A reader in Allentown PA writes:
Just wondering if you could point me in the right direction. My mom has collected old bulbs and strands of lights for years, she has thousands of them. Now that she is moving, she can't take them with her to decorate. I'd rather not piecemeal and sell on eBay, so any idea who would be interested in collecting a large lot of them?
-Our Response-----If you're interested contact me at
http://www.oldchristmastreelights.com/contact.htm and I'll put you in touch with the reader. --
I understand about the hassles of winding up with a collection of things that were important to a beloved family member but which you don't have room for, or frankly, that much interest in. That said, there are collectors. The big problem is finding one close enough to you to drive over and look to see what is there. The next big problem is finding someone who will give you anything at all for them, unsorted and uninventoried.
I've written an article for folks who inherit train collections, and many of the dynamics are the same:
http://familygardentrains.com/blog_like ... trains.htm I have a friend in Western Canada who sells these, but it would hardly be worth his while to rent a trailer and drive across the continent. Not long ago a family in Philly had to liquidate a huge collection of those little cardboard Christmas houses after their owner died, but I certainly didn't have room for them or interest in selling them by onsies and twosies.
Perhaps you could find someone who would be willing to post a few of them at a time on eBay for you and give you 10% of the profits or some such.
I wish I could be more specific, but there is no one good answer for everyone in this situation.
If you'd like, I can post your note (without your contact information) on my discussion forum at:
http://oldchristmastreelights.com/forums/Then if someone contacts me, I can get back to you.
- Paul