Things kept for ever but never used.

I was charged with finding 100 mismatched china cups, plates and saucers for DD2’s barn wedding reception. As well as 30 or so old photo frames to display family wedding photos, and vintage materials to make into miles of bunting. The charity shops and car boot sales did well out of me that year.

DD1 used the china soon after at her Prohibition themed birthday party, where we drank booze from the cups. Then two friends of theirs borrowed the china and bunting for their own weddings before I took the lot to a local charity shop. And they all sold, which surprised me!

As to the wedding china - a few years ago when I needed more 'using' dishes I decided to use my DM's wedding dinner service on a daily basis. I have always loved it and it pleases me to see it every day.
We gave MIL's dinner service to DS and DIL to use. It wasn't a very grand one but is nice - at least what was left of it after I tried to help DH get it out of the attic and the bottom broke on the cardboard box!

I started the big clear out as soon as my cottage with big loft went on the market. First I invited a local Antiques dealer to call who took and paid generously (e.g. £300 for my actual silver coin collection) for items that he knew he could sell). He also told us which items should go to auction or be of interest to specialist collectors or dealers. Then a whole load of items from the 40's to the 70's went to a props warehouse - they did want period china sets and were particularly pleased with the 1970 coach built pram and cot. This adds interest when watching TV period dramas as you never know when one of your items might appear.

Next to be emptied was DH's Tool shed and workshop courtesy of the local men's shed who took almost everything, though we kept back some of the tools which were antiques having belonged originally to my DH's Grandfather. In return the Men's Shed presented me with a wonderful wooden planter in the shape of a puppy, which now has pride of place outside my new front door.

The big items of furniture were collected and sold by the local recycling store/swapped for bookshelves for the new flat as the bookcases were built-in at the old cottage. The DGC all inherited items which belonged to their recently deceased Granpa. I spent hours going through Boxes of old photographs rejecting all which featured people I did not know.

As to the wedding china - a few years ago when I needed more 'using' dishes I decided to use my DM's wedding dinner service on a daily basis. I have always loved it and it pleases me to see it every day.

Witzend

Here’s a pic of them:

They are beautiful, what craftsmanship. Yes get a proper valuation. Be interesting to know the outcome.

The trouble is, Beswitched, I've been blessed with 6 grandsons and not a single granddaughter. Try as I might, I can't get those boys to care about the trials of the Four Marys and The Girl with Red Hair. Don't worry though, I'll make sure they go to a good home just as soon as I've reread them all.

Maggiemaybe

I agree, winterwhite. I still use my mother’s bread board, and her old weighing scales. DD1 claimed her grandma’s button box, as she remembered as a tot counting and sorting the old buttons with her. DD2 took a little wonky sampler her great grandma stitched as a child, now displayed in a frame. I would have loved the old Christmas decorations that both my mother and DH’s put in the bin as old-fashioned rubbish when they were clearing out. And DH just managed to stop his mum tearing up the albums of wonderful photos that his dad took during his years out in India in WW2. DS has reclaimed his old Star Wars toys for his own boys - one of his friends immediately recognised a rare character, worth around £250. Sometimes it’s not easy to tell what the next generation would like to have.

I’ve put some things that don’t look worth much, but are, aside in a cupboard together with a list of estimated values. I will be getting rid of the box of old Buntys soon though, honest.

Oh no. Don't get rid of the old Buntys

I have my mother's old baking bowl and will be keeping her old weighing scales and bread board. I also have my grandmother's old button box.

I was a bit of a hoarder but over the past 10 years, after the deaths of several relatives, I've emptied 4 houses and it was an eye opener to see what had been stashed away.
It also made me think about what I had collected over the almost 50 years living in our home and so I started the grand clear out.
I sold what I could, donated other items and disposed of the rest.
Whatever I sold belonging to my children, I gave the money to them.
The only time I used auctioneers was when I discovered an old bakelite radio from the 1940s which belonged to my father who collected them. That raised £400. Pity I didn't have the other 4 he owned but my mum threw them away!?
The auctioneers charged 16% commission plus VAT so I decided that I would attempt to sell other items privately and have had some success using Marketplace on Facebook.
Other sites are available.

I agree, winterwhite. I still use my mother’s bread board, and her old weighing scales. DD1 claimed her grandma’s button box, as she remembered as a tot counting and sorting the old buttons with her. DD2 took a little wonky sampler her great grandma stitched as a child, now displayed in a frame. I would have loved the old Christmas decorations that both my mother and DH’s put in the bin as old-fashioned rubbish when they were clearing out. And DH just managed to stop his mum tearing up the albums of wonderful photos that his dad took during his years out in India in WW2. DS has reclaimed his old Star Wars toys for his own boys - one of his friends immediately recognised a rare character, worth around £250. Sometimes it’s not easy to tell what the next generation would like to have.

I’ve put some things that don’t look worth much, but are, aside in a cupboard together with a list of estimated values. I will be getting rid of the box of old Buntys soon though, honest.

I don’t hoard but I don’t see any need to clear things out just so that the children don’t have to.? I think they might find it cathartic. My sisters and I definitely did after our mother died. For instance, I still have, but don’t use, her old bread board. I can see that being thrown out by my daughters, but maybe one of them will hang onto my old bread board, and so life goes on.

Auntieflo

Thank you Smileless, we do have some gin, in fact several bottles, but I can't drink while on chemo tablets. But I do like gin ?
Grannysb, it might well sell, but I don't think I've got the energy to list it, send it etc.
I think it is Art Deco, Callistemon21, as it was a present in 1933, when my parents were married.

Don't under-sell it Auntieflo!

Put your trolley on your local Gumtree site. Who ever wants it can come and collect it. I'm sure it will sell. Art deco gin etc very popular at the moment. My sil would love it.

We had a set of four beautiful books. Leather bound in a very Art Nouveau style, beautiful hand made paper and wonderful colour illustrations by Arthur Rackham. They were the complete libretto of Wagner's Ring Cycle and the drawback was that they were in Flemish. They were a relic of my grandmother's childhood in Antwerp and my mother always told me they were worthless because "Who reads Flemish?" A couple of years after she died I had them valued and the auctioneer was in raptures. When I pointed out that they were in Flemish he said "No one's going to want to read them, they want the illustrations!" They sold for £450 which wasn't bad for worthless books .

We're currently clearing out our childhood home following the death of my mother. It's heartbreaking but we can't keep everything (although my sister is having a pretty good try).

Just have to select things that are really meaningful and let everything else move on. No one's life and value is defined y what they owned. They live on in the impact they had on society and other people's lives.

We used to go to a cafe like that in Devon - all really pretty, mismatched china.
There was also a family wedding that served afternoon tea with the same - and flowers on the tables in teapots! The tables all looked so,pretty.
(There was wine too, in case anybody’s wondering.)

I gave an unwanted old tea set to a local cafe which uses mix and match vintage crockery. They were delighted and gave me a couple of "tea for two" vouchers as a thank you. I was just pleased to be rid of it but occasionally when I walk past I see people with a cup or plate on their table.

Callistemon21

The problem is that things we may think are lovely and could be worth something often go for very little at auction. Objects which many of us wouldn't give house room to often fetch quite a lot!

Beautiful china tea sets, dinner services, go very cheaply in charity shops and auctions.

We took a massive dinner service - tureens and all - to a charity shop. It had belonged to MiL, and I think to her mother before her, and as far as I know MiL only ever used it at Christmas.

We just didn’t have room indoors, so it had been cluttering up the garage for years.
I dare say it had been expensive but TBH I had never found it remotely attractive. Still, there’s no accounting for taste, so I hope it found a good home - and made a few ££ for the charity.:

Callistemon21

Witzend

I don’t know about drinks trolleys, but my old Hostess trolley that had been used as a dumping ground for years, fetched £80 almost immediately on EBay!

Where would I put my tablecloths?
?

Wot’s a tablecloth?

Mind you I’ve got a Christmas one somewhere, a present aeons ago. Doesn’t fit our dining table but we did use it once way back, when we had too many for Christmas dinner to fit around the table, so we brought the round garden one in for the kids to sit at.

I am slowly parting with my late husband's things. His tools and electronic kit are being found homes with friends or other people/societies who can use them. However, one thing I'll probably never part with is his box of calligraphy pens.

They're no use to my daughter or me as he was right handed and we are both left handed. OH hadn't used them for several years but I remember the pride and pleasure he used to take in his beautiful lettering in the days before we all got computers loaded with a zillion artistic fonts and there's no way those pens are ever going anywhere.

I’ve got something that I don’t know what to do with - an oak tantalus, which came from my husband’s parents, not sure where before that. Unfortunately, it’s locked and there’s no key. One of the stoppers is not on the relevant decanter, but I have got it. It is nice, but useless in the present form.

the spoons are beautiful

Could be worth a fortune, Auntieflo - don't let them throw it in a skip!

Thank you Smileless, we do have some gin, in fact several bottles, but I can't drink while on chemo tablets. But I do like gin ?
Grannysb, it might well sell, but I don't think I've got the energy to list it, send it etc.
I think it is Art Deco, Callistemon21, as it was a present in 1933, when my parents were married.

Witzend

I don’t know about drinks trolleys, but my old Hostess trolley that had been used as a dumping ground for years, fetched £80 almost immediately on EBay!

Where would I put my tablecloths?
?

We have a pair of large ornate silver candlesticks, hallmarked 1756 (the year Mozart was born). At the moment they live in a cupboard in my son’s house. My impression was that people didn’t want silver anymore because it has to be cleaned regularly. I certainly find that off putting!

OH has a trunk in the loft. It has been moved from loft to loft each time we move. It contains his Oxford University text books and notes. He hasn’t looked at in years and never will. He refuses to get rid of it. I also know for a fact he has all the love letters his ex-girlfriend (he only had one before me) wrote to him!