If you’re preparing for an estate sale, downsizing a longtime home or handling a parent’s belongings, your first instinct may be to start throwing things away.
Don’t.
At least, not yet.
One of the most important things we tell families is:
Before You Throw It Away, Let Us Look.
More Splendid Things provides professional estate sales and estate liquidation services throughout Ocala, Marion County, The Villages and surrounding Central Florida communities.
We’ve seen families unknowingly discard, donate or give away items that could have been sold.
You don’t need to decide what’s valuable before calling an estate-sale company.
That’s part of what we’re there to help determine.
Schedule a Complimentary Estate Consultation
Call More Splendid Things
Why You Shouldn’t Clean Everything Out First
After decades in a home, possessions accumulate everywhere.
Some are valuable.
Some are collectible.
Some are useful everyday merchandise.
Some may only be worth a few dollars individually—but hundreds of those items can add substantially to an estate sale.
And some things that appear worthless may surprise you.
Estate-sale buyers don’t shop exactly like retail customers.
They may be looking for something very specific that your family hasn’t considered valuable in years.
That’s why we recommend:
Remove what the family is keeping. Let us see the rest.
1. Costume Jewelry
Families naturally recognize gold, diamonds and fine jewelry as potentially valuable.
Costume jewelry is much easier to underestimate.
Vintage brooches, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and signed designer pieces can attract collectors.
Even mixed collections of costume jewelry may be saleable.
Don’t automatically toss the jewelry box because nothing looks like gold.
2. Old Coins & Paper Money
Never casually discard jars, envelopes, drawers or boxes containing old coins.
Silver coins, older U.S. currency, foreign coins, commemorative pieces and collectible coins may deserve closer inspection.
Check:
● Dresser drawers
● Desk drawers
● Safes
● Jewelry boxes
● Old purses
● Closets
● Filing cabinets
● Boxes of personal papers
Coins are small and easily overlooked.
3. Sterling Silver & Silver-Looking Items
Don’t assume an old dark or tarnished piece is worthless.
Sterling silver can appear almost black when heavily tarnished.
Flatware, serving pieces, trays, bowls, candlesticks and decorative objects should be checked for markings before being discarded or donated.
Look for marks such as:
Sterling • 925 • maker’s marks
And don’t aggressively polish an unfamiliar antique simply to see what it looks like.
Let us evaluate it first.
4. Old Kitchenware
The kitchen is one of the easiest places to throw away saleable merchandise.
Older cookware, cast iron, Pyrex, CorningWare, pottery, mixing bowls, utensils, serving pieces, vintage appliances and unusual kitchen gadgets may have buyers.
Even everyday kitchenware can contribute to a successful whole-house estate sale.
Don’t empty every cabinet into donation boxes before the consultation.
5. Vintage Christmas & Holiday Decorations
Old holiday decorations can be surprisingly collectible.
Before throwing away boxes of Christmas decorations, look for:
● Vintage ornaments
● Glass ornaments
● Older light sets
● Ceramic Christmas trees
● Figurines
● Blow molds
● Vintage Halloween decorations
● Older holiday advertising
● Handmade decorations
● Original boxes
That dusty Christmas box in the attic may deserve a second look.
6. Old Toys & Games
Don’t assume toys need to be pristine to have value.
Older toys can attract collectors even when they’ve been played with.
This can include:
Die-cast vehicles • Model trains • Dolls • Action figures • Board games • Tin toys • Toy trucks • Advertising toys • Model kits • Vintage children’s items
Original packaging can increase desirability, so don’t throw away old boxes until the item has been evaluated.
7. Tools & Garage Contents
Please don’t clean out the garage first.
Garages, sheds and workshops can be among the most productive areas of an estate sale.
Buyers routinely look for:
● Hand tools
● Power tools
● Vintage tools
● Toolboxes
● Hardware
● Lawn equipment
● Garden tools
● Automotive items
● Shop equipment
● Fishing gear
● Outdoor equipment
● Parts and accessories
Even groups of ordinary tools can add meaningful value to an estate sale.
8. Old Advertising Items
Advertising collectors look for items families may consider junk.
Examples can include:
Signs • Thermometers • Calendars • Clocks • Tins • Bottles • Trays • Store displays • Gas and oil memorabilia • Soda advertising • Promotional items
Something that spent 40 years hanging in a garage may be more interesting to collectors than a newer piece of furniture.
9. Old Paper
Be careful with boxes of old paper.
Not everything is valuable, but some paper items can be collectible.
Examples include:
● Postcards
● Maps
● Advertising
● Old photographs
● Programs
● Posters
● Local-history material
● Vintage magazines
● Manuals
● Catalogs
● Ephemera
● Historical documents
Important: personal financial, medical and identifying documents should be secured or properly destroyed rather than offered for sale.
10. Vintage Clothing & Accessories
Older clothing isn’t automatically worthless.
Depending on age, maker, condition and style, buyers may be interested in:
Vintage dresses • Jackets • Western wear • Designer clothing • Handbags • Hats • Scarves • Belts • Boots • Costume pieces
Before donating an entire closet, let us see what’s there.
11. Old Electronics & Audio Equipment
That old stereo may not necessarily belong in the trash.
Some buyers actively seek vintage:
● Receivers
● Turntables
● Speakers
● Radios
● Cameras
● Audio components
● Gaming systems
● Electronic accessories
Condition and model matter enormously, but evaluation should come before disposal.
12. Records, CDs & Other Media
Vinyl records can range from common and inexpensive to highly collectible.
The same principle applies to certain CDs, cassettes and other media.
Don’t assume an entire record collection has the same value.
Artist, pressing, condition, rarity and demand matter.
13. Books
Most books aren’t rare.
But that doesn’t mean every book should immediately go into a donation box.
Potentially interesting categories can include:
First editions • Signed books • Local history • Art books • Military subjects • Specialty reference books • Older children’s books • Unusual collections
Large groups of ordinary books can also be sold in an estate-sale setting.
14. China, Crystal, Pottery & Glass
Markets change.
Some traditional china patterns have declined in value while particular pottery, studio glass, art glass and collectible patterns remain desirable.
Before discarding or donating an entire china cabinet, let us identify what you have.
Look especially for maker’s marks on the bottoms of pieces.
15. Old Furniture
Age alone doesn’t make furniture valuable.
But don’t decide something is worthless simply because it’s brown, heavy or out of fashion.
Construction, maker, age, style, condition and current demand all matter.
Mid-century modern, certain antique styles, designer furniture and unusual pieces may deserve additional attention.
16. Items Hidden in Drawers
Estate-sale treasures aren’t always displayed.
We routinely recommend checking:
Nightstands • Desks • Dressers • Sewing cabinets • Jewelry boxes • Kitchen drawers • Filing cabinets • Toolboxes • Closets
Small valuable items are easy to overlook when a family is trying to empty a house quickly.
17. Collections You Don’t Understand
Perhaps your parent collected something you know nothing about.
Don’t assume nobody else wants it.
Collections might include:
Stamps • Coins • Sports memorabilia • Military items • Figurines • Pottery • Glass • Trains • Advertising • Watches • Knives • Fishing equipment • Records • Books • Christmas items
If you don’t understand the collection, that’s a particularly good reason not to dispose of it before evaluation.
What SHOULD You Remove Before an Estate Sale Consultation?
There are certain things families should secure.
Remove or clearly identify:
● Medications
● Personal financial records
● Tax documents
● Checkbooks
● Credit cards
● Personal identification
● Family photographs you want to keep
● Legal documents
● Items specifically promised to family members
● Personal electronic devices containing private information
● Anything the family has definitely decided to keep
Then stop.
You don’t need to clean the entire house for us.
Don’t Donate Everything Yet Either
Donating useful items is generous.
But if you’re planning an estate sale, donating large quantities before the estate is evaluated can reduce the amount and variety of merchandise available for the sale.
The better sequence is often:
Family Keepsakes → Estate Evaluation → Estate Sale → Remaining Items → Donation/Other Disposition
Rather than:
Family Keepsakes → Throw Away & Donate Half the House → Call an Estate Sale Company
Give us an opportunity to see the estate in its original condition.
What About a Very Cluttered House?
Don’t be embarrassed.
We’ve seen homes containing decades of accumulated belongings.
You don’t need to make the property look like a showroom before contacting us.
We’re evaluating the potential of the estate, not judging how someone lived.
Photographs can also help us understand the scope of the property before a consultation.
How More Splendid Things Evaluates an Estate
1. Contact Us
Tell us where the property is located and why it needs to be liquidated.
2. Show Us the Estate
We evaluate the quantity, quality and types of merchandise present.
3. Identify Potentially Important Items
Items requiring additional research can be separated for closer evaluation.
4. Determine the Selling Strategy
Depending upon the estate, we may recommend an estate sale, auction, consignment or combination of methods.
5. Prepare & Market the Sale
If we move forward with an estate sale, our team organizes, researches, prices, stages, photographs and markets the contents.
6. Conduct the Sale
More Splendid Things professionally manages the sale and customer experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I have a dumpster delivered before calling you?
Usually not.
Allow us to evaluate the estate before large-scale disposal begins.
Should I donate all the clothing?
Not necessarily. Some clothing and accessories may be saleable, particularly vintage, designer or specialty pieces.
Is everyday household merchandise worth selling?
Often, yes. Individual pieces may not be highly valuable, but an entire household contains a large volume of saleable merchandise.
Should I polish silver or clean antiques?
Avoid aggressive cleaning or restoration of unfamiliar pieces before evaluation. Improper cleaning can sometimes damage an item.
What if I already threw things away?
Don’t worry about what’s already gone. Stop further clean-out activity and have the remaining contents evaluated.
What if I don’t know whether we have enough for an estate sale?
That’s exactly what the consultation is for. Tell us about the property and we’ll help determine whether an estate sale or another option makes sense.
Before You Clean Out the House, Call More Splendid Things
If you’re preparing to handle a parent’s estate, downsize a home or liquidate an entire household:
Keep what matters to your family.
Secure private documents and personal items.
Then let us see everything else before you throw it away.
There may be considerably more saleable merchandise in the home than you realize.
Schedule Your Complimentary Estate Consultation
More Splendid Things
Estate Sales • Estate Liquidation • Auctions • Consignments
Serving Ocala, Marion County, The Villages and surrounding Central Florida communities
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