Families preparing for an estate sale often sort through jewelry before anyone else arrives. That is understandable. Jewelry is personal. Some pieces may have sentimental value. Others may be obviously valuable, and family members may prefer to keep or sell them separately. But one statement deserves a little caution: “We already took out all the real jewelry. What’s left is costume.” Sometimes that is exactly right. Sometimes it isn’t. Inherited jewelry collections accumulat

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

Pottery, porcelain, glass, figurines, vases, bowls, and decorative objects are common in estate sales, but they can be surprisingly difficult to identify. Two pieces may look almost identical while being made by different manufacturers, produced decades apart, or belonging to very different markets. A decorative object that appears ordinary may contain an important maker’s mark, while an elaborate-looking piece may be a later reproduction with modest resale value. That is why