Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Future Value of My Stuff

More and more often, I read or hear comments about the declining value of antique furnishings and vintage items. As a collector, I do hope this won’t be true for me. But, who knows? This has always been true when the selection is mediocre; I believe that my things are curated with informed taste. 

I’ve carefully collected my furnishings and clothing over a lifetime. I spend time researching and documenting provenance and value. Here's one article that reduces my efforts:

Sorry, Nobody Wants Your Parents' Stuff

Here’s a more sympathetic viewpoint, with dozens of helpful comments:

What to Do With Mother’s Stuff

This gives advice on how to help aging parents with too many belongings:

Aging Parents with Too Much Stuff -- and Children Who Don’t Want It

This article contains worthwhile tips to help you downsize:

Going, Going, Gone

While some professional estate sellers offer clarification:

Who Says No One Wants Your Parents’ Stuff?

What’s a collector to do?

My approach has been to establish as much provenance as I am able, and to catalog everything that might be of value. I am well on my way, using various web facilities to store the information. This blog — “... about the afterlife of Stuff that you’ve inherited or are about to inherit. Things. Objects. Items you have to deal with when your loved one has passed away and left you with a houseful of Stuff...” — provides a great deal of valuable information: Stuff After Death.

Updated on March 25, 2024

However, by the second half of 2023 I’ve begun to read about renewed interest in antique and vintage furnishings that are custom made and of enduring quality and value. Today’s furniture is substandard in quality of materials and construction; fortunately some individuals are recognizing this.