# Yard Sales - 2012 edition



## accountantadam (Mar 2, 2012)

Hit my first yard sale of the season this morning...advertised as a moving sale...turned out to be a dud...a couple tables of coffee cups/etc... Anybody else seen any sales yet this year?


----------



## Bixel (Mar 2, 2012)

I saw one 3 weeks ago here in London, Ontario.... and it was outside! Crazy that in the middle of Feb, you could have a yard sale in Ontario. It was a really nice day though. It was a dud as well. Almost all toys and kitchen stuff.


----------



## ironmountain (Mar 2, 2012)

around here it's usually baby/toddler clothes and toys...or dad's 20yr old snowmobile he wants 9k for...  I'm stuck at GW and such for now...  but when I get up to inlaws' I'm hitting their St Vincent store. It's run by a group of nice elderly ladies and they let me go into the basement for as long as I want to dig through stuff...... their basement is huge.... they only charge me 50c per 2 albums etc..and they count the old 78 folders with discs in them as one....

 At least you got out for a bit and were able to not be buried in snow right away....


----------



## toddrandolph (Mar 2, 2012)

The sales are starting to pick up somewhat around here but yard sale season doesn't really start till April here. I haven't seen any sales worth the drive so far. Of course the "tag" sales run by the professional estate sale people go every week year round but I generallly avoid those. I did pick up a nice Seth Thomas #2 regulator for $350 and a nice mission oak desk for $25 off craigs list, but this time of year is not good for buying. Just like everyone else, I'm anxious for the buying season to begin. If gas goes to $5 as they say, that's reallly going to make it difficult to go to many yard sales. I live in a semi rural area, so most of the sales at at least at 5-10 mile drive if not more.


----------



## Brains (Mar 2, 2012)

We're coming out with a new tv show, it's called "garage sale masters"
 "From the second the car drives past the garage, we have seconds to determine if it's any good before the car...sorta keeps driving, and then we can't tell what was in the garage"
 that's the opening line to our show, i think it's gona be a hit- better than storage wars or auction hunters.

 Hmmm, i've only really ever seen one bottle at a garage sale, it was a Dessaur's Ink or something... i think it was $1.  I say i think because the house where the sale was was getting new aluminum siding, and they were in the middle of cutting it to size so i couldn't hear the guy and he couldn't hear me.  I gave him $1, he looked happy, and i left- good deal.
 Usually we get a lot of junk at sales, but i did see a guy selling a wasr-10 (semi auto akm from Romania) for like $500 (too much...) so that was interestin'.  The sign to the sale said, "Garage sale, GUNS" and i was like... huh.

 lookin' forward to the sales and the sale find posts this year


----------



## accountantadam (Mar 3, 2012)

Good to hear from everyone!!!
 Ironmountain- That St. Vincent's store sounds pretty cool. 50 cents for 2 albums is a pretty good deal. We can usually move them for 1-2 each, depending on the artist
 Toddrandolph - We've still not had much of the "professional" tag sales down this way. I guess maybe its not populated enough to be worth the effort. I hear you on the gas. I've really started picking and choosing which auctions I go to, and saw a listing for a good looking yard sale this morning, but at 20 miles away, I wasn't taking the chance on just one sale.
 Brains- I would definitely watch that show. As long as you don't grossly overvalue the items you find like they do on storage wars


----------



## ironmountain (Mar 3, 2012)

adam- yah that store is great. I'm talking huge too. Close to 10k sq feet.  downstairs they 20-30' of full plywood sheathing for just their china and glass. 

 And 2 large racks of albums. The kind you used to see at record stores.  Vinyl is making such a huge comeback now.

 I live in a very rural area also. maybe 15k ppl within 10miles each direction from here. We're pretty much stuck with St Vin's, GW and yard/garage sales. The closest Salvation Army is 30miles...sometimes I miss Grand Rapids and the 4billion stores.. My mom calls me all the time "I'm at blah blah store and I found this, should I buy it and send it to you?". my mom is now a flea market/thrift junkie...


----------



## MIdigger (Mar 3, 2012)

No yard sales yet. But did a small flea mkt today in KY. Nothing bought this time. Keep looking.


----------



## toddrandolph (Mar 4, 2012)

I am always amazed that people find good stuff in good will and other similar stores. I went into a good will store just a couple weeks ago for the first time in several years. 95% of the store is clothes. the remainder consists of stuff that is so bad it should be rejected at the landfill. Seriously, their merchandise makes what I throw away after my yard sale look like gold. I'm sure this is just like yard sales, that if you know the day and time that they bring stuff out, there could possibly be something good, but around here, the good stuff is picked out and goes to auction. I'm sure a good amount is also picked out by the employees and people who drive the trucks that do house picks ups of sutff. Has anyone ever found something good at  good will and similar stores?


----------



## MIdigger (Mar 4, 2012)

Salvation Army and GW sometimes have brass pcs and things I buy for scrap. Sometimes I see glassware and a few things Ill buy. Always look for old uniforms with patches and things (military). Last year found a nice 1951 parka and got it for $5 and made a nice sum for it. Guess like anywhere its a shot in the dark.


----------



## ironmountain (Mar 5, 2012)

toddrandolph I hear what you're saying. I used to only go to GW etc for books for reading and golf clubs. Dad and I would put a set together for neighborhood kids and take them golfing with their "new" set of clubs.  Now I just go for books and workout clothes.  For some reason our GW gets a ton of old books so I snag rare or first editions and just collect them until I decide to sell them off.  

 The GW here is ridiculous most of the time.  Friend is the store manager. I go there to BS with him and see just pure junk on the shelves.  He said there are quite a few people that go there 3-4x per day. And they have to send everything "good" that they get to Madison so it can go on their auction site.  Some nice stuff on there, but people are bid crazy.  I saw a guitar sell for 100 more than it costs brand new. And I'm not paying for 5lbs shipping for a watch.

 I agree MI, SA is a good place to go. The closest one to us (Marquette...1 1/2hrs away) is quite large and their pricing is on par with normal thrift store.  The SA and St Vinny stores at inlaws are nice and priced well.  

 You can score pretty well on clothes. My wife is a jacket fiend and I always buy her jackets/coats when I see them that I think she'd like. She's up to 50 or so now.  I love finding old London Fog trenchcoats. I have 2 now. If I wanted to "clean house" I'd take all of the North Face, Eddie Bauer, Cabelas, Woolrich etc jackets I've bought her and sell them off.


----------



## chazc50 (Mar 11, 2012)

Goodwill here in the fort worth area is really hit and miss, and yes it depends on the day you go.  I have found some really good items but it seems everyone that hunts like i do is there right ahead or behind me sometimes.  Thriftown here is better than GW and salvation army rocks.  But i have my best luck at the single location resale shops that support various charities around here.  90% of the things i find at those are 5-20% of what i see them go for online or at auction so thats where i spend 80% of my time


----------



## accountantadam (Mar 11, 2012)

No yard sales in the area this weekend...Did hit a decent auction yesterday...no bottles or jars, but I did pick up several interesting things. Bought a whole shoebox full of matchbooks...lots of 3 and 4 digit phone numbers...a couple with beer advertising on them..a box of lighters and misc pieces...found a pair of wire rimmed glasses in there that are gold filled, some nice old local pictures, a longaberger basket, some griswold miniature pieces, and some other stuff. I attached a photo of some of the pictures. Check out the family in the hats on the left! Anybody else hit any sales this weekend??


----------



## Rockhounder55 (Mar 11, 2012)

That's freaky. Why is the dude wearing a hat? What kind of Griswold miniature pieces did you get?  ~Mike


----------



## LC (Mar 11, 2012)

> ORIGINAL: accountantadam
> 
> No yard sales in the area this weekend...Did hit a decent auction yesterday...no bottles or jars, but I did pick up several interesting things. Bought a whole shoebox full of matchbooks...lots of 3 and 4 digit phone numbers...a couple with beer advertising on them..a box of lighters and misc pieces...found a pair of wire rimmed glasses in there that are gold filled, some nice old local pictures, a longaberger basket, some griswold miniature pieces, and some other stuff. I attached a photo of some of the pictures. Check out the family in the hats on the left! Anybody else hit any sales this weekend??
> 
> You and I have something in common Dan , we like too much of everything . I have bought like that for years although I have cut back some since my auction five years ago or so . I have a ten inch tin somewhere around here full of book matches from WW11 . A lot of them have battleships on them . I don't care a lot about them but here they are !


----------



## toddrandolph (Mar 11, 2012)

I haven't gone out to the sales yet, just not enough, none that sound any good, and  not worth the gas. I did stop at a picked over estate sale Friday on my way somewhere else and bought nothing. I picked up an oak dropleaf table off the curb today, long and narrow probably 50s, looks like it came out of a school or office. Should be good for $40 or so.

 I got a LOT of match books a couple years ago at a yard sale. The lady was going to throw them out, and then informed me that she had already filled and had hauled away several 40 yard dumpsters with who knows what. Too late, oh well. I sold most of the matches but saved a boxfull that are old pre 1950 and have cool local advertising on them.


----------



## accountantadam (Mar 12, 2012)

Mike - I was wondering the same thing. The rest of the photos look pretty normal, that was the only one I thought was a little....different. The griswold mini's are a kettle and a handled piece. both have 3 legs. I'll put a picture up this evening. I've not seen them before, I was thinking maybe part of a child's set or something.

 LC - I tell people I specialize in anything I can make money on. I'll buy just about anything I think I can turn around for a profit. I'll bet there's at least 100 match books in there. A nice westinghouse advertising from hawaii, a hudson coal co. from PA, a couple with different beers. 

 Todd - I've been to some sales like that, where they've cleaned out and threw away tons of stuff. Makes me almost cry.

 Did hit another auction yesterday, picked up 9 old kentucky derby glasses, A U.S. toy mfg co. clown noise maker, a dick tracy secret service club pin, a small iron, among some other things, nothing spectacular though. Hopefully the yard sales pick up soon.


----------



## chazc50 (Mar 13, 2012)

the guy in the hat kinda looks like will ferrell...and the woman to his left, a young woody allen


----------



## ironmountain (Mar 13, 2012)

i've always found old pics like that eerie. granted they had to keep their pose for a long time, but man, seeing a little kid dressed like that in a photo with that stare...always creepy.

 starting to round up all my stuff to sell....trying to get it all organized. Bottles are all in tubs, wrapped and ready to take pics and list.  There's a semi-large amount of books (2 laundry baskets full or so).  I have some stuff to throw on CL (antique tools and such)  but i'm starting to hate CL.  spam like crazy and very few solid offers. 

 Need to organize first though...HH if you get out


----------



## toddrandolph (Mar 13, 2012)

Don't give up on CL for selling. I've sold a TON of stuff on there this winter. yes, there is spam, and yes, there are people who don't show up, but if you price your stuff reasonably it will sell. It's not good for stuff under $20 or so because it's not worth the gas for people to drive, but for furniture and larger items it's great. I need to start selling on ebay, I've never sold on there, the shipping, listing, fees, and payment seems like a hassle, but I have some items that I know would do much better there than on CL


----------



## ironmountain (Mar 14, 2012)

eBay isn't too bad to sell on. We just use Auctiva to list and it makes it very easy. 
  make a generic auction profile with shipping info etc... upload pics with the upload button, click on new listing. type in what you're selling and fill out the rest.... 

 came in very handy when we had over 300 albums to get rid of because of all the pics you need to take.  front, back , label on both sides, cover all sides, sleeve.... that was pure monotony.   I still have to go through this tin of buttons and see what's in there.  Just upload pics, click similar auction and change the name, pics, info.   What kills is the 17% roughly for listing fees, paypal fees, final value fees etc... They're getting to be like AT&T with the nickel and dime to death.

 CL can be decent I guess.  The spam isn't too bad.  And this is probably my bipolar/adhd talking, but I cannot stand most of the ppl who list stuff on CL up here.  Seeing someone wanting to trade their Harley Sportster for "20 acres of land or more" irritates me to the point of getting irate.  An 8k bike for a 30k hunk of land...

 We just signed up for an Etsy store. I havent even looked at it yet to figure out how to upload/write listings up etc...


----------



## Stardust (Mar 15, 2012)

THAT DUDE IN THE HAT l@@ks very familiar....I think it's someone's family here. lol [] I LOVE OLD PICS [] 
 [8|]Hey diddle diddle ..COW, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU...Could they be related to you? Steve, get that disco 
 dancing cow and compare the faces.
  That baby is beautiful. []
 Load up some more pics, this is fun [8D]
 I need a good auction ~


----------



## accountantadam (Mar 17, 2012)

Mike - Here is a picture of the griswold mini pieces I picked up.

 Hit up a flea market/yard sale this morning at the fairgrounds in lancaster. Way too crowded...lots of rude people...Did pick up a 2 gallon crock, a fenton bell, and a toothpick holder. Stopped at an antique mall after that and picked up a nice local druggist for my collection, found the bigger brother at the Columbus show a couple weeks ago. The last Scotts antique show of the season is in columbus next weekend, so I think I'm gonna check that out. Anybody do any good this weekend?


----------



## MIdigger (Mar 18, 2012)

1st sale of the year = FAIL. Just the usual stuff. Stopped on my way back from the bottle show-didnt buy anything there, just a learning exp.


----------



## accountantadam (Apr 1, 2012)

Yard sales have been a little slow so far this spring down here....been hitting some auctions instead. Picked up a truck load yesterday at an amish consignment sale on the other end of town. Several nice primitive pieces. Sent dad to a few yard sales friday and yesterday. He got a couple nice lighters, a wood box, and some axes. We're planning our first yard sale for next weekend. Gotta move some of this stuff we've been accumulating. Anybody else doing any good??


----------



## coreya (Apr 1, 2012)

Yard sales have been horrible all winter here in north central Florida as we have had a larger than normal influx of people (retirees) from up north who descend on any sale in the area like locusts and drive the prices way up, plus us having to take care of my wifes mother (90 years young) has put a cramp in getting out. These are the first decent finds all winter with the creamtop milk pint and the lincoln bank bottle being the best. (sadly the creamtops acl is just a shadow of its former self and reads "give the children Southern Dairies Chocolate Milk on one side and Drink Southern Daries Milk and the Sealtest Seal on the other, also an embossed SD on the base, wish there was some way to bring it back!!) The Lincoln bank is the second I've found but is shorter than the first (must be different styles?) The flask is a type 2 clevenger Bros, the other milk is a Chicago dairy "IRA J. MIX" also a pint. and of course the skull shot glasses from the crystal Vodka.
 These all add to my collection!!![]


































[/IMG]


----------



## accountantadam (Apr 5, 2012)

Nice finds coreya!! Those skull shot glasses are pretty cool! 

 Weather's supposed to be sunny and in the 60's here this weekend, so we're gonna try our spring yard sale early this year. We usually wait and have it around the first of may, but we're gonna give it a go tomorrow and saturday. Hopefully people will be out and wanting to spend some $$$. Several flea markets coming up in the next month, so maybe we'll have a good weekend and have some money to reload


----------



## MIdigger (Apr 5, 2012)

Hoping to get out this weekend and make some buy. Antiques mall is having its grand opening, and a flea type set up also. Have a bunch of milks and odds and ends Im looking to wheel off.

 Those skulls are pretty sharp!!.


----------



## ironmountain (Apr 5, 2012)

sounds like you're going to have a nice weekend Digger..... I'm jealous of all you guys/gals being able to hit sales already. One of the best summertime activities!!! nice way to meet folks, find cool stuff and do some research by asking the ol' timers about the history of the area and places to dig/md.
  Sales won't start up here for 4-8wks. Depending upon the weather.

  Kids and I usually bike around and hit them all during the summer. (i love that my kids, especially Meryl, are junkhounds like me!)
  Sad thing is the people that show up for a sale 1hr early and pace around the driveway like it's a ride at Six Flags.

  We had that happen last year at the one we had at home.  We had people here almost 2hrs early. We hadn't even hauled stuff out of the garage yet. I patiently told them that we will open when the ad says we will because it's not fair to ppl waiting til that time.  Nice to hear people complain that they got up early to come to this sale and it's not open yet blah blah....
  you could almost see the tears of caring pour down my face..almost..... /sarcasm off

 I really miss flea markets!!!! sounds like there are some nice ones down by most of you guys.  We have one that goes thurs-sun every week.  Normally it's just 10-15 "vendors" with stuff. Once in awhile find something decent and ppl are always willing to dicker or trade for stuff. 

 Nothing on the scale of places downstate though..... 

 Digger, ever been to shipshewana?  that place used to be heaven-like.  

 here's a list of most of the vendors...well categories to them:

 http://www.tradingplaceamerica.com/fleaguide.php

 If I had the chance (and I could drive) I'd grab whoever wanted to go and hit the Grand Rapids flea market and then take the few hr drive down to Indiana for the Shipshewana one...

 I usually don't spend too much at sales until the Norway city rummage sale. entire town has a rummage/yard/garage sale..it's huge..takes 3-4hrs just to walk it w/o really looking at stuff... 
 was too busy last year to go to sales. Buddy and I setup shop at his house. I had my spy out there looking for me. My loving daughter would call me from houses or text pics of stuff she thought "we'd" like...

 enough rambling....need to do more research before it warms up and I hit the backyard again.


----------



## coreya (Apr 8, 2012)

Here are some of this weekends finds, Got lucky and happened upon an estate sale of a butcher / collector and picked up a bunch of great quality butcher knives and other tools along with some wheaton / south jersey glass repos and three little creamer jars. Also found a box (about 20) of post office box doors that were really dirty and solid black sitting under a table at another sale, here are a few I've cleaned up. All told spent 76 bucks and added to my collection and gave me a few things to sell to feed my collecting habit!
 Wife says I look like Sweeny Todd with the knives!


















[/IMG]


----------



## ironmountain (Apr 8, 2012)

nice finds!!! those doors are so great.  so many things you could do with them.  nice insta collection of knives!! those look like they'd be cool looking (and useable) on wall mounted magnetic rack...nice grab.


----------



## toddrandolph (Apr 9, 2012)

I had my first buying trip in a while, not a yard sale, but a CL ad for an old commercial building to be torn down that had to be cleaned out. This one had everything that I love about a picking trip: in the ghetto, boarded up windows, 1890s building, no electricity, shaky floors, rotted stairways and a leaky roof. The place was filled with stuff, most of which was worthless, but I along with the 8 or so other people that showed up found a few things. I think I did pretty good for a total investment of $85 plus gas. As always, no bottles, unless you count the Jim Beam, Mrs. Butterworths, and other assorted trash that will probably go down with the building.

 Here's a nice 8' high flatwall cupboard with beadboard doors, almost certainlty original to the building, was always freestanding, not built in.


----------



## toddrandolph (Apr 9, 2012)

Smalls: very heavy iron wheel from some sort of industrial machine, this thing weighs at least 20  lbs, early tin candlestick, early mirror frame in bad shape, and Star nail cups, to hold nails for a cobbler


----------



## toddrandolph (Apr 9, 2012)

nice window with colored glass, I had to pry this out of the front window


----------



## toddrandolph (Apr 9, 2012)

The History of Slavery, by W.O. Blake, 1860. Title page is badly foxed, other pages and binding is pretty good. From what I can find online, this seems to be a pretty good book


----------



## coreya (Apr 9, 2012)

Todd great finds, the red wheel looks like its off a coffee or similar grinder and should have some writing along the edges. The window is great.


----------



## toddrandolph (Apr 9, 2012)

Not from a coffee grinder though it looks like that. It says U.S. Slicing Machine Co. LaPorte, Ind. I guess I'll do a search to see what that is....


----------



## accountantadam (Apr 10, 2012)

Nice finds guys!! Todd, I would have guessed corn or coffee grinder on that wheel as well. I love that window. 
 Great looking knives coreya! 
 We did alright with the yard sale. Friday was cold and windy, but we sold a lot of stuff. Saturday was beautiful, had lots of lookers, but not a lot of buyers. 2 big flea markets here in southern ohio this coming weekend, gonna try to hit them both if the rain holds off, as well as try to get in some mushroom hunting


----------



## Stardust (Apr 11, 2012)

VERY nice finds...you're making me yard sale crazy ~ I need one BAD []Really bad *


----------



## myersdiggers1998 (Apr 14, 2012)

Coreya, those lincoln bottle banks sell for an average of$15.00 on the bay regularly, I dug a few years ago and sold them ,I have been trying to dig up one to keep ,but no luck yet , but i'm persistant,i'll dig another ...[]


----------



## VTdigger (Apr 15, 2012)

first good yard sale of the year stopped by after picking in the wild and getting nada. anyway the tag sale was good for some nice green depression glass a sugar and creamer in the block optic style made from 1929-33, a green Georgian love birds sugar bowl (1931-360 and a Florentine no. 1 cup (1932-35) with a small chip but it was only $4.   eighteen  dollars for all 4 peaces.


----------



## coreya (Apr 16, 2012)

Nothing in the way of bottles but did get a line on a large demijon for this upcomming week possible real cheap! Did find two nice self defense pieces one a 12 ga pump and the other a 410 single shot bronco not made since 1978 and not many sold. And best of all cheap.


----------



## ironmountain (Apr 17, 2012)

nice shotgun...always liked the pistol grip on them....so tactical looking!!!! 

  my daughter is dying for one. She's 11, took hunter's safety this past summer and they shot some skeet. She was 5 for 5..first time ever shooting anything larger than a .22 or .410... found a nice benelli for under 500... might be making that an early deer season gun for her...


----------



## MIdigger (Apr 19, 2012)

Still looking for a good sale. Went to an estate sale....not much to look at and most of the junk I saw carried away didnt appeal to me. The next was your typical kiddie sale.......Got to be something!.


----------



## ironmountain (Apr 19, 2012)

you have a dump to go to!!! you don't need rummage/garage sales!!..

 None here yet either. Haven't seen an estate sale or auction in quite awhile.  When the weather pics up it'll get better. Supposed to snow tonight.ugh.


----------



## accountantadam (Apr 19, 2012)

We held our first yard sale of the year the first weekend of April, had a real good day friday, saturday was slow. Surprised me, as we had better weather on saturday than on friday. Ended up doing about $1,500 between the 2 days, so it wasn't too bad. Hit 2 flea markets this past weekend. Not much there in the way of good bottles. Everyone trying to sell aqua ball perfect masons for $4 each. We did pick up 2 nice wooden explosive boxes, some enamelware, a couple cap guns, some repro cast iron toys, an old saw blade, several nice pieces of fenton, a pair of ice tongs that are probably 2 feet tall, and some misc. primitive stuff. Not too bad of a weekend for buying. Hopefully the yard sales pick up soon


----------



## accountantadam (Jun 10, 2012)

Been a pretty good couple of weeks hitting the yard sales/flea markets. Not many bottles, but a lot of interesting finds. Went to Springfield last month for the first time...If you aren't too far away and can make it for one of the extravaganzas, I'd definitely recommend it. We were there for more than 8 hours, and didn't even see half of it. Picked up a couple nice crock bowls last week, lots of antiques/primitives. Highlight of theday yesterday was a pflueger muskie lure still in the box. I'll try to get a picture up this evening.


----------



## MIdigger (Jun 10, 2012)

Ok got a complete 1993 AC spark plug/and card set (8) wonder what the whole boxed set might go for?? See some individual packages for 7-20 bucks on fleabay but no Earnhardt card/plug set which this one has. Got some goods today. Finally some good finds.


----------



## ironmountain (Jun 13, 2012)

nice find on the lure.  No idea on your find Dig.  

 I was digging in one of the tackle boxes we used to toss odd/misc lures in.  Found quite a few Luhr Jensen's still in the pkg.  Other than that, haven't had time for rummage sales and such.  I really don't go much anymore.  Ever since some of the picker etc..shows have come on, it's like the start of a triathlon.  We're having our annual sale in July.  usually have it at the inlaws' because we get tons of repeat people that show up. (wife has four sisters and their families stuff, plus mom/dad's).  This year, like last year, we're starting at our house and we'll finish at their house. I'm sticking everything in that sale this year. 

 GL finding stuff.


----------

