WHOA!!!!! Come on down Cappy!

[Thumper]

I was just checking to see what estate sales I have coming up and it looks like there's gonna be a FUN one. It appears the guy was a bit of a hoarder ... well, kinda-sorta, but he hoarded COOL stuff! I understand the garage is so packed, you can hardly walk into it. There's everything imaginable in this house ... no matter what you're into, it looks like there's something there for ya'. There are 400 frigging pics posted ... so these are just a few of them. (note: if I post pics of 20 guns, there are actually 50, etc, etc ... some of the photography really sucks) He doesn't have ONE of ANYTHING. It looks like he collected EVERYTHING and has 100's of everything he collected. I swear, he must be Cappy's twin brother. ;)

There are a bazillion more pics ... fish & game trophies, enough gold and silver coins to open a rare coin shop, hunting clothes & equipment, military collectibles, a barbed wire collection, vintage Boy Scout collectibles, tools, Match Box cars, old hood ornaments, bazillions of antique bottles, cast iron cookware (stacks of it!), binoculars, cameras ... dang, you name it, this guy has a collection of it! I saw more fishing poles buried in the garage and who knows what else is in there. Here's a SMALL sample!


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424272/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424259/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424249/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424263/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424262/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424278/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424409/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26456677/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424201/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424206/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424287/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424189/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424225/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424222/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424221/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424224/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424798/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424095/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424094/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26456750/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424288/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424803/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26457677/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424127/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424446/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424450/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424512/1.jpg

[Buckrub]

Jim, you DO Know how rare and scarce plain old .22 ammo is, right?

[BarryBobPosthole]

Holy schnikes! You need to go ahead and buy it all, then we'll all have time to figure out which parts we want.

If you see any cool pocket knives, keep me in mnd! I could add to my little collection you helped me get started with.

BKB

[Thumper]

Jim, you DO Know how rare and scarce plain old .22 ammo is, right?

Tell me! I "sold" 7000 - 8000 rounds to a "friend" shortly after I got out of the hospital and have yet to be paid for it. It was even more rare back then. :(

[Buckrub]

Oh ok. Good. Just making sure you knew what to look for!

I traded 7,000 rounds for a spotting scope!

[Thumper]

P-hole, I'd like to just buy the whole lot and open a dang store! Can I borrow some of your $$$ to get started?

You wouldn't believe this place ... trust me when I say this is a tiny fraction of what's in that house.

[Captain]

He's a little light in the gun and ammo department but about right everywhere else.
I'm in on the lot if the price is right.

[Thumper]

Ha! Yeah, as far as guns go, he's still a wannabe when it comes to matching you. There were a lot more guns, but the photography was so bad, I didn't even post them. Too far away for the flash to work, too close and blurry, that sort of thing.

[Big Skyz]

I would be happy just to have every lure that was made by Rapala in that collection. I expect there will be a more than a few people show up for that estate sale. I also expect really "good deals" will be few and far between. Well maybe it's different in Florida but any I've been to in Montana or Utah that involved outdoor gear, there usually wasn't much in the way of low prices. I wonder how far a thousand bucks would go at that sale. Be sure and post the results of how things went. I'm pretty sure anything you posted in those photos you could easily move/sale...heck most of it to the regulars at this site.

[Thumper]

Yeah, this one may be a bit rougher than some B/S. I know everyone in the business down here (in my area anyway), some are super cheap and some are a bit high (IF you're into it for resale). These people are up toward the higher end, but fairly negotiable. Most sales are on Fri-Sat but this one has so much stuff, they're running it Thurs-Sunday. Man-o-man, if this sale were being put on by a couple other companies I work with, I'd be so excited I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. This one is actually coming up next month, Feb. 11-14, so maybe I'll buy myself a Valentine's Day present ... or two ... or 100! ;)

With all the guns and gold/silver coins he has, I have no clue how many safes are in the house, but I thought this one is kinda cool. I don't know if it's an old military safe, or a generic government safe (or if there would even be a difference). He has a lot of military collectibles.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26479377/1.jpg

[Big Skyz]

I couldn't go to that sale. My brain would be on sensory overload and I would be stuck in "a fool and his money" mode.

[Arty]

Dang!!!

[Arty]

Tell me! I "sold" 7000 - 8000 rounds to a "friend" shortly after I got out of the hospital and have yet to be paid for it. It was even more rare back then. :(

I told you the check got lost in the mail!!! :)

[Thumper]

A small sample of some of the coinage ...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424067/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424072/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424073/1.jpg


Here's what I meant above about the lousy photography. There are a lot more guns, but the pics are so bad, I didn't bother posting them. This looks like an old Browning.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424246/1.jpg


Not even sure what this is....


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424252/1.jpg


Or this .... but you get the idea.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424251/1.jpg


I barely scratched the surface above with the fishing poles ... here are some more. (these must be the good ones 'cause he covers 'em up!) They're on the ceiling in the garage.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424444/1.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424442/1.jpg


Here's another stack in the garage!


https://s3.amazonaws.com/pictures.estatesales.net/1100853/26424284/1.jpg

[BarryBobPosthole]

I see a zebco 33.

BKB

[Thumper]

I'll get that one for you. When's your birthday? ;)

[Thumper]

Ha ha! What a coinky-dink! I just had an eBay sale and the dude's screen name is "GoneFishingXXX". ;)

What I sold isn't even remotely fishing related, I just thought it was kinda timely.

[Buckrub]

Thump..........serious question.

Why would heirs do an Estate Sale...........when clearly they have a lot of items that would go for high retail prices if sold individually? Why don't they sell some of it that way first?

Time? Maybe they are absentee heirs? I dunno.......I can see an Estate Sale in a lot of cases, but geez.........I'd hate to think my kids would sell $30,000 worth of guns at a freaking Estate Sale at bargain basement prices, to sleazebags like you that are trying to finance their next Slug and Snail Feast!!

[Arty]

Thump..........serious question. Why would heirs do an Estate Sale...........when clearly they have a lot of items that would go for high retail prices if sold individually? Why don't they sell some of it that way first? Time? Maybe they are absentee heirs? I dunno.......I can see an Estate Sale in a lot of cases, but geez.........I'd hate to think my kids would sell $30,000 worth of guns at a freaking Estate Sale at bargain basement prices, to sleazebags like you that are trying to finance their next Slug and Snail Feast!!

It does make you wonder.

[johnboy]

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. Must be a backstory there.

[Thumper]

First off, it would be a full-time job to liquidate all this stuff. Bucky, how much time and effort is involved just for you to sell your truck bed cover? How much extra time/effort would it take to sell it at what you consider retail? Now multiply that by 1000 items! People (family) usually have jobs and careers and a family of their own to take care of. These sales are usually the estates of elderly people who, obviously, have passed away. When the estate is in Florida and the family lives in Washington State for example (or fill in your own state), logistics becomes a problem. Time off work, travel, expenses, etc. can be a problem. Many times the family could care less about their dad's oddball collections ... not everybody shares the same passions. The reasons are many.

I've been to many sales where the family has already taken what they want personally and the rest is turned over to the estate sale company. Others are just too busy and simply can't be bothered or simply don't have the time ... or even accrued vacation time to take off in the first place ... added on top of the work/travel/time off that may have been expended for a funeral, etc. I've also been to sales where the family flew in to handle setting up the sale, but could only keep whatever they could fit in their suitcase for the flight back home. Most times the estate sale company is hired to empty the house so it can be listed for sale with a real estate company. The estate sale company handles everything ... they go in and sell everything they can. What doesn't sell, is then sold to a broker who makes a package deal on EVERYTHING left over and empties the house (or what's left is donated to charity and a receipt is given to the estate to use as a write-off). The house is then cleaned up (swept out basically) and turned over to the real estate company. The estate sale company sends the Executor of the estate a check, minus a percentage/commission and when the house sells, the real estate company does the same.

Usually, the estate sale company puts personal things aside for the family IF they want them, but I've been to many sales where there are boxes and boxes of personal family letters, pictures and home movies. I've asked the people about these things previously and they've said they notified the family and they didn't want any of it! I've also been to many sales where there was actually no death. The person(s) have entered a nursing home and all they can take with them are a few personal items, hardly more than a toothbrush, hairbrush and a few sets of clothes. The estate sale company clears out the house, it's sold and the money goes to the owner. There are a bazillion reasons estate sales are held.

[Buckrub]

Sorta what I figured.

Sad, really...........

[Big Skyz]

Thump those reasons and a few others are why I've completely re-evaluated whether to get anymore taxidermy ever again. The truth of the matter is unless it's a super exceptional animal, or possibly one of your children share a memory with, likely as not 90% or more of the mounts will go up for sale. Usually at a fraction of what they are worth. Heck, I've been a hard core hunter most of my life, and frankly, I don't really want anyone's taxidermy either, family or not. I looked around my living room one day and started adding up how much taxidermy I had and what the approximate cost was and it was over $20,000.00. Once I realized that, I thought, man that's just stupid! I could have bought an awful lot of other things with that 20K. I could have done some serious traveling for 20K. Anyway I haven't had a thing mounted since. It would take a heckuva trophy or huge fish for me to pay to have anything else mounted. I know Buckrub likes to think his family will be good stewards over his property and maybe they will, but one or two generations down the road it will likely all get sold off. My point to all this is that it's all just "stuff". This estate sale you are going to just drives the point home in my mind. The guy has a tremendous collection of "stuff" and while he was alive I'm sure there were those that envied his collection. Now he's gone, nobody cares about it other than how many $$$ is will bring. I guess as I get older the less I value "stuff" and the more I value family, good friends, and experiences.

[Thumper]

B/S, I went through the same thing after my illness. When I got out of the hospital, I started looking around at all the "collections" I had going and realized, not only that I could use the money NOW, but none of it would mean a darn thing to my family if I were no longer around. I used to LOVE collecting ... then I found out I have MUCH more fun SELLING! ;)

I'm with you on the trophies. ALL of mine are at my buddy's house in Ohio. That's probably where they'll still be when I die. Years ago, I realized I could re-live a hunt by looking at my photos and I haven't had anything mounted since. (photos are also MUCH cheaper!)

Captain is kind of going through the same realization lately. He collects EVERYTHING. Name it ... chances are he has it. Just recently he realized nobody in his family shares the same passion he has for (most of) his collections and, to them, it's just a bunch of "stuff". He wants to start downsizing a bit, but with all the stuff he has, he'd have to retire to have enough time to liquidate much of it. Retire! Ha ha ha ha ha! He "says" he's retired now! (he's clueless!) ;)

I'm a huge fan of that TV show "American Pickers". Most of what they do is go places where people have called them to come look at what they have. Normally someone has passed away who spent most of his/her life collecting and the family is trying to sell it off. OR ... someone who's been collecting all of his/her life is getting up there in years and have realized nobody in the family shares their passion, so they're selling stuff off to make their twilight years a bit more comfortable.

Material things used to make me happy ... I couldn't have enough. Something happened while laying in that hospital bed for two months not knowing if I was going to see tomorrow. All of a sudden, most of that "stuff" became meaningless.

[Nandy]

Captain is kind of going through the same realization lately. He collects EVERYTHING. Name it ...
Two words, "BUTT HOLES", LOL, and he cant count the ones in this board in his favor! RLMAO!!!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Man, some day I want an old A5. Wonder if that'un is Belgian made?

BKB

[Thumper]

Don't have a clue P-hole. I can call you from the sale if ya' want. ;)

[BarryBobPosthole]

And Sky, the only thing I'll ever mount is if I ever get lucky enough to catch a 30"/10lb walleye, I'm going to do a replica mount.

Its kind of a big goal for me in my fishing career and if it happens, it'll mean enough that I'll want memento.I have a 29 1/2 and a 29 3/4 so I've tasted the mermaid's tail as Gordon Lightfoot called it.

BKB

[Big Skyz]

BBP, I hear ya. I have a couple personal fishing goals that if I was lucky enough to catch I would possibly consider a mount. A walleye as you described is one of them. In fact I was just day dreaming yesterday evening about how nice a 10 lbs or bigger walleye would be to catch. A 30" rainbow or brown trout would turn me inside out as well.

[HideHunter]

Man, some day I want an old A5. Wonder if that'un is Belgian made?

BKB

Just gave a Light Twelve to my sil.. I still have the Sweet Sixteen.. it was my granddad's..

[jb]

I think I see a Colt SAA at the very far back of the first picture. Just about any SAA will fetch $2000 in decent shape. The one's who's serial number don't contain any letters (SA) are first generation and bring in some very nice $$$$$
Next up would be any Colt Snake Gun (Pythons, Anaconda, Cobra, or Diamondback), these are like gold today.
That is really an amazing collection of fishing lures, many should have Made in Michigan stamped on the box.
Back in my bird hunting days, the shotgun to have was the A5, Sweet Sixteen, would still like to find a pristine example

[Thumper]

Well, gonna head out to this one first thing in the AM. Sometimes I get junk-drunk at sales like this and simply walk around like a zombie because I just don't know which way to turn. We'll see how it goes.

[airbud7]

Good Luck Thump!