What's it Worth to You

I am really intrigued with Ebay, Antiques Road Show and Thrift Stores. How fascinating that something someone would casually throw away would be worth millions to someone else. But what I would really like to know is, how does somebody's trash become so valuable? Technically that's what it is; trash. Whether you give it to charity or post it on Ebay, it's something you owned and are now getting rid of. It's a used item.

I have a friend who has (literally) thousands of books. Her dad was a judge who enjoyed reading. He didn't just read about jurisprudence. No. This scholar had a multitude of books spanning topics on cooking, dancing, God and child rearing.

My friend's dad passed away a few years ago and I am now assisting her by cataloging her inheritance (thousands of books). While assisting her with the cataloging I came across a book I had only heard about in old black and white movies. You see, my friend is in her 60's. Her dad was in his 80's when he passed. Most of his books are from the late 1800's and early 1900's. The book in question is labeled "The Epicurean".

While cataloging this book I decided to see what something like this would be worth. After all, this 1183 page, culinary bible is in pristine condition. I found several badly worn editions on the internet being sold from $1000 to $10,000! Needless to say I will not touch my friends copy without wearing gloves. But I'm intrigued with the interest in such an item.

This brings me back to my question: Who determines the worth of such articles?

In watching The Antiques Road show I am always astonished with people who purchase a diary or picture from a thrift store and wind up leaving the show with a $500,000 find. I understand that a period piece can be very valuable. But where does a person go to find the value of their items if the road show is not in town?

Ebay - -

I would like to say that Ebay has been a saving grace for me. But I would be lying. I have used Ebay for a few of my friend's items with absolutely no luck. Recently I posted collectible basketball playing cards for Joe Dumars, Clyde Drexler and Micheal Jordan with no luck. I even took an Ebay class to learn some tricks of the trade. Apparently I didn't pay attention in that class because I'm sure a real collector would swoop up a Jordan item in a minute. Which leads me to believe there needs to be some sort of expert validation method for real collectors to have their interest piqued.

I will continue to use Ebay and even Craigslist as a means of promoting and selling items. I hope to have all of my friends books cataloged before the end of 2009. Many of them were produced long before the ISBN system was in place. This makes cataloging a challenge. But it will make selling them on Ebay and Amazon.com a lot easier.

While I sit and enter books into a database I'll keep watching to see if anyone bids on any of my items on Ebay. Luckily it's a lot of fun just getting acclimated with the Ebay process. But I would be beyond thrilled to assist with the marketing of a million dollar treasure.

Anyone looking for the 1978 edition of "Kellogg Cookbook Goes Beyond The Cereal Bowl" Anyone . . .