EstateSales.NET Blog

So you want to throw a 60s soirée… Maybe you lived through that era, and want to enjoy some of the styles and sounds you remember so well. Or maybe you're like me and just watched Mad Men for the fourth time and have since been lamenting the lack of a fully-stocked bar in your modern office, so you’re looking for something to fill that void, even temporarily. Whatever the reason, consider this a guide to help ensure your party is the swingingest on the block. And with a little help from your local estate sales and the EstateSales.NET Marketplace , you can make sure your party is authentic. How to dress There are many different directions you can go. The 60s are associated with a variety of styles and movements, making it easy to choose a style you’ll be comfortable with. Early 60s styles are a bit more conservative, coming out of the modest 50s. But as the decade went on, hemlines went up. Classy A-line dresses were popular, as were roomy shift dresses and baby-doll styles...

The Blenko Glass Company had been adding color to homes for nearly 100 years. Whether you’re an avid collector or simply someone who enjoys the occasional tchotchke, it’s impossible to deny the beauty of Blenko . The distinctly-colored glass brightens up any room, making it appealing to the average shopper, and they have a variety of limited edition colors and pieces, making it a perfect collector’s item. And it was difficult for us not to hop on the Blenko bandwagon after talking to Ed Rothenberger. He was kind enough to show us his collection, give us some insights on what pieces are particularly exciting, and show us how to tell the difference between Blenko and the myriad other art glass companies. Blenko Glass Company has been in business since the 1920s in Milton, WV, in the heart of glass country. Many well- and lesser-known glass companies found their homes in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. And glass blowers and designers often worked for more than one glass company in their lifetimes, which resulted in some similar-looking pieces...

Lamps are a ridiculously common item to find at estate sales. And understandably so: who doesn’t need a little light in their lives? Goth kids, I suppose... Moles... Vampires… But for the rest of us, we need our world illuminated so we can look deeply into the eyes of a loved one, comfortably read our favorite book, and avoid stubbing our toes on the coffee table when we sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night just to check on the chocolate cake we left on the counter...you know, just to make sure it’s still safe. Thanks, lamps ! But let’s not limit ourselves. There’s a wide variety of lamps in the world, from old-timey to mid-century modern to contemporary. Of course, we can’t spotlight every single type of lamp or every shade design. From Tiffany glass to two-tiered starburst shades to crystal chandeliers , there’s a style to suit any home. And sure, you can find more traditional bases and shades in any store, but one of the fun things about estate sales are the interesting and, dare we say, kitschy items you can find...

Who doesn't love attending an estate sale and discovering a forgotten toy from their childhood? We know we do! But how well do you really remember the toys you grew up with? Let's find out. Searching For a Company Looking for a company to conduct your sale? Go to our Hire a Company page to find a company in your area. Find a Company Get Notified Sign up to receive free email notifications of estate sales in your area! Subscribe Now ...

One of my favorite things about estate sales is the element of surprise. One of my other favorite things is the thrill of the hunt. And when you combine those things together, oh brother, what do you get? You get a very enthusiastic woman screaming “THIS IS MINE NOW” in the middle of a sale after she unexpectedly happens upon a Pyrex Bake-a-Round from the 1970s. As I do before any estate sale, I combed the pictures at EstateSales.NET and mentally mapped-out my way through the sale. I had my plan. I would start with the beautiful saltwater aquarium near the entry that I secretly wanted, even though I knew there was no way I would properly care for it if I brought it home. But it never hurts to look, right? And I knew there was a dulcimer that I had to check out for a coworker. It looked like it would be the next stop after my longing-gander at the tank. Then, it would be time for the kitchen items...

Think of well-dressed men throughout history. What’s one thing they all have in common? That’s right. Hats . And if you’re a contrarian and are now busy coming up with a list of well-dressed men who never wear hats, consider this: what if they did wear hats? Think about it. Admit it, hats look good. The fedora might fall into some bad press now and again, but it’s hard to deny that, worn on the right head, it’s just the right thing. (If you don’t believe me, go re-watch the first few seasons of Mad Men . I’ll wait. Heck, maybe I’ll join you. Popcorn?) And that’s not to say all those hat-wearing heads have to belong to someone famously good-looking with the last name of Gosling or Hemsworth, or whomever the kids are into these days. Any head, with any face on it, can rock a hat. It just has to be the right one. And while there are many modern haberdashers (a word I NEVER get to use, so I am so excited right now) making fine hats, there’s no denying the quality and style of a vintage hat...

There was a time when local fairs and traveling carnivals weren’t filled to the gills with stuffed animals made to look like your favorite cartoon characters. A time when you wouldn’t have to walk around with a giant teddy bear, wondering where to put it when it was time to ride The Avalanche, or how to eat a giant mustard-covered corn dog without getting it all over your new buddy. Instead, there was chalkware . What’s chalkware? you might ask. Is it like silverware? Is it forks and knives that look like they’ll break if I bite too hard, and will, with 100% certainty, leave behind a weird, dusty residue in my mouth? What a silly question that is, and definitely not at all what I originally thought chalkware was myself, I assure you. The chalkware craze began in Staffordshire, England in the late 1800s as an inexpensive alternative to the region’s popular porcelain figurines. The chalkware one might win at an early-20th century carnival frequently came in the form of hand-painted figurines like kewpie dolls , or pieces based on TV and film characters...

It’s here! The EstateSales.NET Marketplace is open for business. Now you can find and browse your local estate sales—just like always—but you can also shop, browse, and buy items from estate sale companies across the country, and have them shipped right to your door. So you’ll notice a few changes on our website. And you can expect more in the coming days, weeks, and months. But change is a good thing. It means we’re growing and improving. So here’s what you can expect. What’s new now Shop for Items. You may have noticed the “Shop for Items” tab that appeared at the top of the EstateSales.NET homepage. That link sends you directly to our Marketplace page, where you can browse all the items currently available to buy or bid on the EstateSales.NET Marketplace. If you don’t feel like going out, or if you’ve exhausted all your local options when hunting for that missing fridgie to complete your Pyrex set, or that discontinued game you loved as a kid, you can access estate sales nationwide with the Marketplace. Categories...

It’s almost Easter, which means it’s about time to bust out the vinegar and egg dying kit and get to work. “The thing about dying Easter eggs,” my daughter said over a fresh carton of white eggs, a rare sight in my brown-egg home, “is when you buy a kit, everything is basically already done for you.” Well, my child, you have been blessed with a mother who desperately wants to be Pinteresting, so we shall eschew the traditional fizzy color tabs for our egg-dying needs and instead harness the power of estate sales to reach our goal! Buckle up, buttercup. Did you know you can use old silk ties (or scarves, or shirts, or skirts, or...you get the point) to dye your eggs? The patterns transfer imperfectly but beautifully onto to the eggs. Sure, they’re rendered inedible, but does anyone really ever eat all those eggs after the holiday is over? Be honest. The process is a bit more time consuming than dropping a fizzy pill into a glass of vinegar water, but the results are more unpredictable, and therefore more exciting...

After the family’s Atari 2600, my favorite childhood game was my father’s pachinko machine . I don’t know how he came by it. I suspect he brought it home when his time in the service ended. Regardless, it joined the family before I did, and the sound of hundreds of little metal balls rolling into the reservoir and pinging around the board is on the soundtrack of my childhood. (A mixtape that also includes 8-bit Frogger sound effects and New Kids on the Block’s first three albums.) A post shared by Danny likes 💻🔌⚡🔧🎼🎹 (@dannyisdandy) on Feb 24, 2018 at 2:48pm PST There are machines available for under $100, but before you take the plunge, consider what level of effort you are willing to put forward to have a functioning machine. Are you prepared to refurbish the machine yourself (which can require considerable time and hundreds of dollars, depending on the machine), or have someone do it for you...