Found Good Things in My “Death Pile” and What’s Selling

I almost went to an estate sale on Monday, but stopped myself. Instead I put on my big girl pants to deal with some lingering bits of inventory. Honestly by this point I shouldn’t have any, but I do. Maybe you do too! Drives me a bit nuts. And the shocking thing is some of these were really good items. Why hadn’t I listed these before???

I thought I had listed all my big rosaries from the private pick from two years ago only to discover this huge one. This souvenir of Lourdes rosary is 49″ long with chunky beads that appear to be carved wood, but I’m not 100% convinced. They could be a wood-like resin. It’s hard to tell.

It is so long I consider it a lasso or wedding rosary. It is darn spectacular.

In my jewelry area I found this unlisted WWII-era silver charm bracelet. I bought this last year and had taken some of the charms off to sell separately and then set aside the bracelet. I have no idea why I didn’t continue processing it. Anyway I decided to keep the rest of the bracelet together and it’s now listed.

I decided to get back to working through this box of medals, also from the private pick of two years ago. I had listed and sold at least 18 from this box and now I’m down to the dregs.

Or so I thought! I found a small medal/pendant in the box that surprised me. First it tested positive for silver (likely coin silver) and secondly it had a date of 1624! Holy smokes! That’s crazy if it’s the real date.

It’s known as a Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) medal. It does have wear and age, but in my listing I stress that I have not authenticated it for 1624. Still it is a very old piece listed for $125.

And believe it or not I still have some items from a pick over six years ago. I bought a quantity of amber jewelry from the estate of a Polish woman who lasted visited that country in the 1980s. Some still had Polish price tags on them. This piece was once both a pendant and pin, but the pin had broken off. Still it was a nice thing that tested for silver. I’ve listed it conservatively because of the damage.

The last few days I’ve been doing the hard work and forgoing the fun of shopping for more inventory. And I know I need to keep at this. I still have lots of charms to list, more ephemera, more amber, some vintage clothes, vintage lab glass. I have all these bits and pieces. Not huge death piles, but things stored here and there. It feels never ending.

But the other day since I had to run errands anyway, I stopped into my neighborhood thrift store. (I know a lot of resellers don’t bother sourcing at thrift stores, but I’ll always make time for this one.) Almost left empty-handed till I spotted a couple of chinoiserie dessert plates. I waffled on these because I’m not really buying china plates, cups and such anymore. But gosh they were pretty.

Flipped them over and saw this mark. Turns out it’s for Minton & Boyle, England, circa 1836 to 1841!

Well, well, well. These were definitely coming home with me. Finding 180-year-old items at a thrift store is crazy!!

I feel like there should be a moral to this week’s work…or several.

First, don’t let unlisted inventory pile up. Just don’t. Plow through and get things listed shortly after you acquire them. The fact that I am still listing items bought years ago is astounding but all too common in this biz.

And secondly, when out sourcing look at everything. I almost missed these plates because they weren’t on my current “buy list.”

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What’s Selling

Because I sell such a wide variety of items in my Etsy store, it’s hard to spot trends, but I have noticed that my vintage sterling charms are selling well (and have been all year).

I was happy to see the framed antique Tuck’s Halloween postcard find a home this fall. I had bought it last October and it hit my store a little too late to find a buyer, but it sold this season and the new owner is thrilled with it. My husband thought I had a dud with my signed 1973 “Fly-tying Problems” book. It sold in 10 days for $40. (Paid $2.59.)

Perhaps the most satisfying sale was one of the quirkiest. Years ago I bought a small frozen Charlotte figure at a rummage sale for $10. Way too much as I learned!! Since she wasn’t worth trying to resell online I kept her. Fast forward to 2024 and I bought this lovely older Spode teacup for $3.29. Got it home and noticed it was too crazed to be usable. Well darn.

I just wasn’t sure what I could do with either of these other than donate them. Then it hit me…what if put them together in a lot? It was kinda cute. So I did and it sold! The new owner loves this little combo and even bought a dress for the doll and left me a nice review.

September started off rough and I had six days without one sale but it’s gotten back on track. Often there is no rhyme or reason why sales suddenly tank. I was still listing stuff, putting items on sale, reworking older listings–keeping my store active. It just happens. I was bummed but not gnashing my teeth and it has turned around.

We’ll be entering Q4 soon. We’ll see if this one is a boom or a bust!