The Inherent Value Of Things
 

When I'm walking down the street or cruising in Cyberspace and I see something, it sometimes talks to me saying, "Hey I'm a quality item that has value." I stop, look and say, "Your right you are something special," I then go home, do my research to find out what it is, what makes it special and valuable.

This past week I was cruising through a list of nealy 700 Antique Collectable auctions to be held on Saturday alone, and this is the only item besides a 'Spoon" that really caught my eye. It was located in an estate auction in Maine.

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I called on it and found that it is an unsigned 16 X 20 Impressionistic Landscape of New England. Generally this kind of thing will go for around $500 max on the Bay if it is really good. It would be considered to be of decorative value. Well the Auctioneers missed calling me for a phone bid, and the painting went for $1500.00 to a local. A better term for "Local" would be Art Dealer, who will double its value in his gallery, that is if he doesn't allready know who the artist was. If he does know who the artist was, all bets are off.

Oh well you can't get them all. I got mine last week, that pair of Pennsylvania Rifles has made me well for quiet some time to come. The week before that it was the books on German pistols that are worth double what I paid for them. It really does seem that I am able to build quiet abit of value over cost into my collections with amazing frequency.

This is the next thing I am watching and waiting for.

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What is it about this Rug that makes it appealing to me. One is the design, just a well thought out and executed design, the colours and the fact it has some age as exhibited by the fact that the selvege is a bit undone. The Selvege is the stitching that is done along the Boarders of a handmade rug to help protect it from unraveling. I have yet to find out from the auctioneer about how much wear the rug has besides the selvege. I expect that any rug that has any vintage has some wear on it.

Material "things" are so transient. My days of accruing "things" is pretty much over.

The day before you die, you have a house full of treasures....the day after you die it is a house full of junk.

Ask me how I know......(I think most of you know already)

While we do indeed suffer with you for your loss, is your house really full of junk, or are many items simply meaningless, now?

I know the stuff I have better damn well be preserved and appreciated even if I have to will it to a museum.

tabs, who is the artist and what is that painting worth?

Milt:

Things have memories attached. Certainly there is some monetary value to some of the things in the house, but when I cash in my final chips, any memories attached to many items is lost forever. That is the point I was trying to make. There are two furniture sets that came to the marriage with Kathryn. Already one of her daughters is trying to figure out how to screw her other daughter out of them or even part of them. I will be adding codecils to my will to assure this does not happen. Much of the furniture I built. Will the fact that I crafted them hgave any relevance? Kathryn knew, and it pleased me to build her some nice things. The love that went into such projects means nothing to anyone else. If you sold your house, would the new owner really care very much about the history of the projects you carried out there?


The kids will inherit everything I have and they can do with it what they will. At that point I will be beyond caring. In the past, I have had the duty to be executor of a few estates. In every case, what I have said is true. You would be surprised (and maybe not) how many things are looked at with this "What the heck did () keep this for?" attitude. Any items that had intrinsic value were, in some cases, fought over by relatives, totally disinterested in the history behind the object, more interested in the monetary value..

Just my take.

I could count on my 2 hands the things in my house right now that mean something to me. An old picture, some auto stuff, etc. But when I'm gone, its all junk to someone else. Thats why I keep saying, "sell it", but never do.

Too true...Bob, I guess we have to live long enough, losing people dear to us, to realize certain things. Just wanted you to know that I understand your message.

Thanks.

In no way am I trying to say there is anything "wrong" with having nice things. It is just that it can be difficult to put it all in perspective. The value I put on something is far different than the value others may put on the same thing. Memories are personal, figuring into the individual's value of something in a way that has no effect on the monetary value. Once that individual passes on, that aspect of value is gone forever.

I have lost a number of people over the years....only one member of close family left, and he is not in the best of shape (three strokes).

I don't know who the artist is? The painting wasn't signed and I'm not familar enough with the NE artists styles to venture a guess. Hayle Lever NA is where I would start to look though.

The picture I have of the painting doesn't give enough detail, except to tell me that the style and composition is very good. I am going to show a friend back in NJ a picture of that painting and see what he thinks.

Long ago in another lifetime I went into a gun store that I used to frequent in SO CA. There was a pair of WW1 German Binoculars sitting on the shelf. There was an inscription written on the inside that went "Zimmerman Coblentz, Germany 1919, 4th USMC Regt USAEF.

The story was that Zimmerman took the Binoculars off a dead German artilleryman and later as he was dying of Influenza asked his friend to take them to his wife in WI. When his friend tried to give them to the wife she refused them, he kept them and his son was the one who sold them to the store. I bought them for $75.00. On the leather case is a palm and finger prints in dried blood, presumably the German Artilleryman was wounded and was moving them.

The point of this little tale I'm telling is that I REMEMBER THE STORYS connected to these items. Another thing is the Otto Voit rifle I own, I have done quiet a bit of reserach on the battle without much success of finding mention of him after his MOH citation and Obit. I also have written the definative Biography on a CA Plein Air Artist. Whenever one of his paintings come up on the Bay, they quote my information. I am probably the only person in the world who has collected his works.

I have listened to people tell the storys of their lives all my life and I remember those stories. Most people just don't stop and think about the meaning of things they would rather just be ignorant.

As someone who can't bring myself to get rid of anything, I feel very fortunate to be married to a woman who is attached to nothing (accept me and Jessie our dog) and is an interior decorator. She enjoys "things" for a time and then they are gone - given to one of the kids, a friend, goodwill, or sold at her store. These "things" consist of household stuff (furniture, lamps, anything in the house), dishes, kitchen stuff, her clothes - any"thing".

She is truly a "you can't take it with you" person who lives lean where stuff is concerned. She could easily fit the "stuff" that she would never get rid of into a small suitcase. She likes nice things, enjoys them for a while and moves on. Definitely not into collecting.

I am trying like hell but can only go on a throw away binge maybe once every couple of years. When we got married, I was 36, I still had clothes from high school (they did fit). Employees at my business know and understand my problem and know to "not ask, just throw it away and he won't say anything or won't know".

My house is furnished with very nice "things" including art and nice furniture - but nothing is sacred and it changes from time to time.

I really admire her for not getting attached to "things", as she says "its just stuff". She hates clutter. She reads a magazine, tears out anything that is of interest and puts it in a notebook for reference and throws the magazine away.

So what do I do? I have to have a garage about 3 miles from my home where I keep "projects" and "stuff" on the ground floor and upstairs are my books, magazines and other "stuff". She doesn't go over there much. Even Jessie doesn't like going in there too often. My garage at home is sparse (by my standards) with a few tools and "stuff" for light projects.

I just picked up a Paul McCobb room divider at a great price--

pennsylvania rifle ca. 1840ish?
 

saw this at last weeks madison bouckville antique show.
.78 cal.
underhammer percussion.
must weigh at least 40 pounds

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has anyone seen anything like this? certainly no bird gun!

I attend auctions frequently. Love the 'hunt' for old treasures and odds-n-ends. We collect some things, sell some on eBay and usually have interesting garage sales twice yearly. I am sometimes amazed at what you can find in estates sales.

What is sometimes curious is to go to an estate sale and see so many personal items for sale. IE: A doctors sale; had EVERYTHING from silver place settings, watches, rings, his old medical bag/instruments, all of his WWII (he was in Europe) photos, family photos, his graduation diplomas (college and medical) ...in other words, things you would expect would have SOME sentimental value to others in his family? (I know he had children). Was there in-fighting among the siblings on who should get what? Possibly??

One cannot help but have the feeling of a buzzard, picking over the pieces of another persons life, when attending such events. But then, certain items perhaps become another persons treasure... and so the cycle continues.

In the end, it is all just material 'stuff' ...treasures to some, junk to perhaps another.

Like my Grandfather used to say, "You never see a hearse towing a U-Haul trailer..."

When my great grandmother died and my dad and his brother had to go through all her stuff, my uncle wanted this old Revolutionary War sword she had on the wall. My dad didn't care and said take it. He took it to Antique Roadshow and it turns out it belonged to one of Geo. Washington's bodyguards, Garrett Snedeker, which was my great grandmother's maiden name. My dad doesn't care about the sword as long as it doesn't get eBay'ed or pawned. His brother did that with some of the Lugers their father brought back from N. Africa to pay parking tickets. I never cared for that sword either, but now there's a good story to research and tell future generations.

Bob, I see your point as well. I built a car for my wife that here dad owned many years ago. She is rather sentimental. The car, a '44 Ford (Willys type Jeep) is worth a lot less to someone else.

I guess the conclusion here is that for something to have inherent value, it must have history beyond the present owner, of the owner has to be famous.

This I understand as well...one's taste in nice things changes as well. At this point in my life, I don't really get into adding more stuff.

One exception? A custom pool cue case & the sticks inside that are very much pro quality as well. Although expen$ive...they get used. They were used last night...as Cindy kicked my butt on a 7' bar table with her Jacoby (factory) cue...

I went overseas for a while and put everything in storage.

It turns out the only things I missed were my pictures, some music, and a few books. The rest could have been lost and would not have made much difference.

I agree that some material posessions, like youar father's old watch, are the keepers, but it is is great to limit it to a rooms worth of stuff.

I seldom think: If there is a fire in the house, what do I take, again, it is the pictures (and tax docs to keep my life simple)....

Wouldn't the "inherent" value in things have little to nothing to do with collectible status or their attachment to memories? The inherent value of of a rare coin would be the commodity value of the metal, not it's rarity.

Therefore the inherent value of the paintings and rugs is somewhere south of $20 each :D

HOOT! Len, you have a point there. My custom cues are either finely balanced pieces of specialized equipment...or pieces of worthless kindling...all depending on whether I win or lose. :D

But that junk gets left to your Kids to fight over or throw away.

I hope that by the time I die that I will have nut'n mo dan a few pairs of comfy PJs and worn bathrobe, a well aged pipe, a well used Scotch tumbler and a stack of memories to make me smile till I goes da ways of all flesh...dats all Iz will need...

How much was it???? Did it have the Gunmakers name on it. This gun is circa 1860. Can you get in touch with who owns it or did U buy it? Tabs wants to know.

If it's of the same origins of the one I'm holding, it doesn't have a name on it, just numbers, three different ones to be exact.

tabs,
firstly, no i didn't buy it, but i sure liked it a lot.
i recall taking their number, it is around here somewhere. i will find it asap.
i believe it was marked with only the makers initials. J.M.D.
not sure of the exact price, seem to recall somewhere between 2 and 3 thousand, will get more info when card surfaces.
if you want to send me your phone number , i'll let you know what i learn.
david

Matt there were ALOT of Rifle makers back in the day. Some can be worth alot and others ehhh who cares. Condition matters.

I tend to like the heavy barrel target rifles of the era. False Muzzle and Short Starter. I am paticularily fond of John Krider of Phildelphia work. I like to stay with the Pennsylvania and NY makers for the most part.

I am looking for an HV Perry swivel breech 3 barrel rifle. I had an opportunity in 06 on one, but had just bought a Rigby and Whitworth rifles in AU so I had to pass.

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This rifle was made by Choate of NY. He was a well respected maker of fine rifles. I like it because of the simple but clean lines. It is in great shape as well.

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Here is a False Muzzle and Short Starter. The False Muzzle was used so that the crown on the barrel would not get worn by the loading of the rifle. The Short Starter got the bullet started down the barrel, where the ramrod would be used to seat the bullet on the powder charge.

Up for bid is Geo. Washington's axe...the very same one he chopped down the cherry tree. I've replaced the head and the handle, but intrinsically it occupies the same space.

Interested, Tabs?:rolleyes:


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Only if it say "Property of G Washington" inscribed on it.

When me and my former spouse separated I was in a state of chaos. I had no interest in my belongings what so ever. I just needed badly to get out, which some of you very helpful and supportive guys may remember. I literary went out that door with the cloths I was wearing, an old piano, my guitars and the Porsche. Everything else I left behind.

I have not missed one iota. Nothing. Zero.

In all the bad commotion, I could actually feel a separate sense of relief, rid of my materialistic burden, as it were.

Does that make any sense ?

Yes it does. I never understood the t-shirt slogan "whoever dies with the most toys wins". I spent a lifetime accumulating art and gadgets of every description, but for the past year we have been selling off whatever we could - keeping only a handful of favourites. Not for the money - but just to simplify our lives.

We're not old by any means - but want to be free of the burden of so many possessions.

We have a large house in town, and a much smaller recreational property - and guess what? Increasingly we prefer to spend time at the recreational property, where life is simple and uncomplicated.

Friends of ours sold up, and bought a small flat in Paris and a small cottage on Crete, near the sea. Both places are minimally furnished. And these are people who acquired things all of their lives! And now they couldn't be happier!

Where would you like that written? End of the handle work for you?

Ahhh... Now U see the rub. You have to do your research to find out where the inscription should be on the axe. Otherwise its a FAKE.

I had an eccentric friend (not crazy as he was very wealthy) many years ago and he took stock of all his possessions and was shocked at the sheer number of "things" he had. He arbitrarily picked a number...250, I think and decided he would never have more than 250 "things."

For example a house was one item, a car was another, a shirt was another, etc. A pair of socks was considered one item. He made it a personal committment so that if he wanted to acquire something, he had to get rid of something else. It did not have to be of similar value...for example I remember he gave up a wheel barrow when he decided to buy a restored Piper Cub.

As long as I knew him he stuck to this personal sense of constraint. And he seemed pretty happy with it. He felt it made you really take into account what was really important to own.

A bit of trivia...the Jeep wagoneer Burt Reynolds was driving in the opening scenes of Deliverance was his. (He was the canoeing expert for the movie).

QUOTE: "the Jeep wagoneer Burt Reynolds was driving in the opening scenes of Deliverance was his."
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It's valuable information like THIS that keeps me coming back here!:)

Now, if I could just get a hold of Jon Voight's old LeBarron.

See George C.

Dang! To get to that 250 limit, I'll have to cut a few things. I guess the kids have got to go....