My father had sent my mother a set of china and some Hummel figurines when he was in Germany while in the Army many years ago. She recently passed away and he is in assisted living. They have been sitting in my basement for a few years and I have no interest in keeping it all, but feel guilty for wanting to hand it all off to any antique dealer or where ever. And I should add that both of my parents' choice was to not have a close relationship with me since childhood, so I guess that also plays into having no interest. I have no other siblings. What do I do?
Just a thought. In reality, they are yours to do with as you wish. But I'd want the monetary value myself, and then to allow others to enjoy them. My mother had Lladro figurines which I truly detest; I gave a few to her caregivers at the Memory Care, one to my DD, and I kept one that's a ballerina. I'm going to sell the rest of them on eBay b/c they DO have value.
It was never used, just kept because it belong to granny, Mother, Aunty etc.
When the wife went into a nursing home she was so happy to not be anchored down by it.
I am clearing out some of my Dad’s hoard. I am pretty ruthless. So far it is easy as the stuff has been contaminated by rodents and raccoons.
Sell it, give it away, let it go
May all of you be so fortunate!
I just had my parents' estate sale over the weekend, followed by a full clean-out of everything in the house that didn't sell. What didn't go in the sale included a FREE baby grand piano, three sets of china, cut glass and crystal barware, and mid-19th century antiques.
The haulers who came to clean out the house threw all the glassware in a trash bag, shattering all of it, they took the china and antiques to a warehouse where they hold a sale twice a year, and literally cut up the piano. I couldn't watch the piano go -- it was my mother's greatest joy and the one I learned on as a child.
Keep what has meaning to YOU. Otherwise, it's just stuff. It's all you can do, because not everything will find a home.
Mother made it a big thing that they were worth a lot of money. Actually, they're not, and while I know she has split them up amongst the great grands-I can state emphatically that no one wants them. They are not my taste and I would probably have to display them out of 'guilt'. IDK.
I think that once she passes, we'll have a quick look over of her stuff and most of it will be sold at an estate sale and the rest will go to GoodWill. It would break her heart, but she is the kind of person who equates 'owning' something with the person who gave it to her. She doesn't have relationships with people, she has the junk they gave her.
I've asked my kids to please stop giving me 'stuff', as I am trying to cull down 'things'.
Also on the Hummels unless you have paperwork to show provenance from 1940’s, they aren’t worth much. There was a Hummel trend in the 80’s? and lots of them sold. It may have been Bradford Exchange type of “collectible” sold which are basically garbage now. But it muddled up the market for them.
Ceramics! and more Ceramics! 4 out of 5 Aunts & my mom did ceramics. Couple of kilns in the family too. Ton of ceramics! Maybe 6 pieces which I kept out of dz’s. But all the other ones (boxes & boxes of stuff in bubble wrap from Xmas ornaments to ring holders) I put into a plastic bin and broke them. I used the shards in the bottom of planters to help with drainage. I was repotting last month and low & behold there was bits of ceramic Easter eggs and the spike of a ring holder and parts of ash trays. I know it sounds odd, but unearthing them gave me a sense of calmness, like mom & Aunties enjoying a garden 🪴
https://www.truelegacyhomes.com/rare-hummel-figurines/
Do some research into what you have, determine the worth and if you want to sell them, keep etc. and it's worth your time. Due to the age and the fact they were purchased overseas means yours might actually be worth something.
Maybe hang on to them until your Father has passed and then do what you want with them. Go online. Maybe there is someone out there who would like them. Are they valuable? Check that out before you toss them just in case. :)
If one or two of the figurines would have pleasant memories for your father I suppose you could find room for them in his apartment? Other than that, put them on eBay or whatever and let them go.
Even very good china in mint condition is hard to resell; auction houses can't give it away, it's a crying shame. But there are specialist etailers who might take it off your hands - is the service complete?
During the cleaning out process, I would periodically have a panic attack over getting rid of nearly everything and my son would say "stick it in the pile that goes to storage and we'll deal with it later". It was the best move because 2 years later, I don't want nearly everything in storage. So I saved myself some unnecessary angst and now I can get rid of it with a clear conscience.
I give things away. If it ends up being worth something, someone else can make the profit. When I cleaned Moms house out, I only kept a few things. One of them I just gave a friend who was close to Mom. You just can't keep everything. Its a shame the amount of money people spent on China and Crystal. And now, our children do not want it. It doesn't fit in their lifestyle. My oldest, I bought her a set of Pfaltzgraff with serving pieces. Thats all she uses. If she has a crowd its good paper plates.
Time to part with them.
My understanding has always been that yes, Hummels could be worth something. So, for sure, check them out online or with an antique dealer before you give them away.
Would you use the china?
If the answer to both of theses questions is no then do not keep them. There are places that will buy old china and some are in demand. One huge place I know of is Hoffman's Patterns of the Past.
Do you like the Hummel figurines?
Would you display them?
If the answer is no then get rid of them.
Do check them carefully. Some of the older ones are of value while newer ones are not. (There is the Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummel's not far from where I live, never been there, but look on line that might be a place to get an idea of some of the ones of value)
And in your post I think you clearly stated that they hold no sentimental value to you. Sell them and use the money to do something that you have wanted to do. Redo your main bathroom, get new counters, get new flooring, take a trip.
You will feel sad not guilty. And even sad is misplaced.
Perhaps you are stymied because by letting those items go you'll be letting go of a pretend relationship. Why you keep souvenirs of people who didn’t care about you is a great curiosity. Free yourself.
Have you heard that commercial that goes something like - Hey ladies, why are you keeping that engagement ring given to you by the guy who ditched you. It’s full of bad vibes. Get rid of it.
Don't even keep one cake dish from the set. It's keeping something dark. You’re just pretending you had a good relationship. They represent yearning. It’s your parents that missed out. Those things are weights. They’re hurtful reminders. Get free of them. Give them away.
As for Hummels, omg. They make me think of Norman Rockwell dishes, agggh. Young people are so removed from that era. And it will never ever be in style again.
Do you skeet shoot? Some cultures believe in warding off evil spirits by breaking dishes during a party. Opa!
I left a lot of stuff (things that had memories for me)--mom's creche, old vases, kitchen bowls--out in front, where folks could pick them up. Pretty soon, there were cars stopping and nice folks getting out and picking up stuff to take home with huge smiles on their faces. An middle aged Hispanic woman cradled mom's creche in her arms; I could see it was going to be loved.
Let someone else make good memories from your mom's tchotchkes.
I sold or donated any of the other Chot chi's, ie dust catchers. Next the dishes are going to be donated.
Today's generation does not want all that stuff. Sell as much as you can and forget about it.
Enjoy the benefit of selling!