Los Angeles Estate Liquidation.Com

Steampunk and L.A. Estate Liquidation - How Everyone wins…

Estate Sales in Los Angeles are one of the worlds largest and most ultimate vehicle’s for recycling a vast and incredible storehouse of the unusual…which can be turned into almost anything…even the luxurious!

If you are an estate liquidator in Los Angeles and you have an estate with a garage full of old tools and machinery - odd bits of metal and so on…

Remember that this old fan, something that I have seen many times at an estate sale…

Can be turned into this amazing fan.

That this Lamp was once just bits and pieces at some estate sale…

image from not2brightLighting Art

Some related steampunk sites:

The SteamPunk Librarian

Article about Steampunk

Los Angeles Estate Liquidation Companies

Click Here

Other Estate Liquidation Sites

Fine Estate Liquidation
Fine Estate Blog
Inherited Fire Arms

The Do It Yourself Estate Sales Guide

Research Pays!

Arts and Crafts Makers Marks

This resource site has been put together by Chicago Silver, I just came across it this morning while researching a mark I found on the bottom of an Art’s and Craft’s bowl…

I like this site because it is very well organized with easily readable photographs of hundreds of makers marks.

Two Dirk Van Erp Stories:

Several years ago a dealer went estate sale shopping in the little town of Benicia, Ca. She had been in the antique business for a long time, and she thought she knew better than to go to an estate sale late in the day, she said “All the best deals are gone then, aren’t they?

Know your marks!

But she went anyway. The ad for the estate sale sounded too good, and she had some free time. When she arrived at the sale she saw that the estate sale had been well picked through - it didn’t seem like she would find anything of real value there. Chipped and cracked china sets, old clothes, and cookware spilled out of cardboard boxes on top of and beneath card tables. She went through the boxes, and to her surprise she found a large hand hammered copper vase. She quickly turned it over and saw a windmill mark. Unlike the mark pictured above, Dirk Van Erp signed many of his works with only a windmill, and because this dealer knew this, she could identified it as a genuine Dirk Van Erp.

The Downspout Bowl

A while ago I went to see a clients estate in a very wealthy and fashionable section of town. We went through the house, and she showed me the families paintings and silver; the estate was filled with all sorts of interesting things.

The estate had a guest house which was accessible by walking across a terracotta tiled courtyard. The client and I talked as we walked to the guest house. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something I could almost not believe.

Across the courtyard on the ground beneath the gutter downspout was a large copper bowl. I held my breath a bit before saying to my client “That better not be what I think it is.” I picked up the bowl, which was crusted with dirt, and streaked green with verdigris and turned it over. Sure enough, there was a windmill mark on the underside. The bowl in perfect condition would surely have been worth $1,000’s of dollars, but in that condition it was worth at best $300.00.

Enjoy the link and happy hunting…

Have some feedback or a story to tell about estate sales in Los Angeles?

Here is an article about making the choice between Auctions and Estate Sales

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit

Image By Scott Waterman

These figures are totally made up, but the estate sale story I tell at the end is true.

Last week in the L.A. Area there were:

1. A Dozen estate sales.
2. 378 Yard and Garage Sales.
3. 10 Rummage Sales.
4. 1/2 Dozen Flea Markets.

And how many deals were found?

1000’s - Thats right 1000’s! In fact there is no end to the deals that can be found at estate sales - whether run by professionals, families, or churches; and yes, you can even find them at flea markets.

Heres why…

No one knows everything!

I have been in the estate sale business for the last 13 or so years - and I have a confession “I don’t know everything.” I know a lot, a helluva a lot, way more than the average person, but I don’t know everything about antiques and collectibles, not by a long shot. But lets keep this between you and me, I mean I don’t necessarily want this getting around…

But there is a catch…

Because I know that I don’t know everything about the value of every conceivable estate sale item, I have developed a special talent - I have learned how to find out what things are, and what their potential values are.

Here is a story…

Two years ago I got a call from someone who had had a professional estate liquidation company come in and stage an estate sale for her. The sale took place over a weekend, and I am sure that hundreds of people went to this estate sale. They had advertised it, and put up estate sale signs around the neighborhood.

When I got to the house, and looked around, there really wasn’t a whole lot left. The woman who had called me, wanted me to do a buy-out of the estate sale remainders - but hey, after an estate sale professional and the public have come and gone from a sale, there really wasn’t much to entice me to do a buy-out, except for a 3 framed watercolors; which I bought for a few hundred dollars. And then I did the homework her original estate liquidator should have done. By the way -

I sold them for $4,600, and here is the moral…

If you are someone who is looking for a “real” professional estate liquidator - REALLY CHECK THEM OUT - PUT THEM THROUGH THEIR PACES - ASK THEM THESE QUESTIONS.

Sorry for the shout…

If you are someone who shops estate sales, remember, the deals are there - they always will be for those who adapt to the changes and fluctuations of the antique and collectibles market.

So tell us about one of your finds…

Fine Estate Liquidation
The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit
Fine Estate Blog
Inherited Fire Arms

Oh my, according to LAavenue.com there are 21,191.31 miles of Los Angeles City and County roads to navigate, in order to find and locate an estate sale in L.A…

How are you deciding which estate sales In L.A. to go too?

Are you going to fewer estate sales?

Are you only going to the best estate sales?

Are you only shopping local estate sales?

Is the price of gas influencing your purchase offers?

Are you offering less?

Are you buying only the best?

Have you stopped going to estate sales?

Here is a link to help you make better destination and driving decisions L.A. Traffic

Fine Estate Liquidation
The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit
Fine Estate Blog
Inherited Fire Arms

Up-Coming Los Angeles Area Estate Sales:

Hughes Estate Sales
Saturday July 5, Sunday July 6, and Monday July 7
8:00 am - 2:00 pm

711 West Woodbury Road
Altadena, CA 91001

Pacific Estate Sales
ENCINO HILLS
Friday 6/13, Saturday 6/14 and Sunday 6/15
9AM-4PM

Address: 3623 Green Vista Drive, Encino, CA

Fine Estate Liquidation
The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit
Fine Estate Blog
Inherited Fire Arms

If you want to offer feedback about the estate liquidation scene in the Los Angeles area - go to this page Let us all know what you think.

The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit

By my count there were 4 estate sales conducted by Los Angeles estate liquidation professional in the L.A. area this past weekend.

Here are some questions - How were they? Did you like them? Did you find anything valuable, or unique?

Drop me a line, or send me a postcard…

Fine Estate Liquidation
The Do it Yourself Estate Sales Kit
Fine Estate Blog
Inherited Fire Arms