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Helpful Hints
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Take a series of photographs of your treasures. Try to get the
clearest and most detailed photo. Include close-ups. Digital photos
are the best but if you do not have a digital camera, the one-time use
cameras are just as good. Have those photos developed on a CD. You
can adjust the quality of these photos on your computer. You will
need the photos when researching your treasure or describing your treasure to an
expert. This includes books. Photos will help you for insurance
purposes as well.
For more helpful hints
click here.
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See below for more
iinformation. Have questions or
want more information, contact
specializedservices@aliceintheattic-ps.com |
Cataloging
¡Cataloging is important. You must know what you have – for yourself
and for any insurance or family purposes.
¡Cataloging can be a
fun project. You must include the information gathered in your
research, including photographs. An Excel-type spread sheet is
helpful and becomes your simple database that is easily searchable.
For information on creating catalogs contact:
specializedservices@aliceintheattic-ps.com
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Research and Resources
¡Research, research, research. You must do that research to know
what you have. You will learn a lot about history, manufactures,
special marks, pricing, who sells what, your family, and much more.
This is an interesting project in itself which you can do either alone
or with a group of people. It just as much fun as creating the Family
Tree and even has information to include on that Tree if you’ve
created one. You will also meet interesting people along the way who
share your interests. |
Auction Houses
¡There are many around the world. Most are very helpful and have
experts that can help you or at least refer you to the appropriate
group or person.
Click here for links to Auction Houses. |
Antique Dealers and
Estate Specialists
Antique dealers are
plentiful around the world. Many are experts in various fields. Most
are reputable. Go into several. Talk to the owners, ask questions,
and show them your photos. They may be an excellent source of
information or to sell your treasure.
¡If
contemplating selling your treasure you may want to think of selling
it on consignment (you receive money after it is sold). But
make certain you know the dealer and have a contract with them that
includes a photo and specifics about your treasure and monitor the
progress.
¡If you sell your
item to a dealer, understand that you will not receive the full
value. Dealers have their overhead costs to consider plus their
own profit margin. Some have larger markups for reselling. You
will probably receive between one-third and three-fourths the value of
the object or collection. Estate specialists usually charge a
percentage of the total price of the items they handle (for a large
group of items) as their fee.
Click here for
links to Antique Dealers and Estate Specialists.
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Your Own Efforts
¡You can do
everything yourself but you really need to know what you are doing.
You must research the treasure, collect all the information possible
that is attached to the treasure especially if it is an item that has
been handed down from generation to generation (this is a good selling
tool and verifies the authenticity of the object). This does take
time, and it will be profitable if not just monetarily, but from an
information gathering perspective. Whatever the venue you choose, you
must have information on the object: photos, pricing, history,
general information about the manufacturer, special markings, time
period when the object was created.
¡Once you have done the research you may consider selling your
treasures online. Be careful where you sell your objects. There are
several websites specializing in selling vintage, antiques, and
special collections and collectibles aside from eBay. Most, if not
all, will charge for this service but they reach a targeted market of
people who will be interested in your treasures.
¡Make certain that any venue you choose has a reputable way of
collecting the money for the objects you are selling and a way to
filter about bogus purchasers.
¡You must describe your object accurately – this factor is essential.
You must tell the potential buyers know that the sale is final. This
is important as the object is a one-of-a-kind to you.
¡You must also learn how to package your item properly to prevent any
breakage.
¡When shipping, you should always insure your item and send it the
quickest way possible.
¡Pricing should include the market value you put on the object (after
you have done your research) and the cost of packaging and shipping.
If you consider using an online auction make certain you opt for a
“fixed price” (the minimum price you would accept for the object) and
decide before you set the price whether you want to include shipping
cost in the price or whether you will add the shipping cost to the
final price.
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Donations
¡Some of your
treasures may belong in a museum. You will discover this once you
have researched your treasure. Contact the appropriate museum’s
curator to learn how to make a loan of a collection, or object, or
direct donation.
¡Other objects may
be valuable to some organization that will then use these objects to
raise funds for their cause or just be able to use them to help with
their operation. This type of donation is referred to as a donation
in-kind. You must know the value of donation in order to receive a
monetary credit. However, there are regulations involved.
You should contact your tax accountant when you contemplate making such
a donation.
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Special
Links and other Information click
here.
More to
come in
Part II.
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Alice in
the Attic
Specialized Services
P.O. Box
10067
Chicago,
IL 60610
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PART I |
Holiday
time, or any time for that matter, is always a good time to start.
You get together with relatives, friends, or just loll alone by
yourself. You laugh, chuckle, and shed a tear or two but wow…these
times spark dormant energy and tantalizing, sentimental thoughts –
even for those people who are feeling a bit down. Why? You’ve just
created a grand and fun project for yourself (with or without your
family or friends) and even if you haven’t as yet made that
realization. The treasure hunt begins! |
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Oh yes,
you are going on a treasure hunt. Where? Your home or relative’s home.
A home is a treasure trove – not only of memories, but of items
you, or your relatives, thought as trash – and that includes relatives
who think only upscale name brands their friends, and now themselves,
purchase are the only things worth their while. Those items may be,
but only if the brands have been around for more than fifty years like
Wedgwood, Tiffany, Christian Dior, or until the next upscale designer
comes along. These types of items will probably fetch good prices at
auctions. Oh! Maybe those relatives thinking upscale brands have
not as yet contemplated eventual resale value rather than replacement
value or whether they are keeping up to or surpassing their status
symbol seeking friends and done so without any sentimental attachment
whatsoever. Hmm...are humans evolving away from that which makes us
truly human? There's always the potential of finding a museum-quality
piece that would be treasured by any museum either on loan or,
as a donation. |
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All of you
have closets, or basements, or storage areas filled to the brim. Some
of you have them organized, but most have not. Some of you have
researched these items and cataloged them with their dollar value (at
least for insurance purposes) but most have not. |
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If you happen to look around the
stores/shops these days you’ll notice that styles in furniture,
clothing, and whatnots are returning from decades ago and even though
the fabrics and materials may be different. If you rummage
through your things, you may have an “original.” Long gone are the
days where you can locate a “real find” at a flea market. What
you have there are dealers in antiques because many people love
antiques, vintage items, or special collectibles. Well, you may
have your own hiding in the basement packed with things your auntie,
or great grandmother or grandfather passed along to your mother or
father that was passed along to them eons ago. You mother or
father or grandparents or great aunts and uncles may have objects in
their home just waiting to be rediscovered and given out. And
what a wonderful time everyone would have reminiscing about the past
and people associated with these objects. It could even muster a
family history lesson for the younger children and bring everyone a
bit closer. An important thought to ponder: Better do this
now than after the older relative, or you, are either is too ill to
take care of this or has passed on. This would be a good way to
decide where and how it is dispersed and make it easier on everyone
for the eventual disbandment of the home or apartment (even if it's
just downsizing into a smaller home). This I can assure you
would be the scenario. I know first hand how difficult it can
be, especially when time is not plentiful and if you are in a rush or
on a tight budget or do not have much extra room of your own to store
these items. It is also tedious work, but fun and informative. |
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Let's begin
planning the Treasure Hunt. |
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There is so
much to take into consideration when you treasure hunt and that
involves help and time itself. It involves research. It may involve
insuring the object. It involves knowing what to do and where to get
help and how to handle things. Doing this early will save you money
and time in all regards. If you wait, it would become very costly,
especially if you toss a treasure into the trash – I’m sure
you’ve seen articles in printed publications and on the net where
someone finds a lost treasure in the trash worth millions of dollars.
Yours may not be worth that much, but it may be worth something,
dollar-wise, sentimentality wise, history/culture-wise, and whatever
else you may attach to it. Someone will treasure it, collect it or
sell it – people collect all sorts of things new and old (from
baseball cards, old buttons, cookie cutters, to Wedgwood, Civil War
memorabilia, all sort of things!) and tinkerers use parts of objects
for repairs. Even scrap metal is sellable. |
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Clean up
crews are not cheap, and arranging for someone to dispose of large
number (and big)
items takes time and is costly. In most neighborhoods one cannot
leave furniture on the street. And if you do put furniture outside
time how long it takes for someone to come by and “retrieve” the
treasure they have found. Do not forget you also may have items
for donations to various causes who in turn sell, or raffle, these
items to raise funds for their organization. In some
neighborhoods the "junk man" has made a comeback going through
people's trash on a daily basis to find items to sell. And this
Treasure Hunt is a good way to
clean up the mess, downsize, and get rid of the real junk. |
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If you go through
things now, you will have the time to dispose of, or keep, or use
whatever you find in a convenient and potentially profitable
(sentiments and money) way. If you wait, it could become a big mess.
But...if you really want your relatives to bicker and suffer the
consequences (time, money, and frustration), then leave if for them to
do when you no longer can. Your smile just thinking about that
will linger on! |
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This is a special fun project
that will: |
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- find
those treasures
- neaten
your home
- make
relatives happy (and quite nostalgic)
- keep
you busy doing something worthwhile, and fun!
- perhaps
bring in extra money and their worth (if space is a problem)
- save
money by refurbishing
- perhaps
make a wonderful donation – either personally or as a tax benefit.
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Planning
the Treasure Hunt
If
you want help or some company while doing the sorting and cleaning
work of the project, talk to your friends and family. Decide when it
will be a good time for everyone to get together. Make certain you
give yourself at least a full day or two, preferably two days. |
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The
preparation may take time. Have patience since it will be worth the
wait when you find that hidden treasure. |
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Planning is
an essential phase, of the project. You should get yourself organized
before you organize and hunt. This phase is to plan the
“start” of the Treasure Hunt. You will decide where things go,
who does with the treasure what and who gets what later on
after all the work is done (including research and
cataloging and photos). You may even want to decide now who will be
taking the photos, cataloging, and doing the research, and taking
notes on family events through the years (good source of information
to put on a family website!) |
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Decide
what you are going to tackle first. |
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Set up
a separate area, even if it is in the middle of the room. This
will help you not to delay going through those items. |
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Have plenty of
rags, trash bags (some large, some smaller), plastic or wood or
metal bins (preferably with covers), labels, and writing pads and
pens/pencils (for cataloging). If you have a laptop, create the
catalog as you work. |
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Plan to
catalog as you work and take at least one quick photo. The
close-ups can be done later. As you catalog, give the object a
number or name with a brief description.
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~Do
not forget a tarp or large blanket to put over any unfinished
work (keeps things neat and together). |
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Want more help or have some questions? Contact
specializedservices@aliceintheattic-ps.com |
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Starting
the Treasure HuntIf
you do this phase yourself, it may take you more than a day or two.
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Give yourself enough space in
the center, or side area of the room. Have a table nearby
and a cushion or chair. Keep your pad and writing implement,
camera and labels on that table. |
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If possible, take
everything out of the area you are tackling first. In this way,
you will be sure to finish the project. |
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Set up your
cleaning material |
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Look at each and
every item. |
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Clean off each
item. |
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Create three
piles:
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Yes
– Definite keeps.
No
– Tossibles, but do not be too hasty. Look it over carefully. Check to see if
the item has a special manufacturer’s mark, or if it is a very old
item. If unsure, put in the Perhaps pile. You can always
toss this later.
Perhaps
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Possible keeps. |
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Once you have
established these piles you can always go through them again
and be definitive about your decision.
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When finished,
clear away the No pile. Shred any old papers and put in
trash bags. You are making headway because you have downsized,
even if it is just a little bit. |
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Now go through the
Perhaps pile. As you do this, create another pile and call it
the “Research” pile for those items you need to research.
You may have a valuable Treasure or some items you can donate.
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~Remember
to add each item, and a photo, to your list (catalog) with a brief
description and as much other information as possible. Make
certain to take at least one photograph.
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Go
through the Research pile and sort the items into
categories such as: important papers, jewelry, toys, paintings,
photos, books, porcelain, etc. Wrap each item and put them in
separate plastic category bins. Use a label and name the bins
"Research" and add the category to each. Once you are finished you
may be able to put the smaller bins into one, or two, larger bins
to keep them together and save space. |
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Go
through the Yes pile. Understand why you are keeping
the items. If it is for personal use or sentiment, put that
in a separate pile, if it is to give to a relative, put that into
another pile (put little notes on each pile as you work with your
remarks). Once you are done put the objects you want to give
relatives or friends into one of the plastic bins and put a label
on it called “for relatives and friends.” Put that plastic
bin aside. Put important old papers into another bin,
preferably plastic or metal and label that as well – you may want
to go through that again at a later time and incorporate these
papers with your other important papers. You may even find
something you have misplaced. |
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~Remember
to add each item, and a photo, to your list (catalog) with a brief
description and as much other information as possible. Include
the names of your friends or relatives on the treasure you
will be distributing (these items could be a wonderful presents
for special occasions). Creating
this list (catalog) will be a help you to you -- not only
for this treasure hunt but a personal inventory.
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Keep on
sorting these items until you have everything either in boxes,
bins or in other piles. |
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It is
now time for you to decide where you want to put the Yes
items. At least now, if you put them back into the same area
where they were, you will know what they are and where to find
your Personal Treasures. |
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With your
Yes and No piles done and put away, decide when your
want to give your friends and relatives their treasures or wait
until you have gone through your other stored away items. If you want
to save space and keep neat, consider giving out the treasures
now. This may also prompt a relative or friend to ask you if they
could help you with this project. |
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The Research
bins should be put aside somewhere safe. This group will grow as
you go through your other stored items. You can do the research at a
leisurely pace one category and one object at a time. However, this
part of the Treasure Hunt may be easier when all the
items have been sorted into categories. In this way you know exactly
what and how many you have. |
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Wow, you
are not only finding treasures (along with the trash), you are
becoming organized, creating more room and downsizing! |
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Part II – Researching and Cataloging Your Treasures
Coming
in 2008
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Provides information, assistance, and the know-how for these
projects on the net or in person. For more information contact:
specializedservices@aliceintheattic-ps.com |
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