Spoons and badges

[Callunna]

Wasn’t sure which section to post this - if it’s wrong please feel free to move it.

One of the things that always gets me is that over the years I’ve acquired several old items that you’d think were worth quite a bit, but in fact they’re worth next to nothing.

For example, my mum was given a silver spoon in a box by West Riding CC on the occasion of the George VI coronation in 1937. I saw an identical one on ebay for £3.99 but it didn’t even get one bid!

And I have a lapel badge of the Golden Arrow steam train - an identical one sold on ebay for £2.49.

Keep hoping one day I’ll find something that will enable me to retire in comfort!

What kind of things have YOU got stashed away?

[Wendyf]

Disappointing isn't it? I had a childhood collection of the original Wade "Lady & the Tramp" figures, about 12 in all I think. You see them selling for £20 - £30 at flea markets, but I even bought a book on Wade which told me some of them were quite rare and worth £60 - £100. I took them to the auctions at Clitheroe a couple of years ago and they only made about £40 for the lot! I put a number of things into the sale that I had been hoarding away, hoping to make a fortune one day, and most of them made between £20 and £40, so I came away with nearly £400 that I didnt have before and empty cupboards. I do miss being able to get them out now & again and think "Mmm I wonder what that must be worth?".

[Tripps]

Good topic - In 1979, I sent for a free Denby coffee mug which comemorated the 25th anniversary of Maxwell house coffee. Many years later I snapped up another in a charity shop to make the pair up. Looks like I wasn't the only one as I just looked on ebay and there are about ten for sale at prices fro £1.50 to£5.
I wouldn't be without my Barnoldswick Urban District Council souvenir cup for King George V 's coronation from June 1911. Were they given to alll scholars? The quality is impressive, and I get a little buzz from handling something so old.
Do computers qualify for the topic? I've two desktops which cost a lot, but I can't bring myself to chuck them out. I doubt you could even give them away now.

[Whyperion]

Auctions are a wholesale venue , where most people are looking to pay only trade prices ( or less ) , but if collectors do turn up it can push the price up a bit. At the same time they are a quickish way to turn items into cash, without having to go round every dealer or trying to find an end buyer.

[Callunna]

I’ve also got a beautiful baccy box given to my great uncle in WWI by the Queen (Mary?). Polished brass by the look of it. Worth a pittance, apparently. I’d never sell it though, so I suppose it’s irrelevant.

[Stanley]

I live in a museum. I listened to Grayson Perry on style recently and he'd love to spend a few hours in my house! I know that some items are valuable and have given the kids some clues so they can be alert when I die. Beyond that my attitude is the same as a man I knew who had a Stradivarius violin on his wall. When asked how much it was worth he said "Nothing. It's mine".
Value can go beyond money.



I treasure objects because of their association. This dirty little cardboard box is rubbish to anyone else but it takes me back to a sunny day in San Francisco and some very happy times so to me it's priceless. Just like the items mentioned above. I once looked into meditation and the recommendation was to have a room filled with items that had associations as this was the best place to meditate. I realised I have a house like that!

[Callunna]

So, in light of the fact that the Coronation spoon is worth nowt (financially) there can be no reason why I shouldn’t clean it. I can’t devalue it in any way, can I?

It’s not silver - on the back it says (in small writing so that it looks like a hallmark!) 1A MAPPIN & WEBB plus a little symbol.

Here’s a pic quickly taken on my phone:

photo.JPG

[Whyperion]

The WW1 tin/box is probably worth at least a fiver to the right person , maybe more. The spoon is certainly interesting , although no doubt many produced , to a royal collector whom was not in the West Riding ( itself somewhat disappeared) , there may be a little extra interest. Thanks for the picture.

[Tizer]

Cally, it may be a bit depressing that your own stuff doesn't warrant much of a price but look at it from a different perspective - you can buy all sorts of wonderful bits and pieces very cheaply now from all the charity shops and from Ebay. So instead of trying to sell your stuff go out and buy some cheap things for fun! I'm a serial collector and have had some great items from charity shops. For start, lots of interesting books, everything from modern novels to abstruse academic texts.

One point about Ebay. Just because nobody bid for an item doesn't mean there aren't people out there desperate to buy it - they just weren't looking at that time. We've all got busy lives and other things to do. Also, some people (like me) refuse to use Paypal and will only buy if it can be by cheque.

[Stanley]

Cleaning the spoon. Try rubbing it with a tissue using brown sauce or ketchup as a polish. Won't do it any harm at all.

[Callunna]

[Tizer] ... instead of trying to sell your stuff go out and buy some cheap things for fun!

Noooooooooooooooooooo!
The hoarder in our house already does that, which is why our house is getting fuller every day. I loved it when we moved into this house after living on the boat - it was a minimalist paradise. But then the stuff stored in my mum’s loft, plus extra ‘bargain’ purchases, began to creep back in...