“Death Pile” End in Sight?

I don’t have a death pile per se, but I still have random items tucked here and there that I haven’t dealt with. And usually I did have a “good reason” to set them aside–more research was needed or cleaning or conditioning or something!! But over the next few months I want all these things to be listed or given away. I want everything caught up and organized. Ship shape!

So here’s where I started a few days ago…

Vintage Cordial Glasses

I bought these four fancy cordial glasses a couple of years ago. So delicate and pretty. But first I had to see if I could figure out who made them. (In the end I determined they were likely by Libbey–Rock Sharpe.) Then I had to figure out a fair price and discovered $8 to $12 a glass was the going rate. Then, alas, I found one had a chip on the rim. So I tucked them away again.

But now I wanted to deal with them. I tossed out the damaged one but what to do the remaining three. Do I list three or just a pair? Should I buy similar ones and create a fun, mis-matched lot? Or do I offer these to someone in one of my local communities? [In the end I gave them to a young couple in my church who thought they were beautiful.]

Pewter Tray

I bought this pewter tray pre-Covid! That’s how long it’s been sitting. It came heaped with other pewter items–coffee pot, tea pot, sugar bowl, creamer, etc. The whole mess was taped up so tight I couldn’t see inside any of them in the store. My thrifting friend Patty was in Goodwill that morning too and she said the items were probably all fine because most folks rarely used this stuff. It was more for decor. So I bought this whole, huge pewter wodge for $30 in 2019.

Turns out Patty was wrong. Most of the pieces were corroded/damaged inside. In the end I re-donated all of them except the tray–a huge, heavy (5+ pounds) Royal Selangor tray made for the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1996.

This was the only piece worth saving. But instead of listing it right away I put it in our garage. And it was out of sight, out of mind. And now six+ years later, my husband unearthed it in a garage clean out. Crazy right?!

Well it turns out trays like this can be worth money. Here are a few current listings.

Here are some of the current pewter products offered by the V & A Museum. All rather pricey and they no longer offer trays.

I decided to list my my scarce tray for $348.

1800s English Brass and Cast Iron Jelly Pot

This heavy-duty antique pot does not come with good memories. The lady I bought this from years ago was a friend of a friend and lived in a retirement community. I’d go to her apartment where she’d have a variety of items she wanted to sell. I’d select what items I was interested in and she wanted me to make an offer for the lot. So I would. And then she would pull stuff from the lot and expect my offer to stand.

So the three times I visited it was always fraught. The last time she decided at the last minute that she wanted to keep all but two items–a large Georges Briard glass bowl and Spode Christmas tiered tray. I didn’t even want the Spode item, but I offered $30 for both. She was miffed. Felt I was ripping her off. I told her in all honesty I didn’t think I could offer more. (I couldn’t do research in her apartment because the building blocked cell phones.) I left empty handed and we never contacted each other again.

In the end I did make a little money from the few things I had bought from her, but not much, and I still have this one item–an antique jelly/jam pot from her grandmother in Scotland. It is heavy solid brass with a cast iron handle in need of a bit of cleaning. It is an outstanding thing but I have avoided listing this for six years or so. Partly because shortly after I bought it I wondered if this type of item had gone out of favor and should I just sit on it a while. Possibly true. But I’ve sat on it long enough!

Despite my negative experiences with this woman I do appreciate the history of this item. I can picture her grandmother cooking down jam on a wood-fueled stove in the Scottish highlands and her mother bringing this pot across the pond to the U.S. to use. And later this woman used it to house a plant!

Here are a few currently for sale…

I’ll likely list mine for $200ish.

Vintage Books

Now I do have a death pile of these! And in the midst of these I found this book on grief. It’s a 1980 signed first edition hard cover with dust jacket in very good condition. Similar ones are listed for $200 and I got excited BUT then I discovered that all the $200 listings (on Etsy, AbeBooks and Between the Covers) are the same book from the same seller. So this may be fantasy pricing though this person does specialize in books. Hmmm. I’ve listed mine for $125. We’ll see what happens.

Vintage Samsonite Vinyl Tote

Now this robin egg blue tote was NOT death pile fodder, but rather an item I inherited from an aunt years ago. Circa 1960/70s it’s in great condition, but I’ve only used it once and it seems silly just to keep storing it. These typically sell in the $20 to $40 range and there are a lot for sale online so I’m looking to give it away rather than sell it. Neither of my daughters want it so I’ve offered to other folks. We’ll see if anyone takes me up on it.

I have more bits scattered about our house and garage to deal with. Good things that got left by the wayside. But as I slowly process them it feels like a weight is lifting. It’s a good feeling!