We are continually emptying the house here or at least, piling our belongings into piles for the future : Goodwill, we’ve got a large pile of things for a garage sale, we’ve got lots of kitchen things for a group that supplies abused women and their families, a bunch of furniture for storage and some for a sale.
Remember those Kennedy half-dollars we all saved because they were going to be rare and valuable someday in the future? Today I took my pile into a coin and stamp dealer, Mike, to see what I could get. I also took some gift coins from the Franklin Mint, some old pennies, a book with all 50 of the state quarters and other misc. coins. I had an old US stamp collection that I haven’t bought anything for in years. Why are we keeping all this? Inertia. Well, today inertia ends and I’m going to take it in to make my fortune. Ha, Ha.
Mike flipped through the stamp book pretty fast, pausing a bit on some pages and then keying some figures into his adding machine. Hmmm. And I spent so much time putting this collection all together. Not worth much - no one collects stamps these days. Then he began on the coins. Those Kennedy halves minted before 1974 made out of pure silver, he moved into a pile on his side of the counter. These he wanted. Those minted after 1974 which were sandwiched with copper he did not want and shoved those towards my side of the counter. In the end, I walked out with $54.00 of Kennedy half- dollars that were worth just what was stamped on them: $.50. But I also walked out with $328 for the other coins and the stamps. Whoo - eeee. I’m rich now. He gave me 3 $100 bills and $28.00. What in the world am I going to do with a $100 bill, much less 3 of these little babies?
But, while he was working we were also talking. He also had collected the same Toby Jugs (Royal Doulton Character Jugs) which my mother had collected and which we have been selling over the last two years. He told me that I should have asked him about buyers. Well, I didn’t know he did Toby Jugs. Oh, well. I drove out of the parking lot to the light on the corner and, while waiting for the light to change, I realized that he might be able to help me with the 3 sets of sterling silver ware I had.
When I was young, my mother insisted that I have my own pattern of sterling silver. She had a set of her pattern and that’s just what young women did so that they could entertain when they got married. So, I chose the same pattern my grandmother had chosen - and took all of hers, which my mother had gotten on my grandmother’s death. (Being thrifty and questioning whether I really ‘needed’ my own pattern, I chose a pattern that already had every piece I might ever need - my grandmother’s.)
When the light changed, I crossed the street, circled around a small island and waited at the light again so I could return to the coin dealer’s shop. Sure enough - in red and yellow paint were 3’ tall letters in his front window: WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER. He buys all sets of sterling silver - of course he then sells them to someone who melts them down.
I then crossed the library off my list and headed on back home to get my sets. I have 3: my grandmother’s, my mother’s and my uncle’s. Mike told me that I’d be surprised at how much of this stuff is hanging around homes unused these days. Well, not in my home, we used this sterling whenever we had company. I loved deciding which set to use this time.
I must have hit every light on the way back home. Finally I got there, got out the 3 sets and decided to keep my mother’s but sell my uncle’s and my grandmother’s. I sailed through every light on the way back and spread my silver out before him. Unceremoniously he piled it all into a plastic bin, weighted it and OMG - it was worth how much? Whoo - eee ! ! ! I almost danced a jig.
I had stopped at Costco earlier in the day, realizing that I was now relegated to JIT inventory in my home (Just In Time). No buying in quantity any more. No more buying 2 of things, only one at a time. There are only so many places I can stuff 24 rolls of toilet paper or 2 24-oz jars of peanut butter in this RV.
After my financial windfall at the gold and silver store, i visited the bank, natch, and then went back to Gary to show him my deposit slip. ‘And, how much did you earn today, dear?’ I asked.
Then, I fell right down to earth and cleaned the refrigerator, the dishwasher, the oven and the microwave.
Home late again to a quick dinner.
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