While I was out going to the Grocery Store today I ran across a couple of estate sales and decided to stop and see what kind of neat things I could find. The first one was just down the street from me and I was wandering around and found a pair of fruit cake tins sitting in a bedroom and shook them to see if anything was in there. Of course it rattled and I had to see what it was.

I found a bunch of notions in the tin and shook the other one and after opening it I found more notions and parts to a Singer sewing machine. After going through both of the tins and finding just a few spools of thread and a tube of Singer oil that dates to my 500A I asked where the machine was. They said they didnt have a machine at this sale which was odd and when I showed them what I found they said the family might have taken it before the sale.

The second one was really interesting because a couple of ladies were walking out, stopped me and told me "You really do not want to go in there....." After walking in the door I can see why they said that. Sanford and Sons house was spotless compared to what I saw.

This was a several million dollar home I was in and the person that lived there must have picked up every piece of garbage and brought it home with them. From the front of the house it was very neat and clean but inside I had fleas jumping on me and it smelled like they had 200 cats living there. The back yard looked like a scrap yard with old a/c units, cars, trailers, bottles, appliances, you name it it was there with the grass over growing the place.

I found a 1965 Buick Wildcat Convertible buried in the backyard in extremely rough condition but complete that they said they wanted $14,000 for it. After hearing that I told them they were nuts and just walked back to my car and left. I figured I couldn't afford anything there and I was not even wanting to stay in that filth.

So needless to say when I got back home I took another bath!!

Oh well At least I scored some more wooden spools of thread and and a few vintage nick knacks to display in my studio and all for the low price of $3!!

Billy

Wow!! That's quite a story. Glad you got the notions. That's a nice surprise, anyway!!

Good score you made. We've been to sales like the second one you mention. One time the place stunk so bad of cat urine you couldn't even step inside the door. I just could hardly imagine how the people running the sale could stand to be there.

I didnt even bother going upstairs to look around. The 3 bedrooms I went into downstairs was full of just garbage, papers and rusty old chains. The master bedroom had so many clothes on the floor that you could only walk a thin little path to the bathroom. And next to the wall there was at least 200 or so empty bottles of Sun Drop soda in wooden cases some with the caps still on them but a hole in them so they drained the soda out.

The ladies that I met while walking in, I ran into them at the grocery and they said the upstairs was way worse than the downstairs. And you did not see anyone bringing anything out.

I was dying laughing when the one of them told me that we should go to where they sold the bug spray in the store and flea bomb each other before going home!!!

Billy

Glad you found the notions at the first sale :lol:

As for the second sale , every one thinks they are sitting on a gold mine :roll: You would think they would have at least sprayed air freshner to cover the smell :shock:

I love your adventure. I would have maybe taking two baths. Such a disaster.

I would be ashamed to even host an estate sale under those conditions. How horrible! Sounds to me as though they needed to haul off the whole lot to the dump ground. $14,000 for an old junker, what planet do they live on?

Billy, I'm itching all over just thinking about it!

wow, loved the story of your adventure, thanks for sharing!

You did great. And were completely right to walk away from the second one.

I really have to laugh about the second house. My dear brother lived just about that bad, but no pets, so at least, no bugs. My sisters and I were shocked everytime we went in the house. Kept saying it couldn't get worse, but it did. He kept everything! If he emptied a jar, he washed it and kept it, had every coffee can he bought, and plastic milk gallons. Would go to Sal. Army or goodwill and bring home all kinds of junk. And the house had a narrow path through it for walking. When he died, we filled a huge dumpster. On the other hand, he was clean, and if someone needed something, he usually could find it, but how he knew where to start looking dumbfounded all of us. I wonder since, how much stuff we threw away that was worth $$$.Once in awhile I see some antique item and think, oh my gosh, we tossed one of those. Sure miss him!!