3 ms·

I've had to toss out/donate a number of inherited antique items (furniture, silver, china). It was sad to see something that once held value to someone no longe

I've had to toss out/donate a number of inherited antique items (furniture, silver, china). It was sad to see something that once held value to someone no longer be worth anything. However, it does give me some perspective that just because something is old doesn't mean it's valuable or important. Similarly, just because something may have taken a lot of hours of craftsmanship to produce doesn't give it value either--which might be related to my developer mentality. My parents have decided to unload most of their furniture rather than wait for us kids to inherit it. They don't want to burden us with being attached to a bulky item that doesn't match our lifestyle or tastes. I think I'll do the same for my kids.

mumblemumble 6y ago
Ironically, it seems that things not being valued is one of the major forces that imparts value upon them in the long run. You can drive up a thing's price by reducing supply, just like how you can do it by increasing demand. Once that's happened sufficiently, it becomes a Veblen good, and then the price takes off. I've got a family member who, being somewhat aware of this phenomenon, has decided to hold on to everything that they think might become valuable in the future. I suspect that, over the years, the cost of warehousing all this stuff has easily outstripped any potential profits. Let alone any actual profits.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]