I go to mom and pop auction houses to see what is left of people’s lives. We spend so much time accumulating “things” that we never think what will happen to them when we’re gone.
I see what happens. I see the collection of Wizard of Oz plates that someone lovingly bought for hundreds of dollars that a buyer sitting in hard chairs in a mom-and-pop auction house pick up for $30 (for eight plates). Or the vintage Argus camera – a little black beauty in a worn tan leather case – that someone stashed in the back of a closet years ago to gather dust.
Each of these things has a story to tell about the person who owned it. Some of the items contain handwritten notes from the giver to the recipient. A birthday card to a child. A Valentine card to a lover. A reminder to self.
I’ll bring those stories to you as I hear them. I’ve found that these whispers from the past arouse my curiosity about the people who owned them, and makes me wonder if I’m accumulating too much stuff that also will wind up on the cheap in someone else’s hands.
I welcome your comments and your stories. Click here to share with me.
Dear Sherry,
I have two Tom Skinner comic books. Must go to the church to check. Tom Skinner would often preach at our church and other churches within our denomination.
Hi Linda. I consider Skinner a wonderful find, because he is someone new to me. After I wrote the post, a friend mentioned to me that she had heard of him. There is so much that I’m learning and so many people that I’m meeting at auctions – in person, on paper and through artifacts.
Sherry