By Guest Writer: CP Howes
I spent a couple of years writing eBay descriptions for a non-profit organization. The organization depends on the donations of tangible goods to raise money. These items are sorted, cleaned, and sold. We send some to the retail stores and the more expensive items we sell online. We reach a larger market by doing this. The profits go to help the needy, so we are always trying to maximize the return on donations.
I’ve seen some pretty unique and sometimes rare and expensive items come across my desk. Some make you scratch your head and ask who would donate something like that. We sometimes find valuables such as rings, broaches, or rare coins secretly tucked away or sown into the pockets of old clothing or handbags. I once discovered a diamond ring cleverly hidden in a two-piece planter.
People mostly drop off donations anonymously, so it’s hard to identify who donated the items. Personalized items are a little easier, but not much. Things that you would think people would want to save as family heirlooms are often donated. I once found an old book with the inscription “To John from Grandma and Grandpa, Christmas 1895.” Fortunately, it was a book wanted by collectors, and it sold on eBay, even with the inscription.
Once I ran across three-pocket bibles with a family name prominently displayed on the inside cover. The grandfather carried one during World War I, the other by his son during World War II, and the third by his grandson serving in Vietnam. We contacted the family, but no one wanted them. It didn’t seem appropriate to sell something like that on eBay with the family name so prominently displayed. We have few good choices for paper products. Fortunately, after much discussion and soul searching, one of the managers contacted a military museum that promised to put them on display if we donated the bibles to them. That’s better than having them go to the recycle bin! I also once found a love letter that a WWI soldier serving in France sent his girlfriend tucked between a book’s pages. He beautifully wrote the letter in a cursive hand characteristic of the day. You could tell that the ink had been tear-stained. What do you do with something like that? I wish I had more choices, but some moments are better left unshared.
So how do we end up with this stuff? A lot of it comes from offspring who live out of town when the last parent dies. They have to travel back into town to finalize the estate. There is no time for yard-sales or professional auctions. People are busy with their own lives. They take what they want, whatever they can pack in the car, donate the rest, and are quickly on their way. Some treasures are purposely left behind. One of the women volunteers I worked with retired from owning an antique business. She told me that most young people just weren’t interested in old things. We live in a throw-away society that prefers plastic over porcelain.
Lessons to learn: Thin out while you’re alive. Get rid of the clutter. Think about who you want to have what, and ask them if they would appreciate having the item. It’s hard for the owner to get rid of a collection of personal possessions accumulated over the years. Still, you can’t take them with you. Charities will be very grateful for your contribution. They help many people, more than you will ever know, but the money might be better jingling in your own pocket for a while. Have a grandiose yard sale or auction. Use the profits to go on vacation or something.
Sometimes my friends tell me that I’m too sentimental to be working a job like that. They may be right.
