An occasionally updated chronicle of estate sales in the city and suburbs of Chicago.

"It's such a guilty pleasure..." Lynne Stiefel, Pioneer Press

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Overpriced Artist's Apartment in Logan Square

The woman who lived here was a photographer, and that fact alone seemed to give the people running this estate sale free rein to overprice every last doo-hickey and piece of ephemera in the place.

Twenty buck for a packet of S&H Green Stamps books? The company has traded hands several times since 1981, and books of Green Stamps go for a few bucks on Ebay. They may have been "America's Most Valuable Stamps" at one time, but not any more.

Twenty-five dollars? That's a buck per power of magnification for something that's basically a toy and sells for $4.99-$19.99 on Ebay.

Two clouds and a lightening bolt for $40? Puh-leeze.

All I know is that it was old and ugly and made of metal and priced at $30. Pass.

It was about the size of my hand. Certainly nothing I could -- or would -- wear to church on a Sunday morning. Forget it!

Why don't I just walk through the alley after this sale is over and pick up this hideous thing for free?

Maybe you haven't heard, but these old TVs are basically useless now. But I could recycle it at Best Buy and get a $10 gift card in exchange, so I'd only be losing $25 if I bought it.

So that's what cheap sentiment is worth these days.

We'll give you the whole box for just $50... no, $60. Make it $100!

Would have been overpriced at $1.

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