Well, this is a cool surprise!

[Thumper]

I bought a couple of lapel pins at an estate sale ... they were together in a Zip-Loc sandwich bag and the bag was marked $0.25, so I picked 'em up. They are Masonic 25 year and 50 year pins and I know nothing about them, but what the heck, at 12 1/2 cents apiece, I figured I'd be able to make a buck. Turns out the 25-year pin is sterling silver (selling for $15 - $20) and the 50-year pin is 10K gold and going for close to $50.00. Cool, not a ton of $$$, but at least it's good to know I didn't throw my quarter away!


silvermasonpin0303 002.JPG goldmasonpin0303 015.JPG

[Buckrub]

You NEVER need to come to my house and walk through..............

[Thumper]

It sounds like a field day would be had. You have a lot of "sentimental" stuff. That's what's sad in a way when I go to a lot of these sales. People keep tons of "sentimental" stuff that, as it turns out, means nothing to anyone else in the family. I hit some of these sales and the family has no interest in family photos or home movies even ... they end up in the trash unless there's some sort of historical significance. All the family wants is for somebody to go in there and get rid of the "junk" so they can sell the house. Sad in a way.

Same goes for collections ... Granny and Gramps spend their lifetimes collecting certain items ... they pass and nobody cares about those 150 oil lamps Grandma collected and the 200 antique monkey wrenches Grandpa couldn't pass up.

[johnboy]

One mans treasure, another mans trash and vicey versey, I'm sure. You have a good eye for this stuff, Thump.

[Big Skyz]

People keep tons of "sentimental" stuff that, as it turns out, means nothing to anyone else in the family.

I think one of the saddest examples of this is collections of taxidermy. I know I have a pretty good sized collection as does the Captain and Buckrub. I've spent a small fortune on it. The sad truth is after each of us passes away a few of the mounts might be retained by family members, but the majority will be sold, given away, or taken to the local dump. Kind'a bugs me, but I completely understand not wanting a critter you didn't take yourself or have any real attachment to. I can only imagine what will happen to Cornholio's collection it could be a natural history museum.

So if you get $50.00 for that pin what percentage of return on 12.5 cents is that? Too many numbers for me to do that in my head.

[Thumper]

Heck, it's too many numbers for me too! All I care about is, out'ta that $50, I'll make $44.13 profit once I duduct expenses.

[LJ3]

And another cha-ching for your bet!

[Thumper]

Ha ha! Yeah ... but it's against the rules to Cha-Ching the other guy until it's bought and paid for.

[Niner]

Same goes for collections ... Granny and Gramps spend their lifetimes collecting certain items ... they pass and nobody cares about those 150 oil lamps Grandma collected and the 200 antique monkey wrenches Grandpa couldn't pass up.

I know persackly what you mean, Thump. A goodly percentage of the guns and "outdoorsy stuff" I have were Dad's and/or Granddad's. Di has no idea on which is which and what all. That's one reason I am glad that I have some time yet to get stuff in order. For example, my daughter has been eyeballing my 1911 for years. She had a birthday recently, and it found it's way into one of those gift bags.


Some of them have no "sentimental value" at all and will need to be sold. However some of them have a great deal of sentimental value and I want them to stay in the family "forever". For instance the Pre-64 Winny that my Dad put together from a "basket case" for me when I got out of the Service....and has been my go-to deer rifle since he passed back in the 80's.

I've started writing up "details" on the ones that need to be kept so that future owners will know a bit of the history on them. I want some of them to go to as-yet unborn (and not on the way) grandchildren.

[Thumper]

Yeah Niner, people are different when it comes to stuff like that. My buddy in Texas has a bazillion little trinkets as well as guns, etc. that belonged to his dad and you'd have to kill him to get any of that stuff away from him. Me personally? I'm not sentimental at all ... not in the least. I was extremely close to my dad and spent 90% of my childhood watching him build/maintain race cars and I inherited some of his tools (most had been sold previously). Sure, I have the memories of watching my dad use them, and in turn, I've used them for many years, but I've reached the point I don't even change my own oil anymore. Cappy's boy now owns what was left of those tools.

Lynn and I used to wear jewelry ... hey, it was the thing in the 80's! It made Christmas, birthdays and Valentines Day easy ... we'd just buy each other some jewelry. We don't wear ANY of that stuff anymore and it's been gathering dust in the safe for years. Heck, I have a half dozen nice watches she's given me and she doesn't ever wear her Rolex ... if we need to know the time, we look at our cell phones. But a few years back, I suggested we sell that stuff off (especially when gold went through the roof) as it just sits and we'll never use it again. She about had a fit ... it was like I was trying to sell our daughter (if we had one) to a pimp or something! I guess it'll eventually get sold off at an estate sale after the worms start eatin' us.

My son is a lot like me ... not all that sentimental. I took him deer hunting at an early age and he did very well. Got a buck on both of his outings ... but after hunting twice, he decided it wasn't his thing. I had given him a collection of some of my old guns to get him started ... my first .22, my first 12 ga. shotgun, a 30.06 and a .40 cal. handgun. He called years later and asked if I would mind if he traded the shotgun for an X-Box. I totally understood and gave him the go ahead to sell, or trade any of those guns if he wanted to. He traded the '06 for a short barrel shotgun with a elebenty-dozen shell magazine capacity (for "home defense") ... but I have no clue what, if ANYTHING, he has left of those original guns. And it doesn't bother me a bit because I understand totally.

[HideHunter]

Niner.. I know what you are saying. I have quite a few "heirloom" guns. and I've made it a point to tell their "stories". But - and it sticks in my throat to say this.. I ..I.. have... I have .. accumulated.. too .. many guns (damn, that hurt). I made the comment one day I should sell a bunch of them and turn them into something I might use. Son and SIL had a fit. I said, "Boys, this is just stuff I've accumulated. They don't mean anything." Son said, "They mean something to us. They're your guns."

I still may peddle some..