Collectible or sellable?

In preparation for yet another garage sale, I am going through every box in the basement that I can get my hands on--some are too heavy to move, some covered in spider webs. I cut through the tape and tear open each box--as if it's Christmas!!--to see if its contents are garage sale worthy (not hard to qualify for, it seems.) However, most of these boxes are John's or rather, his Mom's, treasures. My dear husband has held on to so much of his Mom's things for so long and is just now starting to let go--difficult, I'm sure. I think the turning point came when we moved and he pulled it all out of the crawl space after 8 years of being in there (and a number of years stored up in Illinois before that!)

I am torn though... He has stated himself that we are not honoring his mother's memory simply by having her things in boxes in the basement. But is it disrespectful to sell some items? He emailed his sisters about his mom's spoon collection that used to adorn the walls of his dining room in the old house (that is, before I moved in and began redecorating) and they didn't bite.

He is partial to an old dish set that he asked I not "just give away," so I have found my way to a website that specializes in replacing pieces and parts to discontinued (or old) collections and dish sets, china, silver, etc. I have found that this website will set a cup and saucer set of China for $9.99 and gladly buy the same pieces from me for $0.50. <--NOT a typo. Hmmm... Craigs List here I come!!

But still, I'm torn. My own mom convninced me not to sell the few Hummels we have (a collectible), but the one Precious Moments piece will likely be on Craigs List soon. I have decided to hold on to the China set until furhter notice, but will try and get top dollar for the other dish set. While one small set of dishes will go in the garage sale, I have decided to keep a few other treasures:



They are darling!! My sister celebrated her daughter's fifth birthday last year with a tea party, and went all over town (so I'm told) looking for old cups and saucers. Who knew I had these right under my nose?! I think that if I have a daughter someday, maybe I could do the same... and how special would it be to use her grandma's pieces!





So for now, many of these delicate items will be wrapped back up and taken back down stairs...


P.S. I have vowed (as every other woman in my family has done) to not have another garage sale... Well, at least not for a few years. ;) You will not see neon signs with arrows pointing my direction next summer. Mark my words!!!