Hi everyone, and welcome to this edition of What’s Hot and What’s Not, a monthly publication of the Steffen Group that helps keep everyone up to date on what items are selling strong in the auction business along with those items that are in a soft market.

Every week I have conversations with those that are in the process of down-sizing their homes and collections.  Most conversations lead toward the owners being concerned that their children have no interest in the things that they have collected over the years and that they will be thrown out or donated when there could be great value in these collections.  I want to encourage you that if you are in this stage in your life, please reach out to any of the Steffen Group Auctioneers.  Our auction team can help assist with everything from finding your next home to selling your real estate, personal property, and quality collectibles.

When it comes to selling real estate, our team will also discuss with you whether it would be best to list your home with one of our realtors or to auction the property.  There are distinct advantages to both options. We have the team and the resources to help you maximize the value of your assets in this market.

On the personal property side, we have several options on how to best address the items that you will not be taking to your new home.  If you have high-end collections, whether it be automobiles, coins, or antiques and primitives, we can help you determine what would be the best avenue to help you achieve the highest possible price for your items.

At the end of the day, we hope to be more than just a realtor or an auctioneer for you; We hope to be your business partner.  Together, we can help maximize the value of your real estate and personal property.

So let’s get to the part you are all looking forward to, as we take a look at what is HOT and what is NOT in the auction business at this time.

Hot

Pharmaceutical & Medical Items : Whether it be medical bottles, mortar & pestles, Dr. bags, signs, small medical instruments, or even furniture, vintage drug store and doctor’s office items have become quite collectable.  We recently had an auction with a metal body medical cabinet with glass sides that sold for over $2,000!

Vintage Christmas: I made a trip to a large antique show recently and one of the first things that I noticed was that vintage Christmas is becoming more and more collectible.  Christmas blow molds like the Nativity, Candles, Candy Canes, and Santa are very sought after.  Shiny Brite glass ornaments are also quite popular especially if they are in their original box.  Don’t forget about the vintage ceramic Christmas trees with the light in the base! These are in high demand right now as they are a wonderful memory for many of Christmas past.

Salesman Samples : Antique salesman sample pieces are miniature small scale versions of an actual commercial product that a salesman would take with them to different retail locations in an attempt to get them to purchase the full size for their store.  These can be anything that would have been sold, from a cast iron stove to a livestock feeder to a canoe.  These were not mass produced and, as a result, can be quite expensive.  I have seen many sell through the years and while most are in the hundreds of dollars range some can reach tens of thousands of dollars!

Not

Small Household Appliances: Small household appliances like toasters, coffee makers, and electric frying pans will almost always sell but they are not worth the bother.  These are such a common staple item that most households have so there is not a need or desire to purchase another one.  These are best donated to those in need.

Crafts: While crafts can certainly have value at shows and festivals, they are typically very soft sellers at auction;  They do not bring high dollar amounts as a rule.

1970’s Wood Furniture: While we have seen some improvement in the furniture market, this era of furniture has remained quite soft.  This includes the ever-popular coffee tables, glass inset tables, hexagon tables and the glossy furniture that was made during this period.  These were well made and can still be quite helpful to someone just starting out on their own.

Treadle Sewing Machines: The old Singer, White and other treadle sewing machines, while quite beautiful, have a very limited collectability.  There was a period when these were highly sought after as décor pieces.  Unfortunately, this time has passed and these are in a down market.  At the very best, I have seen the bases repurposed into entry and side tables.  Even with this repurpose, they have remained soft in price.  I recently saw three very nice repurposed sewing machine bases sell at auction in the $20 to $30 range.

Thanks for taking the time to explore another edition of What’s Hot and What’s Not in the auction business. Be sure to remember that while these items are both HOT and NOT right now, the market is ever changing and there are always exceptions.  Reach out to one of the Steffen Group Auctioneers.  We will be glad to discuss with you the best possible way to promote your items through the auction method of marketing!