Thursday Missive: Estate and Garage Sales

Before my wife and I had kids I used to go to garage sales all the time.  And while I don't go to as many as I used to, I still find that garage and estate sales continue to be a lot of fun to visit.

A lot of folks think that garages and estate sales are a waste of time.  "It's just a bunch of junk".  And while there is ample justification for that statement, very often you will find diamonds in the rough.  When you go to these sales (especially estate sales) you are being given a glimpse not only at a bunch of old stuff...but a glimpse into someones life that cuts across the past fifty, sixty or even seventy years.

I went to an estate sale up in Los Altos several years ago.  The man had been a doctor and also had a lot of children.  Well, looking through the books he had and the left over things he had from the long past childhood of his children, it was very clear that this guy was dedicated to the education of his kids.  Here were the tools he used to raise his family...all being scattered away.  I felt like I needed to buy something to preserve a legacy.  Maybe that sounds silly, but it was true.  I ended up with a box of small national flags.  My kids have them in their room and we occasionally break them out and talk about which belongs to which country and where it is on the map.

At another sale, the man had been a pilot for Pan-American Airways.  There were all kinds of things related to his work...some more interesting than others, but all of it together made for a fascinating slice into this guys career.  I walked away with a number of things from this sale, one of which is pictured here.  It's a certificate that was apparently handed out to people who crossed the international dateline on Pan-Am's clipper service in the Pacific.  It's a beautiful piece of art for one, and it's a relic from an era of progress in America which changed the world really.

Finally, another reason I like estate sales may seem a bit odd, but it is sincere.  They remind me that all the stuff I have will one day be scattered.  As the saying goes, you can't take it with you.  So, while I love collecting and it brings me a lot of pleasure...at the end of the day, it's all just "hay, wood and stubble", as my mom would say.  So...I try not to take my stuff too seriously...it is after all, just stuff.

Until next time....