Dear Lee,

We are collectors. We do not have a house filled with clutter, but we do have carefully chosen bits of art or history that we have inherited or found at a sale or even in piles on the curb on trash pick-up days. This month, our newspapers, which no longer runs an antiques page, included a 16-page ad for a group of out-of-town buyers who want to buy antiques and collectibles.

“Decluttering” is the thing to do, and those who never understood collecting and are trying to sell some things in the house could be making mistakes. Many don’t realize that age is much less important than condition or maker. Your grandmother’s dishes may be 100 years old, but young buyers today don’t want fancy china, they want modern pottery they can mix and match. And sterling silver can be sold because it has a value when melted down, but plated silverware with fancy handles is almost impossible to sell. The ad advertises that they will make a fair offer for your belongings, so be sure you have some idea what price would be fair while realizing the buyer is going to sell it for a profit. The items they want to buy are the things that are popular and sell quickly. If you have a lot to get rid of, save some of the old valuable pieces so you can make a deal with a dealer or auction to take the expensive along with some of the inexpensive that could be sold as a group. Or plan to donate a lot to a charity resale shop.

The ad says they want things made after the 1960s. Let’s look at the list – gold, silver, platinum, coins and old bills, fractional currency, diamonds, Tiffany, guitars, sports cards and memorabilia, space-related toys like robots, cast iron toys, advertising, military items, old comic books, quack medicine, antique clocks, pocket watches and costume jewelry. Most of this is also wanted by local antiques shops, sales and auctions, and expensive pieces would particularly be welcome by a local or national auction house.

To save time and work, it might be okay to go to a buyer where everything is non-returnable and paid for with cash. But remember, this group has a name that is shortened to look like a popular TV show to which it isn’t related, and it’s in town for five days, then gone. So remember the old adage, “buyer beware” and in this case it should be “seller beware.” Do your homework before you go.