Jon Englund and Donna Luger
Downsizing? Determined to get rid of stuff no longer needed? Cleaning out a home or an estate? Stop! Know Before You Throw.
Dirt. Can I interest you in some? Believe it or not, people collect it. Or more precisely, what’s right under the surface. We live in a state chock-full of precious metals and exotically named minerals—Olivenite, Cuprite, Brochantite and Wulfenite. And the list goes on.
Arizona’s natural resources are the stuff of legends and mystery. It’s reported that silver ore was first discovered in the Arizona area in the late 1500s. It was the primary precious metal mined for many years. Later came gold. Then copper mining took off in the late 1800s when it was discovered that the metal was perfect for conducting electricity. Over the years, fortunes have been made and fortunes lost, which makes this field of collecting especially robust and intriguing. There seems to be something that speaks to everyone’s imagination.
For example, at a recent Tucson estate sale, a collection of old mining ephemera (printed material) was offered for sale. There was an assortment of boarding house punch tickets and mercantile receipts. There also were cancelled checks from the Golden Star Mines Company, once located in an area called Polaris, about halfway between Quartzite and Yuma. These items brought hundreds of dollars. Another group of paper items was from the Goldfield-Superstition Consolidated Gold Mines Company. Interest in this lot was so strong that it sold for more than $1,000.
Other highly collectible items include pieces of those exotically named minerals noted above, selling in the range of $100 to $500. In addition, miners’ carbide lamps can bring $200 to $350, with vintage dynamite blasting plunger boxes bringing around $300 to $800.
So what’s in your closet?
Jon Englund has more than 30 years of experience in appraising and liquidating personal property, jewelry, art, collectibles, antiques, furniture, printed items and more, as well as more than 15 years of experience in real estate. A Midwest transplant, Jon trained at New York University in appraisal studies.
Donna Luger has assisted during that time, and is a veteran Associate Broker and Realtor with HomeSmart Realty—Elite Group.
For more information, call (480) 699-1567. You also can send an email to Jon@KnowBeforeYouThrow.INFO.