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What Not to Throw Away Before an Estate Sale

Stop! Before you start cleaning out the house.

Preparing for an estate sale, downsizing a longtime home or handling a parent’s belongings? Your first instinct may be to start throwing things away. Don’t. At least, not yet.

Before you throw it away, let us look. We’ve seen families unknowingly discard, donate or give away items that could have been sold.

Remove what the family is keeping. Let us see the rest.

You don’t need to decide what’s valuable before calling. Hundreds of items worth a few dollars each can add up, and buyers may want something your family hasn’t considered valuable in years.

First: don’t start throwing things away.

Families can accidentally dispose of items with resale value simply because they don’t recognize them. Before you donate, discard or give things away, let an experienced estate-sale professional evaluate the home. When in doubt, don’t throw it out. Let us look first.

Value isn’t always obvious

Older household items, costume jewelry, vintage clothing, tools, advertising pieces, coins, sterling silver, artwork, pottery, glassware, holiday decorations, books and collectibles are often overlooked. They may not be in the living room. Look in:

17 things not to throw away

Estate sale buyers don’t shop like retail customers. These are the items families most often overlook.

1. Costume jewelry


Vintage brooches, bracelets, necklaces and signed designer pieces attract collectors. Don’t toss the jewelry box because nothing looks like gold.

2. Old coins and paper money


Check jars, envelopes, drawers, safes, old purses and boxes of papers for silver, foreign, commemorative and older U.S. coins and currency.

3. Sterling silver


Heavily tarnished silver can look almost black. Check flatware, trays, bowls and candlesticks for “Sterling,” “925” or maker’s marks. Don’t aggressively polish.

4. Old kitchenware


Cast iron, Pyrex, CorningWare, pottery, mixing bowls, serving pieces and vintage appliances all have buyers. Don’t empty every cabinet into donation boxes.

5. Vintage holiday decorations


Glass ornaments, older light sets, ceramic trees, figurines, blow molds, Halloween items and original boxes can be collectible.

6. Old toys and games


Die-cast cars, model trains, dolls, action figures, tin toys and board games can be valuable even if played with. Keep original packaging.

7. Tools and garage contents


Garages, sheds and workshops can be among the most productive areas of a sale. Hand and power tools, hardware, lawn, shop and fishing gear all sell.

8. Old advertising


Signs, thermometers, calendars, clocks, tins, bottles, trays, store displays and gas, oil and soda memorabilia interest collectors.

9. Old paper


Postcards, maps, posters, programs, vintage magazines, manuals and catalogs can be collectible. Secure or destroy personal financial, medical and identifying documents.

10. Vintage clothing


Dresses, jackets, Western wear, designer clothing, handbags, hats, scarves, belts and boots may sell. See the closet before donating it.

11. Electronics and audio


Receivers, turntables, speakers, radios, cameras and gaming systems have buyers. Condition and model matter, so evaluate before disposal.

12. Records, CDs and media


Vinyl ranges from common to highly collectible. Artist, pressing, condition, rarity and demand matter.

13. Books


Most aren’t rare, but first editions, signed books, local history, art, military and older children’s books can be. Large groups of ordinary books also sell.

14. China, crystal and glass


Some china patterns have declined while pottery, studio and art glass hold up. Check the bottoms of pieces for maker’s marks.

15. Old furniture


Don’t decide it’s worthless because it’s brown, heavy or out of fashion. Mid-century, certain antique and designer pieces deserve a look.

16. Items hidden in drawers


Check nightstands, desks, dressers, sewing cabinets, jewelry boxes, kitchen drawers, filing cabinets and toolboxes. Small valuables are easy to miss.

17. Collections you don’t understand


Stamps, coins, sports and military memorabilia, figurines, trains, watches, knives and more. If you don’t understand it, don’t dispose of it before evaluation.

What should you remove first?

Secure or clearly identify these, then stop. You don’t need to clean the whole house for us.



Don’t donate everything yet either

Donating is generous, but giving away large quantities before the estate is evaluated reduces the amount and variety of merchandise for the sale.

The better sequence

Family keepsakes → Estate evaluation → Estate sale → Remaining items → Donation or other disposition


Rather than

Family keepsakes → Throw away and donate half the house → Call an estate sale company


Very cluttered house? Don’t be embarrassed. We’re evaluating the potential of the estate, not judging how someone lived. Photos can help us understand the scope before a consultation.

Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I have a dumpster delivered before calling you?

Usually not. Let us evaluate the estate before large-scale disposal begins.

Not necessarily. Vintage, designer or specialty pieces may be saleable.

Often, yes. Individual pieces may not be valuable, but an entire household holds a large volume of saleable merchandise.

Avoid aggressive cleaning of unfamiliar pieces before evaluation. Improper cleaning can damage an item.

Don’t worry about what’s gone. Stop further clean-out and have the remaining contents evaluated.

That’s what the consultation is for. Tell us about the property and we’ll help determine whether a sale or another option makes sense.

READY TO BEGIN?

Before you clean out the house, call us.

Keep what matters to your family. Secure private documents and personal items. Then let us see everything else before you throw it away. There may be considerably more saleable merchandise than you realize.