Q: What currently has value or is selling fairly well?

A:  Reader, thank you for this question, and it is the million dollar question.  The answer is “not much” these days, except the following:

• Precious metals/fine estate jewelry
• Certain scrap metals
• Electronics/home furnishings
• Mid-century furnishings (1950s and 1960s)
• High-end antiques, art, etc.
• Used gas-efficient cars

And, believe it or not, utilitarian items such as kitchenware, linens, clothing, etc are selling very well at estate sales.

Keep in mind that even the bottom half of this list is not bringing in what it has in the past.  If a collector wants something bad enough, they will dig deep for a special item, but we are not seeing it as much as we used to. 

I fully expect prices on second-hand furniture (especially traditional, dark furniture) to continue to drop in price, as will real estate markets, land, larger vehicles, and many luxury items.

We are in for a bumpy ride, friends!

© 2011 Julie Hall