About hoarding thread: I inherited a gob lot of sewing notions and threads from a friend who died a couple of years ago. He was a drapery designer & maker, had all sorts of stuff, most of it great.
However, I have run into a problem with the thread: lots of it is so old it's rotten, goes on the bobbin ok but top and bottom threads break with frequency when you try and sew!!!
Some of the thread was on wooden spools (anybody out there old enough to remember 35cent thread besides me???). Now I have saved some of my mother's spools because it reminds me of her, but wouldn't dare use it in a garment or a quilted piece.