Here’s How to Make Cleaning Worth Your While
The changes and restrictions of the past year have most of us spending more time at home than ever before. The household has become our multi-functional space for work, leisure and rest. Creating a space that serves all of these purposes can be difficult, but simplifying your belongings can help. The tradition behind spring cleaning has a lot of merit; the custom is rooted in making space for the new season, and what’s to come. And with our homes serving so many purposes, getting rid of items you no longer use might just be the most rejuvenating thing you’ve done all year.
In addition to refreshing your space, cleaning can also make you some money! At Au Jewelry Exchange Lab we’ll pay you to part with the things that no longer serve you. That unused silverware, dusty coin collection, and outdated jewelry could be worth much more than you think. Read on to see exactly how much.
1. Jewelry Box Cleanout
Diane was tasked with cleaning out her parent’s house since they are downsizing into a retirement home. Her mom gifted her some sentimental pieces; her Great Aunt’s brooch, a gold chain with a cross pendant, and a few other odds and ends. After offering these items to her two daughters the three agreed that while these items are beautiful, they’re a bit out of style.
Diane visits the lab to have everything evaluated. Since she is emotionally attached to the brooch, Diane decides to repurpose it as pairs of earrings for herself and her daughters at Modern Love Jewelry, located next to our lab. As for the other pieces, Diane was pleasantly surprised to find out the value of the gold is quite high and decided to sell for a purchase price of $3,549. With the funds she bought a new webcam and smart TV to stay connected with her family during our lockdown, which also came in handy as her parents were transitioning to long-term care.
2. Sentimental Coin Collection
Susan inherited her grandfather’s coin collection and medals from the war. While she decided to keep the medals, framing them and hanging them in her home office, she hoped to sell the coins. Since the price depends on the quality of the coins (grade), and rarity, Susan had no idea what was worth selling. She was happy to find our lab at Au, where we helped her catalog and price the entire collection, showing her what to keep for sentimental purposes and what to sell; as well as keeping the collection cataloged in our system for her future reference and needs. She sold 1 Canadian (troy ounce) gold coin and received $2,240.99 for it! With some of the money Susan made, she bought a new iPad to keep in touch with her family & friends.
3. Unused Wedding Gift
Cheryl & Jeffery were gifted a Birks London Engraved Pattern Sterling Silver flatware set on their wedding day 35 years ago. Since the set has gone relatively untouched throughout their marriage, they hoped to sell it and use the funds to buy something they’ll use more often. To their surprise, we priced the set at $4,500 at Au. That same day, the couple received their money and bought a new hot tub to enjoy together! They simplified their belongings and bought something that was on their wish list for years.
Have these stories inspired you to clean out your drawers? When you’re ready, we’d love to help you make room for new joys. Book an appointment with us today, or check out our FAQ section for more information.
