate Sale Success?

Cozumeleno · #1 01-17-2016, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

I never have, but I was reading through the Love of the Game auction guide and read that someone recently found a t206 drum back at an antique shop and it turned out to be real. Not a bad find for what probably cost less than $100, assuming the shop owner didn't know what he had.

Correct - was discussed here.

icollectDCsports · #2 01-17-2016, 11:21 AM

I used to go to garage and estate sales looking for cards and sports memorabilia. I don't recall finding anything all that great. If you like going to such sales generally, then by all means go and have fun. If not, it's probably not worth your time unless you have some indication that a particular sale will have what you're looking for.

bdk1976 · #3 01-17-2016, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icollectDCsports

I used to go to garage and estate sales looking for cards and sports memorabilia. I don't recall finding anything all that great. If you like going to such sales generally, then by all means go and have fun. If not, it's probably not worth your time unless you have some indication that a particular sale will have what you're looking for.

Very true - I go to sales in search of things for my other hobbies (and am quite successful in those). I wouldn't bother wasting any time on them if I were only looking for sports memorabilia.

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aelefson · #4 01-17-2016, 04:26 PM

Hi-

Personally, I do not do very well with garage and estate sales but I do quite well at flea markets and antique shops/shows. Most of my collection comes from these venues. Most of the dealers I buy from do find these items at estate and garage sales, but they have more time and patience than I do to scour the area.

Regarding flea markets and antique shops and shows, I went to three shops and two shows this weekend. I had no luck at the first two shops Saturday, but at the third I found an 1950s/60s baseball box holding 11 baseballs in their original packaging (plastic wrapping) for less than 50.00. This morning I found three 1968 Atlantic Oil uncut panel cards (including Ruth and Sayers) for 15.00, some 1907 Dartmouth magazines with a football cover and sports articles inside each issue for 1.00 each, 27 1955 Bowman football cards (crease free but with corner dings) for 40.00, two 1915 Brown baseball player snapshots for 12.00, and a scrapbook containing real photo postcards of a 1920s NH prep school for 25.00 (with basketball, track, baseball and other sports). As I was leaving I found an 1840s era chapbook with a child swinging a baseball bat in a woodcut image in the background for 10.00. That is my favorite find of the weekend. I probably overpaid for some items like the Brown player snapshots and possibly the 55 Bowmans but that is the way things go sometimes.

I completely agree you are extremely unlikely to find tobacco cards at any of these places but if you expand your collecting focus you might be surprised at what you can find. People might know general values, but they do not always understand series differences and almost never understand variations. Nonmainstream cards can also be an area to focus on as casual sellers do not always know what they have. I bought a group of about 20 1960 Leaf high numbers for 5.00 several months ago from an antique shop that had 1960 Topps commons at 2.00 each (and some priced higher). They knew Topps but might not have connected sports novelty with Leaf.

Alan

kmac32 · #5 01-17-2016, 09:25 PM

Went to an antique shop today and they had tons of boxed sets from the 90's including Stadium Club, leaf, and studio cuts all were really cheap and then 15% off to boot. Loaded up with the intent of getting ready for next years net54 Secret Santa. If I get somebody into 1990's junk, I am ready to ship.

Now if you are into prewar like me, not much there. A bunch of overpriced 70's cards and some autographed baseballs that were personalized so not worth much on the open market.

pokerplyr80 · #6 01-17-2016, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cozumeleno

Correct - was discussed here.

A cool story for sure. Glad it went to a net54 member.

ajjohnsonsoxfan · #7 01-18-2016, 12:15 AM

My neighbor is in his 90's and is rarely seen out of the house, so when he had a yard sale recently I thought I'd stop by to say hello. Never in my life would I thought I'd find a complete set of 33 Goudey's! The only problem is he and his dad glued them to a poster board and then had it framed back in the 1940's. He knew I liked baseball having seen me play catch out in the yard with my sons from his front window so he decided I should have it.

GasHouseGang · #8 01-18-2016, 12:29 AM

Being glued to the board is unfortunate, but how nice that your neighbor thought of you, and what a great display piece!

mattsey9 · #9 01-18-2016, 12:39 AM

Great story. That's something to keep forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

My neighbor is in his 90's and is rarely seen out of the house, so when he had a yard sale recently I thought I'd stop by to say hello. Never in my life would I thought I'd find a complete set of 33 Goudey's! The only problem is he and his dad glued them to a poster board and then had it framed back in the 1940's. He knew I liked baseball having seen me play catch out in the yard with my sons from his front window so he decided I should have it.

brianp-beme · #10 01-18-2016, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

My neighbor is in his 90's and is rarely seen out of the house, so when he had a yard sale recently I thought I'd stop by to say hello. Never in my life would I thought I'd find a complete set of 33 Goudey's! The only problem is he and his dad glued them to a poster board and then had it framed back in the 1940's. He knew I liked baseball having seen me play catch out in the yard with my sons from his front window so he decided I should have it.

I have a feeling that the cards are reprints, as the Lajoie card is included and all the cards look too fresh.

Brian

brianp-beme · #11 01-18-2016, 02:39 AM

I forgot to add I'm sorry if you thought these were original, and if not, sorry I called you out so soon for pulling all of our legs.

Brian

Exhibitman · #12 01-18-2016, 12:09 PM

The best thing I ever found at a true flea market (as opposed to a paper fair or other collectibles show) was a photo promoting the second Dempsey versus Tunney fight. It cost probably 33% of a realistic value.

Best thing I ever found in a paper fair was a Pinkerton scorecard of Jennings for $30. Also a nice George Mikan RC for under $100.

Tripredacus · #13 01-18-2016, 02:00 PM

Garage Sales are tough and you need to go to MANY of them. In my experience, you find something really good (at a decent price) maybe 1% of the time. The lesser amount of things you know about, the lower that percentage will go.

Others I know who do the garage sale circuit also report good luck in asking about things that are not out for sale. Often a person will not put out something for sale if they feel it has no value or is outdated. Especially when it comes to niche hobbies, it never hurts to ask. Just be careful you don't ask in such a way that makes dollar signs pop up in the person's eyes!

ajjohnsonsoxfan · #14 01-18-2016, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

I have a feeling that the cards are reprints, as the Lajoie card is included and all the cards look too fresh.

Brian

Brian you got me...that was my early April fools joke. This is a reprint set my son and I glued to a board and had framed. Would be great to find a complete Goudey set at a yard sale though...!

Tripredacus · #15 01-18-2016, 03:22 PM

Also I want to mention that when you ask someone at a garage sale for something, try to be as generic as possible. Also remember that the people will not know all terms that exist in the hobby or maybe any of them. So I wouldn't specifically ask for football cards, but more like say "football stuff from the 60s" or something.

You need to judge the age of the person selling before using certain words. Asking for "old" things will get you a wide range and likely not what you want. One time I remember asking for "old cards" resulted in a box of beat up 1993 Pinnacle football cards.

GasHouseGang · #16 01-18-2016, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

Brian you got me...that was my early April fools joke. This is a reprint set my son and I glued to a board and had framed. Would be great to find a complete Goudey set at a yard sale though...!

I had a feeling, but I thought it might be possible. I guess you got me.

ls7plus · #17 01-19-2016, 05:49 PM

I used to have a connection with a friend who regularly handled estate sales and had him on the alert to watch for baseball cards and/or memorabilia. All he ever came up with in years of looking were '80's cards. I think its just been known for too long that these items can be of significant value for significant items to pop up in these venues, except on very, very rare occasions.

Regards,

Larry

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