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During our lives, we often move from one house to another to accommodate our ever-growing families. Sometimes the same packing boxes are left unopened, and simply taken from one loft to another, sometimes over a period of decades.
We know that they contain family heirlooms and treasured items, that we simply cannot throw away, but that are never going to be needed on a day to day basis. It is very much an out of sight, out of mind situation.
Somehow there never seems to be a right time to explore those boxes, family life gets in the way, and they are left forgotten, but one day, you find yourself with time on your hands, such as when you retire, and there are boxes to be opened. Let the fun begin!
It’s very likely that amongst the contents of your unopened boxes you will find things like photographs, stamp albums and old videos, which are just too sentimental for you to throw away, so what can you do to downsize, yet make the best of what you find.
Old Photographs
There is so much nostalgia attached to faded photos that you probably have hundreds stored away in old suitcases. They are photographic evidence of your life, and so it’s important to preserve as many as you can.
There are several ways you can get your photos stored on digital memory cards, so they are safe and sound, and available for you to view at any time, as a gentle reminder of a life well-lived!
Stamp Collections
Sadly in today’s world children don’t seem to have any interest at all in stamp collecting. But back in the day, it was a common hobby and one which certainly absorbed many youngsters.
Unfortunately hanging on to a large stamp collection in the hope that your children might cherish it when you are gone is probably a little misguided. So, perhaps the answer is to think about getting in touch with some stamp dealers, and see if you can turn your collection into cash.
Designer Clothing
They say that everything comes back into fashion at some point, but vintage designer clothing never goes out of fashion. If you have a fabulous outfit with a posh label, there will definitely be an interested buyer out there somewhere.
Names such as Dior and Gucci still command huge sale prices, and your item may be worth more now than you originally paid for it.
Vintage Toys
How many of us watch programmes like the Antiques Roadshow, and when a scruffy old toy is valued at hundreds of pounds, shout ‘I’ve got one of those somewhere’ ! Wind up toys, porcelain dolls and the beloved Sieff teddy bears are often coveted by collectors and can still fetch good money at specialist auctions. So there is no reason to suggest that yours are worthless.
Some stately homes hold specialist auctions and sales throughout the year and might be very interested in your much loved old toys. That’s if you can bear to part with them!
Be brave, photograph them and send an email off to one of the auction houses and ask for an approximate valuation. You never know you may have a fortune lurking in your attic.
