mrt7777 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Hello, first post. My Grandma died this past year she was 100 years old. Her only hobby was doll houses. And for what ever reason she left me the houses. My wife and I have 2 boys, so I think Im going to keep one of the houses just to remember her by. but in the mean time I have no Idea what to do with stuff, I have 2 house to get rid of, they are huge. and boxes of furniture. some of the furniture is really nice looking made of metal and wood, some of it is cheaper stuff. what do I do from here? I know noth about this stuff. how do u even go by selling a 4 + feet doll house? thanks for any info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 You go read the archives on this subject at the Small Stuff Digest site, OR you "get" into the dollhouse miniatures hobby yourself. Some of our members are professional dh builders and may be able to help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 David, I'm sorry for your loss. Many of us wonder what will happen to our houses when we're gone. You might want to consider keeping both of the houses for when your boys marry and maybe have girls of their own or a wife who enjoys miniatures. I would suggest contacting Lori Kagin-Moore at The Great American Dollhouse Museum in Danville, Kentucky. She is an expert on old dollhouses and furnishings and may be able to help you evaluate/appraise what your grandmother left to you. Don't know how near you are to the museum but she may be able to offer advice via photos. I think your first step in any case will be to catalog all of the items with some very good photographs. Don't assume that just because something may look cheap or insubstantial that it is worthless. Some antiques may fool you. Meanwhile, if you make 5 posts here, you can open a Gallery to share photos with us. There are several well informed people on this forum who can help you figure out what you have and provide the input you need to make some decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 Thanks for the info. I will start taking pics tonight of the stuff. Keep a eye on this thread. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I'm sorry about your grandmother. Where are you located? We might be able to suggest other resources depending on where you are. You can certainly sell the stuff on eBay or Craigslist but that might be time consuming and might not be the most efficient way to deal with it, depending on what you have. And it depends on whether you want to sell it for "what it's worth" (opinions on which will of course vary!) or just want to see it go to a good home. You might be able to find a local miniature or antique store to sell the houses on commission, or you could donate them to a children's charity, church, school, etc. Anyway, pictures are a good place to start. I look forward to seeing some of your grandmother's collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 Im taking pics as we speak. I would love to unload this stuff in 1 shot. Im by Cleveland OH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
framebb Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Also sorry to hear of your loss Just a minor suggestion on my part but DONT toss anything no matter how 'cheap' you may think it is. Remember your Grandmother made you caretaker of some items that were very dear to her. Please take your time before re-homing anything you might regret later on. Are there other family memebers who might appreciate one of the houses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 3, 2012 Author Share Posted August 3, 2012 No I asked everyone. no one else has kids. But I did ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 David, Sorry to hear about your grandmother. As was mentioned above, you want to at least make sure the things go to a good home. As I travel the country for business, I have "rescued" several houses that need rehab and several kits that otherwise would have probably ended up in the trash. I am sure once you get your five posts in here and get a gallery up several folks here can help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 thanks again for all the info. here are some pics. Quick ones I took. I will take detailed pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 here is the two big ones, the grey one is about half the size of the blue one. the blue one has a wooden roof, and the grey one has a paper roof. both need minor fixes repairs. But Like I said Ill take detailed pics starting tomorrow. Just found out my wife is pregnant again. so these must go ASAP. I am keeping one ( not pictured) just to remember her by, and my wife thinks the new little one is a girl. we will see. thanks for any info. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Your grandmother was good! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 She did beautiful work! It's too bad you feel obligated to get rid of them - that's a beautiful heritage.. You must have been very special to her, for her to entrust her treasures to you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chellebelle Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 They're both lovely! They are treasures passed down, built with much love, no doubt. Sorry for your loss, I'm sure your Grandmother want's them to go to good homes where they'll be loved. I would suggest that you do some research before pricing. Ebay, Craigslist , etsy and sites like that may give you some idea what would be a fair price. If you go the Craigslist route, be sure to list several ways. People (like me, lol) look under dollhouse, doll house and plural of both, miniatures and minis. Of course you run the risk of scammers and crazy people, so consider that. You can also contact local miniature clubs, such as the Cleveland Miniaturia Society to ask for ideas. I live in the Lorain county, but I'm not much help. I listed several items and got no responses. If you go Ebay, you would have to go to the trouble listing, and maybe shipping. However, you can have it as local pick up only. The added security is if you accept PayPal, you be paid before the buyer gets it. The Sun newspapers and the Plain Dealer probably won't garner much interest unless you do a "garage Sale" which is a whole lot of work. You could have a local auction house sell it for you, but they take a big commission, as do the estate sale people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 So sorry for your loss. Those are beautiful houses, I can just imagine what kind of treasures you have in furnitures and accessories! Another idea is to try a local mini shop, or mini society like Michelle suggested. My local mini shop always has "estate items" for sale, sometimes if it's enough stuff, they have a special estate sale event. They purchase the items from the family, I'm not sure it it was prearranged by the miniaturist, or of they are con acted by the family, or maybe both. I love going to those, because I always find such neat and different items. Good luck, and I hope you get your daughter this time, and she'll be able to enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
queenannediva Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 The first one (blue) is a Dura-Craft VM800 Victorian Mansion. Quite common on ebay and craigslist as a kit and assembled, so with a little research it would be easy to get an idea of what that model is going for these days. Dura-Craft kits are no longer manufactured, but there are a lot of them around. Good luck! As an example here is one listed on craigslist in Seattle, includes lots of stuff: http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/fuo/3182395816.html Valerie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Thanks Valerie, I knew that I'd seen that blue one before but couldn't think of the name! (Did figure it for a Dura-Craft, though.) I feel like I've seen the second one too, maybe on a Craigslist listing. But I have no idea what it is. David, depending on how much stuff there is, another option would be to contact a company that does estate sales and ask if they have ideas. I recently went to an estate sale where the woman was an avid miniaturist and they had an entire room of mini stuff, from houses and roomboxes to furniture to accessories that had been bagged up for a few dollars a piece. (I spent about $30 the first day and then went back on "half price" day and spent about $160 more... ) I saw an ad for it on Craigslist, not sure if they did other advertising. Estate sales are usually held in the house and they sell all of the person's belongings, but they're often run by a company and a company like that might have advice for you. I also love the estate sale finds or "mini yard sales" because you find stuff that isn't available anymore. If your grandmother was 100, then she was probably doing miniatures in the 80s and 90s (maybe even farther back?)... there were a lot of great building supplies around then that just aren't available anymore. All this makes me think about who's going to get my stash when I die... I don't have any kids (somehow I don't think the dog would take good care of it)... my spouse jokes that he'd be happy to dump it in the trash, but I'd like to think that if I died unexpectedly he'd change his tune and find a good home for all of it! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 perfect. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gee Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 I too am sorry for your loss. Go and take your wife and visit a dollhouse fair before you sell anything. You get an idea of prices that way (some are really expensive) and who knows, maybe the dollhouse virus we all suffer from gets to you too. Congrats on the fact that you're going to be a daddy again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 thanks again for all the info, atleast I know what I have now. but after some thought Im going to keep this stuff. they did mean a lot to my grandma, I remember going over her house when I was a kid, and she was always showing me the houses and messing with them. Thanks again for the info. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 thanks again for all the info, atleast I know what I have now. but after some thought Im going to keep this stuff. they did mean a lot to my grandma, I remember going over her house when I was a kid, and she was always showing me the houses and messing with them. Thanks again for the info. Good on ya! Those things really do mean a lot to you, and will remind you of your grandma's love for you each time you look at them. Who knows? Maybe you or your wife or one or more of your children will catch the mini bug! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Good decision, David. Your grandmother chose well. But please do continue to photograph both for a record for insurance purposes and to post in an album here, too. We love eye candy, and as said above, some here can help you determine the provenance of some of the older pieces. It would be nice to have info on this to pass on to the next owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrt7777 Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 ok, will do. I started doing some fixes, so 6 hours later I see how this can be addicting. ( even for a 32 year old man) lol Im building a shelf for the grey one and Im going to display it in my living room. I still dont know what to do with the huge blue one. but I'll figure it out. Thanks again, glad I found this place. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Yes, I'm afraid it is pretty addicting. But so much fun! I bet y'all will enjoy it all together. And you'll find a place for the blue one, it's too pretty not to display. And what neat stories you will be able to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 32? Gee, I hate to think how mini houses, etc, I'd have by now if I'd started when I was only 32! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.