Finding the NYC Subway at an Estate Sale.

Estate sales are a genre all of their own. I remember the weirdness that I felt going to my first estate sale, feeling a little awkward going through the bedroom dresser of some old woman that I knew was dead. After going to a few more estate sales, I got over that weird feeling and instead began to enjoy the opportunity to rummage through a complete stranger’s home. When else can you open kitchen cupboards and sift through dusty shelves in a basement of a stranger? Seeing what people collect is just one of the many unique aspects of estate sales. While I know that most people buy to flip at these types of sales, I always hope that those who eventually end up with the items cherish them as much as the original owner did.

I live in northwest Jersey, where I’m conveniently located to attend both sales in my corner of Jersey as well as Pennsylvania. I spend most weekends in south Jersey, where it seems like there is an endless amount of estate sales every Saturday. Due to schedules/activities, I can’t attend that many. I was able to go to one during the Memorial Day weekend and this turned out to be one of the biggest money makers in my start of buying & reselling.

I had gotten to the sale about 45minutes late. I had experienced getting to a sale super early once before and it wasn’t for me. The big ticket items I’m not in a position to buy anyway, so I was wasting my time standing in line and getting stepped on by those in a rush to grab the coveted collections. Even arriving almost an hour late, there was still a line outside, but at least a small one. I waited as did everyone else, hearing the usual complaints of “5 people came out, let 5 of us in!” This house was pretty small, so they were only letting a small number of people at a time, which is the usual practice.

After I leave a sale, I always wish I would have spent more time and not rushed, allowing myself to open every drawer and look in every nook and cranny. I’m still working on this, but this time managed to take some more time to just slow down and look. There was a good size mud room when you first walked into the home and a few bookcases and a desk. I looked at the book spines, seeing if any titled popped out at me. I then walked over to another bookcase where a paperweight thing stood on top a stack of books. It was definitely interesting and a little odd. I figured it for either a paperweight or some type of weird sculpture and thought that I could easily resell this thing on Etsy.

1960s Lucite Sculpture

I continued to the living room which was super small and crowded. There was a table with jewelry and other odds and ends that looked expensive. Old records, a record player, ornate small statues that I had no idea what they were, and some other items that I passed over. Out through the kitchen which didn’t have much to offer to the garage area that I could have and should have spent a good deal of time going through. Old cabinets with drawers filled with yes, junk, but I assume amidst the junk was a treasure.

I made my way into one of the bedrooms, again filled with people. The closet doors had been opened and I peeked inside. Clothes, shoes, and jackets were stored away. There was a single shelf in the closet, up high enough that I had to stand on my tip-toes to get a glimpse. A few old games, which I knew nothing about and so passed up – note to self, do more research! I then found a pile of assorted paper items. Looking back now, I should have picked up all of the papers that were there. The price of paper ephemera can be more than you would think nowadays. Scrapbookers are looking for interesting pieces to use and history buffs/family researchers are always looking for paper items that they have a connection to/family history of.


Among the pile of papers in the closet was a 1948 NYC Subway and Mass Transit map. I glanced over the folded brochure and opened it up to reveal a great looking map of the subway. The colors were amazing and condition was good too, having only one slit in the paper where it had been folded. I didn’t see the 1948 date right away, but when I did notice it, I decided this map was coming home with me.


In total, I picked up six items from this estate sale and paid a whopping $7 for everything. The “cashier” didn’t look through each of my items individually. I came to her with the items in a pile together; she glanced at the pile, and quoted the price.

So far, I’ve only sold two of the six items. No disappointment here, thanks to the subway map. Returning from the sale, I started doing research on the map. The 1948 NYC map was a special kind because of the uniqueness of it displaying the turns of the subway line. This map showed the actual curves of the traveling line, versus later maps that featured only straight lines. The map also highlighted parks and other areas of interest. Finding this item on EBay was interesting because all I could find were reproductions of the map, not original full brochure and map like I had. The reproduction pieces were going for over $40 and I even found a listing from a few months prior for a repro piece that sold for $100.

I listed on EBay and waited for the bids to come rolling in. No such luck. I had listed the starting price at $45 and couldn’t get anyone to bid. It was an interesting item and needed a specific buyer/market to entice. I was bummed that a reproduction piece could have more buying power than the actual item, but thought I would take my chances with Etsy. Selling vintage items on this site has seen much backlash from those that make their own items to sell. In my view, many vintage items can be re-purposed by those making new items, so the vintage sellers can help out the DIY sellers. But, tell that to the crafters.

Anyway, I decided to list the map on this site. I dropped my price a little and put the item up at $40. It was a neat map and the price wasn’t out of the ballpark. If anything, the price should have been more considering repros were going for that much and it had historical value to it. Well, like I thought it would, the map sold for $40. The buyer? A New Yorker, naturally.

So, after the listing fee, selling fee, and PayPal fee, I ended up having about a $37 profit from the map. Not bad for a $1.17 investment. Along with the map, I also sold the funky paperweight thing. That piece netted me a profit of around $10. So, I’m up $47 and thereby have paid off the initial $7 for all of the items. When the remaining five items sell, more profit!

The lesson in this is to slow down and look. The people that are in line first thing in the morning for an estate sale have looked at the pictures and have a few items in mind that they must have. More than not, the rest of the stuff in the house they could care less about. These are the men & women that own brick & mortar antique stores, those that vend at flea markets on a regular basis, and those that pick for a full-time job. They have the money to shell out $150 on a painting and have the contacts to flip it for $500. Sure, I could purchase the exact same painting, but I wouldn’t have any idea where to start in order to resell and gain a profit.

So, let those that are in to buy the “high end” items go first. Take your time opening drawers and digging through dirty boxes in the garage. I made over $30 on a $1 item just by taking a peek at what was on a closet shelf. As I stated before, I should have grabbed all of the paper items because who knows what else could have brought in a great return.

~ Flea Fact ~

        Go out of your way at estate sales to look where others won’t – you’ll find treasure for sure.