Well dang! It's always feast or famine!

[Thumper]

I just received notice of another estate sale this weekend. I was at one last week where the family had taken all the guns, but there was enough ammo left behind to fill a warehouse. EVERY type ammo imaginable. The full boxes of shotgun AND high powered rifle ammo was marked $5/box and any box that had been opened was marked anywhere from $2-$3. I'm sure they'd have taken offers if buying in bulk. Heck, there were two full, unopened CASES of Remington Express XLR 12ga shells (#7-1/2 shot and #6-shot if I remember correctly). There was also an unopened case of 20ga. shells and piles of single boxes. Rifle/handgun ammo? Name a caliber, I'm sure it was there! All I bought was a standard issue .30-cal. (M-1) 15rd. clip that was holding 15rds. plus one extra shell I found lying loose on the bench.

This weekend there is that sale I posted about a day or two ago ... PLUS this one just came up for tomorrow and Saturday!


https://picturescdn.estatesales.net/1504239/39182220/1.jpg

[Bwana]

I could see that if I lived down there these sales could get quite costly.

Would it be weird to take a vacation just to go to estate sales?

[Thumper]

Not weird, but possibly unproductive. Hence the "feast or famine" in the title to this thread. I may go months without seeing another pile of guns being offered. It's totally impossible to predict what will be offered at any given time. Look around locally, they're there. Heck, people pass away everywhere! (sounds sick, but you get used to it) I walk into these people's houses and many times find "collections" that someone spent a lifetime accumulating. It may be just goofy salt & pepper shakers, stamps/coins, pocket knives, whatever. I LOVE to stumble on an ex-cast iron collector's estate! From thimbles to antique automobiles, sooner or later, you'll come upon it.

What I soon learned is that VERY seldom does anyone give a squat about dad's old (fill in any item here) collection. Heck, most times, they don't even want the old family photos. They simply want to get rid of the "junk" so they can sell the property. Kinda sad, but I see it every day and you finally get used to it. Actually, after regularly attending these sales for a while, I realized how dumb it is to collect stuff. I used to collect everything under the sun, then I found it's much more enjoyable to SELL the stuff and use the $$$ to travel, go out to eat, whatever turns your crank.

Back to your question though, Lynn and I travel quite a bit ... many times for nothing more than to get away for a few days with no concrete plans. We've many times hit a few local estate sales when we're out of town. It's a good way to spend 1/2 a day or so while exploring a new area.

[BarryBobPosthole]

One person's flotsam and jetsam is another person's treasure.

BKB

[jb]

Couple of bolt action shotguns and a Win. Model 94 that maybe goes back to the 40's or 50's. Most likely a 30/30 or 32 Spec.
At one time it would spark my interest, but lately I've been cleaning out my safe, not adding to it.
Not sure but that old break top S&W doesn't look to bad.
Nothing terribly expensive shown there.

[Captain]

I saw that top break Smith. Looks like a model 2 but hard to tell. Also probably a 38. But not a special.
There sure is a lot of folks die down your way without anyone to get their shit....

[Big Skyz]

With what you said about people just wanting to get rid of stuff and sell the property... I keep going back and forth on selling all the taxidermy mounts I have. I also have a pretty large skull collection of various animals. Yes, there are people that are really into buying skulls. I just sorta came about my collection because I hunt a lot and have beetles to clean skulls. I'm pretty sure before I move a way from here I will sell most of the taxidermy and likely all but a couple skulls. I just don't want to haul them around anymore. I've seen countless taxidermy collections go up for sale once the owner died. I figure I main as well sell mine while I'm alive and enjoy a dollar or two from it.

[Thumper]

You're right B/S. All of my taxidermy is at my buddy's place in Ohio. We were close, hunted/fished hard and made many trips to bear hunt/fish in Canada. He taught me EVERYTHING I ever learned about hunting. He has a big "game room" at his house and every one of my trophies hanging at his house (many, many deer, fish, pheasants, bear, etc) were taken when we hunted together ... even the first buck I ever killed in my life is there. He was my number one hunting partner for 34 years and passed away 11 months ago. I could contact his widow and go to Ohio to pick them up, but heck, I'd need to rent a covered trailer to get them all home. I have the memories and the photographs from the hunts, so I imagine the trophies will just end up in HER estate sale some day. I have no idea what I'd do with them if I had them here. They don't come close to fitting in with decor of our house. I've seen bazillions of hunting/fishing trophies at the sales I've attended over the years. I can look at them and admire them for a few minutes, but once I move on, I realize they mean nothing to me personally. If you didn't personally take the animal, or if you weren't there when the animal was taken, trophies are pretty much meaningless except for simple admiration of the animal or the taxidermy work itself.