Tallone
Hero Member
I hit a few yard sales and one auction this weekend and did pretty well. Nothing eye-popping but enough to make it a worthwhile weekend.
First buy was the set of knives below. These were found at a neighborhood sale. There were lots of people at the sale a few doors down because they had a lot of stuff out. The folks with the knives had only a few things and nobody was looking at their stuff. I walked over, looked around, and saw nothing of interest except the knives. They had a sticker on them that said $10. They looked like a decent, but not great, set of knives and they were in very good shape but I was hesitant to spend $10 on them. Then the lady said, "Everything on that table is $1". SOLD! I checked them out on ebay and I should be able to get at least $25 for them - maybe a little more. I had hoped for better but, for $1, it is hard to go wrong.
By the way, this purchase reminded me of one of the better buys I have made in the past few years. A couple of years ago I picked up a set of 10 knives (with leather carry case) for $10. The case was very flat and, at first, I thought it was some kind of business planner or something. I almost passed it by but I opened it up to see what was in it. I like to cook and watch cooking shows on TV. I have noticed that most professional chefs have a personal set of knives in a similar case so I thought these might be pretty good. The guy was only asking $10 for them so I bought them. When I checked them out I found out that they were, in fact, professional quality chef's knives that sell for $30 - $60 each on ebay so this was about a $400 - $500 set. They were a major upgrade from the knives I had and their style matched our recently remodeled kitchen perfectly so I kept them. I use them all the time and LOVE them. Sorry, I digress, but that is one of my all time favorite buys.
My next purchase last Saturday was the briefcase below. This was in a box with a bunch of cheapo bags and I didn't notice it the first time around. The lady said her daughter picked it up in Italy some years back but didn't use it much so she was selling it. There is an embossed label that reads "Raffaello Firenze" so I believed her. She only wanted $2 for it. I have a leather briefcase that I use all the time but mine is not nearly as good quality as this one and it is beginning to wear out so I'm going to get rid of my old one and keep this one. I probably would have bought it even if I didn't want it because it is in really good shape and is clearly very well made. I checked out the value on ebay anyway. There is an identical bag which has been listed twice - once for $199 then again for $99. It didn't sell either time. I'm guessing in a retail store this might be a $200 bag.
Next were the 2 vintage Coleman lanterns below. I believe the green one is from the 1940s and the red one from the 1950s or 60s. They aren't in the best condition but I only paid $25 for the pair. I was interested in them mostly because the globes are intact. These globes sell for about $20 each on ebay. I can probably sell the other parts of the lanterns for another $30 - $40.
My final buy I picked up at an estate auction. They had a whole bunch of glass serving pieces. I have had some pretty good success with cut crystal in the past so when I first saw the table with all this fancy looking glassware I thought I had struck gold. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, everything on the table (with the exception of the piece below) was cheap junk. Unlike the other pieces, this one has very sharp edges to the cuts and rings like a bell when tapped. This bowl is 8 inches in diameter. I paid $15 for it. I think I get get at least $50.
First buy was the set of knives below. These were found at a neighborhood sale. There were lots of people at the sale a few doors down because they had a lot of stuff out. The folks with the knives had only a few things and nobody was looking at their stuff. I walked over, looked around, and saw nothing of interest except the knives. They had a sticker on them that said $10. They looked like a decent, but not great, set of knives and they were in very good shape but I was hesitant to spend $10 on them. Then the lady said, "Everything on that table is $1". SOLD! I checked them out on ebay and I should be able to get at least $25 for them - maybe a little more. I had hoped for better but, for $1, it is hard to go wrong.
By the way, this purchase reminded me of one of the better buys I have made in the past few years. A couple of years ago I picked up a set of 10 knives (with leather carry case) for $10. The case was very flat and, at first, I thought it was some kind of business planner or something. I almost passed it by but I opened it up to see what was in it. I like to cook and watch cooking shows on TV. I have noticed that most professional chefs have a personal set of knives in a similar case so I thought these might be pretty good. The guy was only asking $10 for them so I bought them. When I checked them out I found out that they were, in fact, professional quality chef's knives that sell for $30 - $60 each on ebay so this was about a $400 - $500 set. They were a major upgrade from the knives I had and their style matched our recently remodeled kitchen perfectly so I kept them. I use them all the time and LOVE them. Sorry, I digress, but that is one of my all time favorite buys.
My next purchase last Saturday was the briefcase below. This was in a box with a bunch of cheapo bags and I didn't notice it the first time around. The lady said her daughter picked it up in Italy some years back but didn't use it much so she was selling it. There is an embossed label that reads "Raffaello Firenze" so I believed her. She only wanted $2 for it. I have a leather briefcase that I use all the time but mine is not nearly as good quality as this one and it is beginning to wear out so I'm going to get rid of my old one and keep this one. I probably would have bought it even if I didn't want it because it is in really good shape and is clearly very well made. I checked out the value on ebay anyway. There is an identical bag which has been listed twice - once for $199 then again for $99. It didn't sell either time. I'm guessing in a retail store this might be a $200 bag.
Next were the 2 vintage Coleman lanterns below. I believe the green one is from the 1940s and the red one from the 1950s or 60s. They aren't in the best condition but I only paid $25 for the pair. I was interested in them mostly because the globes are intact. These globes sell for about $20 each on ebay. I can probably sell the other parts of the lanterns for another $30 - $40.
My final buy I picked up at an estate auction. They had a whole bunch of glass serving pieces. I have had some pretty good success with cut crystal in the past so when I first saw the table with all this fancy looking glassware I thought I had struck gold. Unfortunately, on closer inspection, everything on the table (with the exception of the piece below) was cheap junk. Unlike the other pieces, this one has very sharp edges to the cuts and rings like a bell when tapped. This bowl is 8 inches in diameter. I paid $15 for it. I think I get get at least $50.
Last edited:
