Hello Everyone,
Well I believe I now have 2 storage tubs and one book shelf full of old photos and albums. Not to mention a small collection of 8 and 16mm old home movies. Just found 3 home movies on the wknd, I havent tried to operate the 8mm projector I have yet, Im more familiar with using a 16mm and like using that size of film, so hopefully Ill catch on just as easily with the 8mm.
I know we are all out to make $$ and resell items, many of us, Im a thrift shopper, yard saler, picker, you name it! But there is just something sacred to me about old documents. And I mean the following..
Old Photographs
Old Home Movies
Old Historical Paper Documents(birth certs, marriage certs, house deeds, old family bibles and books, any documentation pertaining to family, etc)
I went to an Estate Sale a few weeks ago. I only planned on going to the post office, grrr and there was a sign, it was close to my home so I swerved off to go looking.
I will eventually have a blog on my finds there, and more of the story, but basically an estate sale company was selling off the contents of the home. And there lying about were family bibles, books, and old photographs, priced piece by piece and scattered about.
To make it more painful for me… these once belonged to a person, a person who took time to document, to put notes with the very items up for sale. Id find a few of the notes slipped out by onlookers and misplaced or on the floor.
They were also not as affordable as Id like. But they were heart wrenching, and all had writing on the backs. So basically I bought to me which were the best ones. Less than 5 and went home, I did call my mom because it turned out the family names on these photos were the same as both my parents last names and from the same state. But it didnt turn out to be from our families. My mom got to work on research and she and I spoke, she found a neat story about this child and the indians… and after I read it, things at the house made sense. I had to go back the next day… Everything was still there and half off, but still not cheap. But this time I went into the persons office, I didnt dig much before other then through the vintage clothing.
I picked out his personal family files, and newspaper clippings, I bought them all, along with the rest of the photos I left behind, and I bought his Sons of the American Revolution Coat out of the closet. This man and his family took detailed steps to document there history. There were so many things I could not afford to buy, personal effects, that were documented. But what I want to say is this… I really wonder at the end of the day what happened to the rest? Did it get tossed or donated and shuffled into boxes? Forever losing the context of where they all fit together into this historical puzzle? I would plead with anyone who is a dealer, to stop piecing out collections and photo albums. If anything, put it ALL together in one big box and sell it as a grouping. I tried to do this but they didnt understand it and of course were not willing to bundle for a deal.
Here is an idea of what I left with, there are a lot more papers and clippings but they are folded up underneath the papers here and in a pile, and inside some of the books are more papers and newspaper clippings.
Dont pull old photo albums apart and sell the photos one by one, sell them as a whole, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and if you have any old paperwork, attach it inside with a ziplock baggie.
And its just so sad because this person spent there life preserving and doing history and generations before them also, and I am sure there are other living relatives who had no clue about what happened to this stuff…
For those of us with a love of old photos and epherma, heck dont toss it, give it to us!
My girlfriend sent me this movie trailer, for those of us who love Old Photographs and sometimes some of the unusual stories of what happens to our things when we leave this earth, here is a fascinating documentary soon to be out. I cant wait to see it! “Finding Vivian Maier” Ive attached the trailer below.
