As far as the letters.... do you have a local historical society? You could donate to them, and let them do whatever they choose with them.

The diplomas & annuals and jewelry if no one else wants them, donate to Salvation army or resale shop. Someone may take them and repurpose.

Take photos of all these things and make a shutterfly book. Than feel free to let them go.

Annuals=contact the school, if it still exists. They may be happy to have them.

I do not think a local historical society would be interested in the letters. Mostly about his family, his work and their travels.. I almost tossed a few months ago when I removed them from the cards they were sent inside. He always sent beautiful cards. I need to see if people wrote in the annuals. I would not want to donate them if personalized. I cut out the pages of my father's college book that included him and put with his military awards.

The jewelry is really nice, expensive jewelry. I hate to sell to the local jewelry store when they are going to turn around and sell it for a lot more. DD1 sold a bracelet to them. One brooch, the guy told me I should not sell to them due to its value.

Thanks, maddielee. The school is long gone, but I can ask the city's historical society to see if they have those years. I did donate a local newspaper to them for the city's centennial celebration that was printed as it would have been when the city was formed.

Five years ago I purged a bunch of stuff when I moved. I had A LOT of family things being the last living member of my immediate family. I kept a couple plastic bins of the most meaningful items and tossed the rest. I decided I’d rather have a small quantity of things I could look at from time to time than boxes and boxes of stuff I’d never look at. I’d had these things for years and never looked at them so I took the time to go through everything and enjoy it then got rid of most of it - no regrets.

Pick a charity that has a thrift store and donate. Be sure to document for them the value of the items. If possible, when things settle down, maybe arrange to meet with a manager to pass them on personally, so they know the value. Our area has Children's Hospital thrift stores. There is also a senior center thrift store to fund services to seniors.

Your other option might be to open a shop on ebay or etsy and sell that way.

There's been a resurgence in interest for old jewelry. It's worth taking a look at Etsy and eBay to see if anything like you have has been sold recently and for how much. Could you use the stones in newly designed pieces?

I donated a bunch of costume jewelry to a local women's shelter auction. I was surprised at how well it sold. I guess crafters take it apart and use it to make new pieces. Of course, that's a different use than the use for your valuable pieces.

As for the letters, I think they will be of interest to a historical society particularly because of the time frame involved.

So pretty, Rory. I have a carved piece framed, but it's not a family piece. I do have a cabinet that was my paternal grandmothers that is full of family items. I purged it after the remodel and have donated some things that I did not care about, and added some of my parents' things. Three shelves of sentimental pieces.

We have sold a lot of things on eBay, but only one piece of nice jewelry. Have brooches currently listed.

I keep missing when a jewelry buyer from out of state comes to a local jewelry store. They do this usually once a year, and we've always been out of town. I'll call next week to see if they have another date set yet. If not, I will see about donating to a local charity that could sell at a silent auction.

I spent over a year selling and donating before we moved, and have been doing the same the past two years - up until 6+ months ago. Locally I've listed things on trading pages and done well. Maybe once CV19 is better I can start doing that again.

Brooches can be easily made into beautiful pendants. That's what I did with a few of mine.

Rory, I love that mounted bee pin! The framing is perfect for it. I have a collection of bee pins in precious and semi precious stones that I still wear, usually on a turtleneck sweater in the fall. Occasionally I wear a little flock of them on one shoulder. Goes without saying that I am not fashion forward but I love those bee pins. They have a special significance for me, plus they are all cute.

Rory, that's a nice way to display a pin. My mother has several, I don't wear pins much, and perhaps I will display them that way.

Mom was a secretary at an Institute of a technology, and I came across a postcard from a former GI Bill student thanking her for all her help, and could she please send his transcript to him in Egypt, he needed it for his bus job. He included his social security number to help her locate the transcript. On a Postcard!

So many treasures like that I'm coming across. I have been in touch with our historical society who are interested in some things, but others are just for us. A couple of boxes have takers, but "after we can reopen".

And what about the plaques for the family business, the banquet photos, the invitation, program, and menu for the luncheon with a queen?

Allison, What is your ebay userid? I'd like to see what you have. Thanks!

I have a friend who makes jewelry she buys at estate sales into the most interesting pieces. She has one necklace that is a "statement necklace" made from coordinating brooches. I know of another friend who had her grandmother's brooch collection made into a similar necklace. I think you could get ideas online if you want to go that route.

I am following this because I am generally pretty good at clearing out clutter and such....but it's the letters and postcards and photos that is really getting to me. I have the plastic bins full like @3katz4me mentioned, and have gone through some a while ago but STILL have quite a bit.

(even some performance review for my mom when she worked for the government in DC, and then at the just starting U.N. ... ). I liked reading that you haven't missed it.

I would love to get something like that accomplished in this Corona era.

I agree though for brooches that they can be made to work as pendants AND I strongly expect that at some point they will be back in fashion. Whether or not we live long enough to see it is another matter.

@salonva, I had a lot of photos, as did my mother. So many from traveling and their second homes. The first time I went through was after she passed away. Numerous photo boxes of different trips. I took them to my house and took out all the ones that had my parents in them. Kept a few scenic photos. The second time I reorganized (after we moved), I tossed most of the scenic ones. Mom was the keeper of her family's photos, then had a good many from Dad's family too. I divided them up into their own small containers, and have one small container for my parents. I gave photos to our three children of my parents. I tossed out old negatives (looked at their first). I even went through photos I had developed and tossed out bad ones and the negatives. I stopped putting photos in albums in the late 90s. Rarely print any photos now. Just grandchildren to have one each framed on my dressing table.

@pattyxlynn, it is DD1's eBay account, so not comfortable posting.

I've asked my son if he wanted any military buttons, patches, etc. No. I'm going to take Dad's last set of button (dress blues), along with his ranking pins, and put in the curio cabinet drawer. I have a small box of his father's WWI pieces, plus all this postcards he wrote to his mom and sister from Germany. Yes, WWI. He married later in life. After my dad retired from the Army Reserve I had his ribbons and medals framed. The VA sent me several more after his death, so I updated. It hangs in the bedroom DGS uses when he sleeps over.

Maternal grandmother corresponded with someone/a relative out of state, so I have a box full of ancestry information I need to go through. I have scanned a lot of my paternal side to Ancestry. I am interested in family history, but don't know how much time I really want to invest in scanning, researching etc.

I know a lot of it is guilt of getting rid of things that obviously meant something to these relatives I was so close to. Sometimes it's easy to donate, and other times it's easier to ignore. LOL

Sorry for rattling....

For the award plaques, take them apart and put the award papers in a folder (if they are worth keeping), or scan on the computer (I think this is what I'll do). I make Shutterfly books for of our grandchildren's photos instead of printing photos, but won't do for his military awards.

In the end, it's just stuff. I want to not only see my grandchildren during driveway visits, I want to hold them. That's how I'd rather spend my time.

Don’t even talk to me about family stuff. What a nightmare. My mother has so much jewelry, China, silver, you name it. I’ll offer the jewelry to my nieces although they all lead casual lifestyles and have no need for expensive jewelry.

its the really sentimental stuff that gets me. My dad was a talented artist and sent my mom drawings and letters before they were married. They are precious. No way can I toss them. Guess they will go to my nieces. I don’t know.

Funny, but my local historical society keeps yearbooks from our high schools.They are missing my year so I said they can have mine. I’ll have to check to see what people wrote first!

It doesn't help that there is nowhere to take any of this stuff now. Many places are not open and charities are generally not taking donations. The giant antique mall re-opened yesterday, but there is no way I am going near any retail.

#1 no way could I

#2 I have no hand me downs.....

Perhaps a Christmas tree that's only brought out for a short time each year.

The letters from your mother's penpal in Japan would probably be more valuable to her descendants than your family. But tracking them down would be next to impossible, I would think.

Our Goodwill has been taking donations throughout the SAH period, thankfully ...since my cleaning rampage has generated plenty.

The only solution to donating valuable things without feeling sick to your stomach over it is to give them to a thrift shop associated with a charity.

It is hard to accept, but the value of something has nothing to do with its historical cost. If no one wants it (including you!) its not really valuable .... and that is not your fault.

@dedtired LOL I know I am not alone, and I know this type of thread seems to be appearing here more often the last few years. Must be our age range. :-/ I actually sold the crystal I had (some was my grandmother's and other similar/matching pieces Mom gave me one Christmas). I kept Mom's, just enough pieces for our immediate family. I use good china and silverware daily, but our wedding china is stored. Tastes change, and all that. I actually spent an afternoon a few weeks ago polishing silver. I find it relaxing.

@arcy_gw, if my maternal grandmother were still alive, she would so be making one of those! I have several pieces of family costume jewelry, and it's in the curio cabinet too. Some of it can be seen scattered in the photo I posted above.

I actually contacted him (penpal) after Dad, then Mom died to let him know. I keep meaning to check on him during CV19. I will ask if he would like the letters back.

That is true, Mtn. I will see about charity auctions, as most of the pieces are 4 figures. I have appraisals from a long time ago, plus what the local jewelry store was will to pay (which was basically just for the gold and hardly anything for the stones). I would rather do that than just donate to a thrift store/charity.

Around here, those items don't make it to charity auctions. There is just too much supply of it relative to demand. : (

Luckily, my girls like/want everything! Including some very large gaudy cocktail rings that were my grandmother's,but look charmingly ironic on lovely young hands, worn with no other jewelry.

My mom has been cleaning and just sent me a bunch of old photos. Some are from the early 1900's. I have no need to keep the actual photos (I am a purger by nature). I scanned them and named them with a date if known (or approximate) and any other known info. I will make a Shutterfly book with them.

I have been making an annual Shutterfly book of my younger DS school years so I didn't keep any of the actual papers from elementary school. I did the same thing for my older DS but his is just one big book since that technology did not exist when he was growing up.

@Rory (Zone 6b) we are similar. I've been making yearly books for my grandson since preschool. DD2 has only kept a few of his originals. He's in LE now at Montessori, and I am still making them. I enjoy making the books with their photos for me and DD2.

I already have most of the family photos scanned. I will start focusing on scanning more and make a book for each of us. I can share links with my cousins and they can purchase books if they want. Thank you. I still don't know if I can stomach tossing the original photos though.

@mtnrdredux_gw, you might be right. Won't know until I ask.

Allison, I couldn't toss the photos but I did shred them. It was sort of like a cremation and scattering to the wind. Putting them in the garbage was not a option for me.

Rory and Allison, my kids are all teens and they love those books. They are totally worth all the time.

Save all things of your parents regarding their childhood. Annuals, etc. When my dad died I found a box I think his mother had, and I never got to meet her, but it had all of his high school graduation cards, his yearbook (He was voted Best Looking, lol) and other things. I found his WW2 discharge papers. Those are things your grandchildren will be interested in someday.

HIstorical and genealogy researchers love things like letters, yearbooks, work documents, old photos (especially if the person is identified) and so forth - stuff that we often think would be of no interest even to ourselves. I would think the pen pal letters would be of much interest.

Especially if a family has been in a community for a very long time - For example, the Western Reserve Historical library has a collection related to my grandfather's family, which includes photos and a family genealogy dating from 1905.

Libraries and historical societies in particular like the yearbooks. Don't worry about autographs/messages in the yearbooks - no one will know who is writing to whom or really be interested in the message - people want to find pictures of their relatives, or research what was going on at the school at that time. I have been searching for a yearbook from my grandparent's schools, but haven't found one from their years although other years are available.

I have the same dilemma. My mom had a childhood penpal and saved the letters. Some of that stuff is taking up a small amount of space so I just keep it around, but someday it will be trash. Ironically, I worked for a museum, and one minutes something is sitting in a box in storage, old carp that no one wants to look at, and the next minute it is a valuable time capsule for someone looking for details of that time and era. For example, I found a box of old school stuff that a teacher donated, bulletin boards and educational props, handouts, mimeo sheets, etc. that she used in her class. The kind of stuff I know teachers all over the country end up throwing out when they retire. She donated this box, and 100 years later, I was researching turn of the century educational materials to make some reproductions, and her box of old useless junk was now a goldmine. That's the rub.

I'm interested in history, and I am APPALLED at how much stuff local history museums and archives just don't bother even scanning anymore, let alone saving. No one wants to bother with it. My local libraries history room routinely has stuff stolen since they can't invest in proper management and security. One local historian left his estate to the library and they had a historical collections manager for ten years with money from the bequest, but once it was used up, they have just let everything go. No one even on the staff anymore who has any training in history.

I'm toying with getting a certificate in archiving. There are several colleges that offer online programs. As a lover of history, family or otherwise, I am just amazed at how little interest there is in such things anymore. I'm not suggesting you should save everything, but heck people throw out perfectly good clothing and furniture just because it is a few years old now. Not like Europe, where they have family stuff that is hundreds of years old in many attics still.

I will say that the trend nowdays is to throw out the original stuff and save it digitally as scanned images. That's a bit of a mistake, in my mind, but again, can't fight "progress."

Oh, my, I have my grandfather’s yearbooks from architecture school in 1916! And I just opened a portfoliio with his drawings from classes. No WAY I can get rid of those. I’d like to frame some. There is one, colored, that is already framed, I think it was in their offices.

I love the letters I’m finding. I even love the letters from people I don’t know!

My mother loved to entertain, and entertain beautifully. She has some lovely “bits”, little salt and peppers, serving pieces, glassware. I should open an Etsy shop “the lady gave a party” or some such!

The furniture is hard. There’s some wonderful MCM — Herman Miller, Knoll, and so on — but the Knoll tulip table and chairs were the family kitchen set from mid-60s till now, so they are, ahem, well-loved. How to price?!?

Pink, DH and I are big card givers vs presents (we buy when we want/need, and honestly I do not like surprises and he hates shopping. Win. Win.). So 2 large shoe boxes filled since 1981. Just birthdays, anniversaries and Valentine's but they add up. I saved a few of my grandparents Valentine's and have a card of two between my parents. I don't expect my children to keep them, but as my dad used to say "I won't care, I'll be gone." LOL

I can see your frustration on historical items. It always pains me to see old photographs in antique stores. Wedding photos, baby photos. How do those get away?

DS and DGD came over for a safe distance visit. Guess what he gave me - the person "hard to buy for?" A lovely 8x10 photograph of my 5th great-grandfather's log cabin he ordered from a high resolution source. LOL It is lovely and thoughtful.

bpath, both my mother and her mother painted. I have several paintings by both of them, and have shared with DD2. Your grandfather's architectural drawings would be lovely framed. I would enjoy those as well. An auction house might be the best place to sell the furniture, if you're inclined to do so.

OMG, I love the idea of a store called, "The Lady Gave a Party." Before the pandemic I was inspired to start a small business catering tea parties, my Mom left me so many lovely pieces behind and most of my crowd rarely entertains. I miss the old days when I was young in the mid 60s and my folks social set would gather for parties. As a kid I found it mostly boring to hang around at their friends house while the elders were having fun, although sometimes it had it's fun moments for us too. I don't know if it was the times or just my folks who were very social animals.