Clean and Find Green?

Spring Cleaning is the theme of this post again; this time, with something the library offers you! 

Have you found, perhaps stashed away in a closet or attic, something that may in fact be an antique?  Or maybe it's a collectible or some other rare find.  How can you know if it's worth selling?  Sure, you could Google it, but many sites for sales of art and antiques want you to pay to register to see much of anything.  You could look on eBay, but that just shows you what people have set as an asking price: you've no way of knowing if that's actually a fair price for the item. 

Take a look at one of the library's online resources, Price It! Antiques and Collectibles database. 

With more than 60 million images, 127 searchable categories, and intuitive search functionality, Price It! is the ultimate identification, research, and pricing tool for collectors, dealers, appraisers, and anyone in between.  Simple to use, this online resource delivers more than 41 million actual prices paid for treasures that you collect, buy and trade.

Price It! searches past sales through online retail and auction outlets, as well as physical auction houses.  You will be able to see the selling price of the item along with a description and frequently a photo. 

As an example, has someone in your family made an attempt to collect those little spoons you can get at touristy places in different states?  If you're ready to give up your collection, take a look: a collection of sterling silver spoons, property of Mrs. Vivian Heffran, was valued at $250-450.  The set of 25 spoons weighed a total of 14.35 ounces, with spoons up to 5 3/4 inches long.  This collection sold through an auction house in 2007 for $450.  That's nothing to sneeze at!

Do you have a box of old movie posters or action figures from your youth?  Did your mom squirrel away your metal lunchbox with the cool matching thermos that you used in school 40 years ago?  It could be worth something today, if you know where to look.

Want to take a look for yourself, see if any of the items gathering dust on your shelves could generate a little *cha-ching* for your bank account?  Log on for free anytime with your library card number.  Ask your reference librarian for more information!