Estate sales are attracting growing attention from shoppers, and a recent ABC News report highlights why. On August 17, 2026, ABC News aired a segment titled “Estate sale shopping booms as thrifting trend.” Reporter Lara Spencer described the growing popularity of estate-sale shopping as being fueled by both the expanding resale market and social media. For homeowners, that trend may sound entirely positive. More shoppers should mean a better sale. Sometimes it can. But incre

Sometimes the most important item in an estate does not look valuable at all. In September 2022, Will Sideri stopped at an estate sale in Waterville, Maine, expecting to look at ordinary household items. Hanging on a wall was a framed piece of vellum with a yellow estate-sale price sticker. The price was $75. The information accompanying it indicated that it was an illuminated manuscript dating to approximately 1285 A.D. Sideri initially questioned whether something supposedl

An old team photograph purchased at a California estate sale for about $250 is now attracting national attention because researchers believe one of the young players pictured may be baseball legend Babe Ruth. The story is remarkable because the potential value being discussed reaches into the millions of dollars. But for homeowners preparing for an estate sale, the most useful lesson may have very little to do with Babe Ruth—or even with the eventual value of this particular